Bamboo shoot time!

Pickled up a few quarts today…

How are bamboo shoots used in cooking? I just use them in stir fry. Any recipes you like to use them in?

T Blankinship wrote:How are bamboo shoots used in cooking? I just use them in stir fry. Any recipes you like to use them in?

We use them in stir fry and Chinese sweet and sour soup.

What kind of picking process did you use?  

Last year I tried to lacto fermentation and it went terribly - totally putrid and foul.  

I think I may have went wrong boiling the shoots first, which is traditionally how its prepared .

Jeffrey Branham wrote:What kind of picking process did you use?  

Last year I tried to lacto fermentation and it went terribly - totally putrid and foul.  

I think I may have went wrong boiling the shoots first, which is traditionally how its prepared .

I boil them twice, changing the water each time, then use a pickling solution of 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon salt.  Then water bath for 30 minutes.

what variety of bamboo do they come from?  

Jenn Lumpkin wrote:what variety of bamboo do they come from?  

These are mostly Vivax, my favorite, big and tender.  We have several other varieties as well, but I wait for the Vivax.

Like this?
https://lewisbamboo.com/products/vivax/

is it invasive?  I've thought about planting bamboo but don't like the idea of invasive.  Some is, some isn't from what I've read.  
How tall is yours?  (just curious)

Jenn Lumpkin wrote:Like this?
https://lewisbamboo.com/products/vivax/

is it invasive?  I've thought about planting bamboo but don't like the idea of invasive.  Some is, some isn't from what I've read.  
How tall is yours?  (just curious)

Yes, that is the one.  Probably 50-60 ft tall.  It is a particularly aggressive variety that is thin walled (not good for building but used for baskets) and prone to storm damage. “Locally invasive” is the best term I have heard to describe the running bamboos.  They will completely dominate an area over time.  Expensive (to buy and install) plastic ground liners are often sold for control, but they too fail, sooner vs later without regular patrols to curtail escape attempts.  Clumping bamboos are great, but do best in warmer climates such as south Florida.  I have the temperate clumper “Rufa” and it survives just fine, but hasn’t made culms any larger than a pencil and 3-4 ft tall.

I do not regret planting bamboo, we get a ton of value out of it in the form of people food, animal food, biochar feedstock, and erosion control.  But, if I had it to do over, I might consider planting it in the middle of my pasture to allow my livestock to aid in its control.  This time of year, I am patrolling the neighbor’s stream banks nearly daily to cut off shoots from the escapee rhizomes, and I’m not going to live forever…

If you just want shoots, maybe look for an existing grove close by and ask the owner.  I’d say the shoots are only prime for around week, so you need to be able to check on the grove frequently in the spring, or have the owner call you when they start.  After about a foot tall or so, quality declines rapidly.

Thanks for the answer, Grey Henon.  Yep, I'm not getting any younger either.  
If you'd planted it in your pasture, though, your livestock would probably eat all your bamboo shoots.  So not much use except might make the livestock happier.  

Jenn Lumpkin wrote:
Thanks for the answer, Grey Henon.  Yep, I'm not getting any younger either.  
If you'd planted it in your pasture, though, your livestock would probably eat all your bamboo shoots.  So not much use except might make the livestock happier.  

I use electric fencing to create protected “islands” for aggressive plants.  Works really well!