• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • Jay Angler
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Tereza Okava
  • AndrĂ©s Bernal
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • M Ljin
  • Matt McSpadden

Sneaky edibles -What are the most beautiful edibles in your garden?

 
pioneer
Posts: 227
44
cat trees urban
  • Likes 6
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Marianna Marinda wrote:definitely Rose of Sharon; I'm creating a rainbow of this!



I realise, what I grew up calling Rose of Sharon is Hypericum calycinum: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/8994/hypericum-calycinum/details

This is not safe or good to eat!

But are you talking about Hibiscus syriacus: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/40530/hibiscus-syriacus/details ?
 
master pollinator
Posts: 1102
Location: East of England/ Northeast Bulgaria
417
6
cat forest garden trees tiny house books writing
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hypericum calycinum isn't edible, but it does have medicinal uses.
 
Posts: 48
Location: Central PA, gradually relocating to Central Upstate NY
25
homeschooling kids forest garden trees foraging books fiber arts writing solar homestead composting
  • Likes 8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I've noticed visual differences in the leaves, but my plants are not established enough to really make comparisons yet.  When it comes to edibility, the very little bit of experience I have is that the texture of mature leaves is too tough to be desirable, so I'd stick to younger versions if anything.  I don't have much experience at all with this yet though; I just know enough to place these in my orchard/edibles area to get familiar with as an edible option.
 
master steward
Posts: 13679
Location: Pacific Wet Coast
8034
duck books chicken cooking food preservation ungarbage
  • Likes 10
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Marianna Marinda wrote:...  When it comes to edibility, the very little bit of experience I have is that the texture of mature leaves is too tough to be desirable, so I'd stick to younger versions if anything...


I find that with leaves that aren't as commonly used as food in our culture, research is my friend. Often there's a time of year they're picked, or specific ways they're prepared that is important to know.

I noticed that I have a volunteer Amaranth in one of my planters the other day. I picked a bunch of the leaves to try, but first I sliced them fairly thinly, then I stir fried them with a couple more common foods, including some cooked new potatoes and green onions. It tasted great! I suspect if I'd simply boiled the leaves and served them by themselves, they wouldn't have gone over as well!
 
Marianna Marinda
Posts: 48
Location: Central PA, gradually relocating to Central Upstate NY
25
homeschooling kids forest garden trees foraging books fiber arts writing solar homestead composting
  • Likes 8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
My plants are not mature enough to make much comparison yet, sorry.  I just got most of them in the ground this year, and they are small but establishing well at least.  The most I have noticed about cultivar differences are all about flower color and some degree of leaf shape or variegation.  But not enough info to really post about yet.

What I have noticed is that mature leaves are too tough to be desirable for eating, even if everything else about them would be ideal.  Maybe the young leaves would be better? , or the flowers I haven't tried.  I'm sure I got my info from Plants For a Future (PFAF), in case you want to check it out, and once they're big enough I might try a few experiments again.  

And definitely, I'm talking about Hibiscus syriacus.  
 
Jane Mulberry
master pollinator
Posts: 1102
Location: East of England/ Northeast Bulgaria
417
6
cat forest garden trees tiny house books writing
  • Likes 6
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Jay Angler wrote:I suspect if I'd simply boiled the leaves and served them by themselves, they wouldn't have gone over as well!



That would be true of many greens! I used to loathe spinach and cabbage for that reason!
 
Why is your dog always so ... moist? Check this tiny ad for some sort of cure:
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic