Chris Ulinski

I need your help, So I have come across these walnuts, I have no idea what kind they are and would like to find out, also how do I go on about planting these so that they might actually make it into a tree?

John Elliott wrote:Taro.

It's perennial here in the borderline 8/9 zone of middle Georgia. The first frost knocks it out for the rest of the winter, but comes the warm weather in April, it's back and ready to spread. This year we had a fairly dry summer, so there were a lot of yellowing leaves and it didn't look prime for harvesting, but the last two weeks have turned wetter and it has greened right up. If you have wet spots that don't drain well and other things end up drowning, try some taro.

As far as eating it, it is high in oxalates, so it must be cooked. I'm experimenting with parboiling the leaves and then using them as wrappers, a la stuffed grape leaves or gołąbki. The leaves aren't very strong tasting and have a pleasant fragrance which goes away (along with a lot of the oxalate) when you boil them. The most common recipes I have come across on YouTube is stewed up in coconut milk and as greens in a pot of dasheen.

Did you ever make gołąbki with taro leaves? How did it taste, and what was the texture of it, I only make gołąbki with cabbage, would be interesting to try it with something else.

Scott Strough wrote:

Chris Ulinski wrote:

Scott Strough wrote:

Chris Ulinski wrote:For you guys that grow things like thistle, fern, dandelion, and things like that, do you actual eat them?

Never ate thistle, but nettles are good greens cooked like collards. I personally don't care for dandelion, but do occasionally eat them if I can get a few really big but early spring ones. They get bitter quickly though, especially in the Oklahoma heat. This year we went from last frost to 100 degree high in a week or so. Obviously no dandelion greens for me this year. That's the problem with some edible "weeds", inconsistent. Some things though, like cattails are a real treat and always taste awesome! Purslane is another that is a real treat. I eat them right in the garden. Yummy and because it has a sort of citric taste, no need for salad dressing.

do you grow enough to actually have a good harvest to eat on a regular basis or is it just something to eat here and there?

No I just browse mostly, for a seasonal treat. I could grow then as a real crop I suppose, but generally I stick with mostly regular annual crops, but grown in a permaculture way. The main perennials I have grown are horse radish, asparagus, hops, grapes, Rhubarb, and Kale. I do grow a lot of purslane, but as a low story cover in the sweet corn. It's good, but I don't eat a lot. Sunchokes grow wild here. If I am in the mood I can dig as many as I want whenever. But I am not the type to go digging up everything. In the summer probably 1/2 or more of all I eat is tomatoes! I grow around 100 heirloom varieties in my own way I developed myself. Got a new customer today at the stand. A young kid. He said .... almost choking with ecstasy.... wow, that was an orgasism of the mouth! hahahahaha I almost fell out! Many kids these days have no idea how good home grown food can be. He also fell in love with the Puya pepper. MUCH sweeter than the sweetest sweet pepper, but also as hot as a Jalepeno at the same time! YUMMY.

thats the problem that i was having, all the people touting perennial vegetables especially in the northern climates there isn't too much that you can grow to really sustain you, there is allot you can grow but they seem mostly things that you add to dishes not the main component of the meal, i know sunchokes and other tuber like plants could compose a whole meal, but your not gonna eat just horseradish as a meal. when i read Toensmeiers books, he grows all these perennial vegetables makes we wonder how much of that what they grow they could eat and survive without adding annual plants to their diet.

Scott Strough wrote:

Chris Ulinski wrote:For you guys that grow things like thistle, fern, dandelion, and things like that, do you actual eat them?

Never ate thistle, but nettles are good greens cooked like collards. I personally don't care for dandelion, but do occasionally eat them if I can get a few really big but early spring ones. They get bitter quickly though, especially in the Oklahoma heat. This year we went from last frost to 100 degree high in a week or so. Obviously no dandelion greens for me this year. That's the problem with some edible "weeds", inconsistent. Some things though, like cattails are a real treat and always taste awesome! Purslane is another that is a real treat. I eat them right in the garden. Yummy and because it has a sort of citric taste, no need for salad dressing.

do you grow enough to actually have a good harvest to eat on a regular basis or is it just something to eat here and there?

I started 5 seaberry seeds back in January 2014, out of those 5 seeds only one sprouted and it's doing good I think, it's about 16 inches tall and is very bushy, I'll add a picture of it.

For you guys that grow things like thistle, fern, dandelion, and things like that, do you actual eat them?

Looking to get more perennial going , what's out there?