What unusual vegetables should I grow that I've never heard of?

I grew a new guinea butter vine aka cucuzzi that tastes like summer squash. It’s a type of gourd. Seeds don’t germinate well. The vine is highly productive and delicious fried in olive oil.

Agree. I had one plant and that is all you need it is sooo prolific and huge/Long !one gourd can feed whole army. It tastes similar to opal gourd or fuzzi melon in oriental store.
I try to grow snake gourd this year and having hard time of getting the seeds germinated. Whole package of seeds one got one plant :disappointed_relieved: without knowing how it tasted like, one plant is enough for me as long as it produces

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I’m going to give Hoja Santa (Piper auritum) a try for the first time… I just ordered seeds from Trade Winds.

isn’t it carcinogenic ?

Hmmm… maybe not. Read the last line under “usage”

Thanks for the heads up though, I hadn’t read anything about that issue before you mentioned it.

Occasionally use and small qty may not be a problem. after all we all eat smoked meat which is carcinogenic too :disappointed_relieved:

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By far the strongest carcinogenic we ingest is alcohol anyway. And sugar and grains and seed oils, if you want to take the inflammation/metabolic disturbance angle.

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I am in Frederick/Gaithersburg again and stopped by an H Mart. They had “Big Green Onion” for like $3 a bundle, most bundles had 3 onions–they were almost as thick, and as tall or taller than leeks, but with round leaves like a traditional green onion. Seriously, they were over 2’ tall, with the tops cut.

I am seriously considering buying a few on my last day here, cutting them further so I can cram them in a bag, and bringing them home to see if they are Z5 perennial as an addition…

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These big green onions usually grow in cold climate. It can survive in zone 5in mild winter. I usually cut the top off and plant the bottom part. it will grow. I also have a pack of seeds that I can send you some , not sure how good is the germination rate though.

While you’re at H Mart, or a similar store, you can get fresh lemongrass, trim the top back, and root it very easily. Even old, wilted, yellowed stalks grow roots very fast. It’s a vigorous annual in zone 5, forming a big clump. It dies in winter of course.

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I know it’s not that unusual but I’ve developed a real fondness for Jerusalem artichokes - one of those plants native to North America that we’ve largely ignored while the Europeans and Russians have spent a lot of time improving. I’m up to 15 varieties. I think they should probably be allowed in the kool aid club with jujube. There’s a video on YouTube where the growingyourgreens guy got 8 lbs from a 3 gallon container! And another where he got 25 lbs from two in-ground plants. I highly recommend Will Bonsals book - Essential Guide to Radical Self Reliant Gardening. It’s really, really good. I think he maintains the biggest collection with something like 80 varieties. I’m also trying an Apios americana (groundnut, hopniss) variety called ‘Simon’ this year that I’m pretty excited for.:slight_smile:

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I don’t know about “unusual,” but Wando peas are where it’s at.

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Tilia americana, our native linden, makes great salad greens this time of year-some call it tree lettuce.
Hablitzia, a vining perennial that likes semi shade is a good for cooked greens.

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the immature seeds of elms including invasive ones (samras?) are very good as well as a salad-y green thing

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Wha? You can eat Linden leaves and Elm samaras? Yeezus.

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I guess later samras you can cook too but never tried. The green fresh ones before they drop can be pulled by fistful and are mildly sweet and tasty. Would be a very flat compressed salad on their own but good on their own or added to salad, should be great in quinoa salads and tabouleh-type stuff too i assume.

These are definitely flowers from the black locust tree. They are faintly sweet and taste a bit like peas. They can be eaten raw or used like peas in just about anything- though they burn up if you cook them too hot.

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btw here is a photo of one of the giant green onions:

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/onions/bunching-onions/nabechan-f1-onion-seed-256.html?cgid=bunching-onions

Are you growing Hablitzia? I’ve been look in at Caucasian spinach for over a year or so, but not been able to locate plants. Did you get divisions or grow from seeds?

Scott

just bought some seed yesterday to try it