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 without knowing how it tasted like, one plant is enough for me as long as it produces
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
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.
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…
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.
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.
I don’t know about “unusual,” but Wando peas are where it’s at.
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.
the immature seeds of elms including invasive ones (samras?) are very good as well as a salad-y green thing
Wha? You can eat Linden leaves and Elm samaras? Yeezus.
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.
btw here is a photo of one of the giant green 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