Cold Hardy Edible Bamboo

Some of you remember this topic What wild plants do you collect? , this topic The plants you would not think are edible and people eat - #30 by clarkinks, this topic Was: Hello all, plus pics; now: bamboo discussions - #9 by cousinfloyd and many others. My goals are this time is to be specific on Cold Hardy Edible Bamboo where to get it, what it costs, etc… Bamboo feeds and shelters many in the world.

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Thank you ive not had any experience processing bamboo but love the taste of it. Your description is excellent and made me aware there is much more to it. Im interested in learning more. The largest bamboo i see in my area is about 1" in diameter.

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I have a stand of bamboo in my backyard that is so old it’s visible in an aerial photo taken in 1952. Myself and an old neighbor of mine have eaten it several times. It’s a bit of a pain to process, but not too bad. I find it a little tasteless though, and not interesting enough to fool with regularly. Certainly not worth the absolute nightmare that I have trying to keep the patch from expanding. I would never in a million years consider planting bamboo on purpose. It’s a constant battle keeping it from taking over my whole yard. When my last neighbor moved there was a period of about 9 months where the bamboo wasn’t cut continually. It expanded into their yard a good 75’ in that time, and it’s still there. Getting back that 75’ patch of yard would take a solid week of work.

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Since you use the word “yard” I assume you’re talking about a more or less suburban context. Controlling bamboo would be very different in a farm context, especially with a tractor and subsoiler (an implement that’s probably only a few hundred dollars new – I bought mine for $75 or $100 used) and/or livestock. Bamboo also spreads very weakly into established forest as it’s not very shade tolerant. And it won’t spread underneath even a small creek. And in a farm context spaces and tolerances just aren’t as tight. It can definitely spread aggressively into suburban lawn, flower beds, etc.

75’ is a huge amount of spread for one year, though. I’ve never seen or heard of more than about 20’ of spread per year, and even that is counting just a lone shoot/culm out at the furthest point. My impression is that regularly mowing a 20’ perimeter around an established grove (at least around whatever part of the perimeter is open grass) is generally very sufficient for controlling the spread of bamboo.

I’d also note that bamboo is normally planted in suburban contexts for screening, with no intention of ever harvesting anything. If bamboo is being harvested (for shoots or poles or fodder…) that’s going to tend to slow its spread, especially compared to getting to feed off adjacent lawn fertilizer (and maybe sprinklers) without ever getting checked except at the perimeter.

I can definitely imagine what a huge task reclaiming 75’ of established bamboo grove would be, though. The only halfway easy way I could think to do it even in a farm context would probably take the better part of a decade, especially since the base of the culms even after cutting them down can take years to rot down.

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I follow this thread with interest as I’d like to find out if there is such edible hardy bamboos for zone 6 a. As far as I know, there are a few bamboos that can be grown in my zone 6 a but none is edible.

Growing up eating plenty of bamboo shoots and like them, I agree with @cousinfloyd, the process is a pain. We wore gloves as protection against the fuzz (Felt like needles to me) on the outer “leaves” that covers the shoots.

Some bamboo shoots are sweeter than others. “Sweet” is a relative term. It tastes mildly sweet. Those who are not used to it may wonder why you eat a piece of tasteless wood!!!

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i acquired a pot of young sweet edible bamboo in a local trade. and im growing mines in a large pot. just like i grow normal running bamboo. i have seen some videos of people harvesting fresh bamboo it look fun im give it a try. hope to see it grow fast in spring and summer. right now it is still small. i hope to learn more about growing cold hardy edible (yummy) bamboo

What is the prosess of preparation and cooking ?
Recipes?
Raw ? Cooked ?
Anyone eating yellow groove Bamboo?

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You probably can google Youtube, how to peel bamboo shoots. I found this one in Thai. The girl is the interviwer and the guy is a bambooshoot hunter. Bamboos grow wild. He supplements his income buy hunting for edible bamboo shoots and sells them.

Not all bamboo shoots are fit for consumption. The edible ones are sweet and not very fiberous. He called the ones he sold “sweet” bamboos. After peeling, putting those shoots in water helps them remain fresh and not turning dark.

https://www.google.com/search?q=วิธีปอกหน่อไม้&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

Fresh bamboo shoots are often used in soup, typically with pork, in curry or stir-fry as a vegetable. Dried and re-hydrated bamboo shoots are used extensively in Chinese cuisine.

I don’t have any particular recipes. Usually, it is recommended to boil those shoots (after peeling) first to get rid of its bitter taste and to throw that water away.

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The bamboo grove in my yard sends up shoots well over 50’ away from the main stand, and in great numbers. Probably about 1 per square yard out to 25’ or so and then one every few yards out to 50’. I mow once a week in the late spring and they can get close to a foot long in that time. They can be kept at bay by mowing, but if you wait too long they toughen up and are hard on a regular mower. My problem is they come up through my woodpile, along a fence that is hard to mow, up around tree roots etc etc and I have to cut them with a machete. Sure, a farmer can control it by spraying or digging, but I bet most farmers would kill it on sight. Just too much trouble. Oh, and the cut stems form perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes- specifically the Asian mosquitoes that are vectors for the Zika virus. I wish I could get rid of mine entirely.

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@PatapscoMike, have you considered trying to sever the rhizomes near the edge of the grove? My somewhat educated guess would be that if you could find a practical way to sever the rhizomes at the edge of the grove a couple times per year that the existing rhizomes would die off over the next few years once severed from any photosynthesizing parts, and then the only new shoots you’d get wouldn’t come up nearly as far from the grove, and what growth you did see would be much weaker. I’ve already mentioned using a tractor and a subsoiler, but a method that might be more practical in some other circumstances might be to just take a fairly long spade and just cut a line around the edge of the grove. If the ground isn’t easy to cut into, I’ve heard people talk about digging a 12-18" deep trench and filling it back with sand to make cutting the rhizomes easy. People also install barriers to keep bamboo from spreading, but I think you’d have to go down a full 18" and watch for rhizomes that would try to grow over the barrier, because if you block the normal path of growth (just a little below the surface) then the rhizomes will try to grow around any obstacles somehow.

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Digging an 18" deep trench for 100 yards or so would be quite a chore, and that much sand wouldn’t be cheap. That’s just for the little bit on my property. I’m just on one corner of it. The patch is about an acre in size. I’ve had lots of ideas but for the most part I just stick with frequent mowing.

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@PatapscoMike
Yes , I feel your pain of trying to control bamboo.
X a dozen
Years ago I came home with a dozen starts of yellow groove. And foolishly planted them here and there, around the farm.
I have regretted planting all of them where I did.
II have some of them along my road. They will close the road when it snows. And are Allways causing me work…cutting them back.
Don’t get me completely wrong, it is a very useful plant , lots of garden stakes , etc, way more than I need.!
I have tried various ways to kill , beat back, the patches over the years. All have failed. It’s definitely winning.
If you cut it to the ground , you cannot walkin there next year to do it again, too much stuff to move …!
This year I took a 20 lb. propane tank with a big torch to a patch , mid summer, just blistered the bottom of the stems.
They turned brown, but sent up smaller sprouts late.
I can still walk in there so maybe next year I can at least bring it to its knees ?
I would like to have just one patch on the farm that I can access, but not near anything I care about.
If the roots are left undisturbed, you are fighting " one " large plant that needs weakened and killed (?)
If you cut the roots as @cousinfloyd suggested then you have many individuals, while smaller , they need controlled individually .
I would like to hear from someone who has won this battle ?
My advice is …" Be Careful " where you plant running bamboo.
Be careful what you wish for.

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When I was younger, I could not envision having too much bamboo,
Now , I can’t imagine cutting it all down if that was all I did !
And to control ( kill ?) it ,this may take many years , 5+ ?

When I cut it , I cut it flat to the ground, with a battery powered sawsall . It’s safer that way than leaving a stubb.
In my experience, if you can get it all cut, and cleared enough to mow.it just turns into a lawn grass . Even mowed short repeatedly. It’s still there. It can be maintained this way. But if you turn your back on it, or can’t mow one little spot. It shoots right back up. I have never killed a patch , despite much effort.
Cutting and over grazing may work ?
My horses used to ride the cains over and eat the leaves, despite, having other good things to eat. It seams they Prefered it. May be a good winter forage for goats,etc.
I have no livestock now, so that is not a option right now.
Most of my patches are in areas I cannot mow, but keeps moving into areas I don’t want it.
And here it seams to thrive, even in the shade of wooded areas.
Since it is 30+ ft tall, even on the edge of a road , field , when it falls over, it takes a lot of work just to clear it up.
After a snow, ice , storm I has taken a day just to clear the road.!.. So… I cannot just ignore it…!

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Yes, if cut "flat at ground level "you can drive over.
I think it could survive indefinitely ( maybe longer ) mowed short.
Over grazing for 5 years may ? Weaken it enough to kill it.
Assuming no leaves see daylight for long.
Yes , I have cut several patches completely down for several years. When I quit cutting they jump right back up.
No river Cain here.
Yes spreads in the shade too.
It sends roots like 20+ feet under ground one year, undetected., then shoots up in unexpected places the next.

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I know of a few patches that were in a state park that were permanently removed by removing the upper 2’ of soil- literally digging the entire thing up roots and all. It works, but of course it’s expensive to get a backhoe and requires a permit (here in MD). It’s a real bitch to cut is one of the problems with it. It’s so incredibly hard. Easiest way I have found is with a chain saw- though it ruins a blade quickly. A machete works but it takes 3 or 4 hard hits at just the right angle with a very sharp machete- and you are left with a wicked sharp piece sticking straight out of the ground that stays hard and sharp for 12-18 months before it rots. A sharp bolt cutter works but my bamboo gets too big for my bolt cutter to handle. A battery powered sawsall actually sounds like a great idea. I need to look into that.
It does not encroach into dense woods or into horse or cow pasture. It can’t take shade and farm animals eat it as fast as it grows as long as they have continual access to it.

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Well , the first patch I planted , on a different farm, was in a very small clearing in a poplar forest.
Now that clearing has been closed by the very tall poplar trees . And that patch covers about a acre.in full shade of the forest.
So it grows well in the shade, if it gets a start in some sun.

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It seem that in the shade they may be taller , and farther apart.
In full sun the culms can be as close as 6-8 inches , making it hard to walk through, even turned sideways .
Also have noticed …
The patches down in the valley, on richer , moister soil, have bigger stems ( 2+ inches )
While on the ridge top, in poorer dryer soil , they are shorter,
And only get about 1 inch in size, but seem tougher. More woody. So… Serve different uses.

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I don’t know what species I have. It’s the common species that I see all over the place. It’s all green, no yellowish stem like some of the ornamental ones. It gets about 40’ tall and the bases are 3-4" diameter.

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There is never any zig-zag base on the ones I have, and they aren’t yellow like all the online pictures of yellow groove bamboo tend to show. But I went and measured and the biggest stems I have are about 2.5", not 3 or 4. I tracked down the 1938 photo of the land around my house too, and while my house wasn’t there yet the bamboo was and it was almost as big a patch as it is now. So it’s been here at least 85 years or so. I sure hope it flowers and dies off. I’m sure we’d all have a huge party because not one person likes having it there.

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My bamboo , which I believe to be yellow groove, is green overall, but the slight groove on the stem has yellow in it,
at least sometimes you can find the " yellow groove"
But mostly green. It to can approach 2.5 inches in size.
Also only occasionally does it do the zig zag on the stem.
Most are straight, may be different strains , of this type ?
So , my comments above about it spreading , and hard to kill,
Only apply to this running " yellow groove"
That’s all I have experience with here.
So I just want to advise caution with this " one"
Even its agressive habit could be good ,? In the right place.
So iam not bad mouthing bamboo in general.
Wonderful plants really .
I have nibbled on the shoots , not to bad, a little bitter aftertaste, did not make me want a lot more. Have not tried cooking them, seasoning etc. but hope to soon . The comments from others ,to think of them like say a potatoe. May mean I just did not give them a fair shot.
( a potatoe is not that good raw either )
These are " very" cold hardy, and supposedly one of the good edible types.

So maybe some one will chime in about the choice edible, cold hardy clumping. Types …
These may be a lot easyer to contain, but how cold hardy,
I have only seen them in zone -7-8-----.
Maybe @BambooMan can suggest some to try ?

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