Edible Plant Project » Plant

Oak Leaf Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

MirandaCastro — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 03:10:34 +0000

Lettuces grow well in Gainesville in the winter. They appreciate rich soil, so load up on the manure.

Green Oak Leaf Lettuce

You can harvest leaf lettuce by removing the older leaves occasionally, or alternatively, by cutting everything except a couple young leaves. You can do the latter twice or three times.

Lettuce will be damaged by hard frosts, but can take light ones. Commercial growers put wire arches over their beds and pull frost cloth over the wires when freezing temperatures are expected.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce

In the spring, your lettuce with “bolt” or grow a flower stalk. Once it starts to do that, it will be too bitter to eat. I recommend you let at least some of them bolt to collect seeds for next year.

Winged Sumac (Rhus copallina)

MirandaCastro — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:52:14 +0000

This Florida native is a large shrub (growing up to 20′ tall) that produces terminal clusters of red fruit in the fall before its leaves turn a brilliant red and fall. The flowers attract butterflies and the fruits are eaten throughout the winter by a variety of birds … if you don’t eat them first! Its ability to sprout from the roots and grow almost anywhere, coupled with its rapid growth rate, make it a good plant for erosion control.

Soil: Thrives on excessively dry sands to mesic poorly drained soils. Needs no amendment, lime, or fertilizer.
Water: Tolerates drought and abundance.
Sun: full sun, part sun, part shade.
Cold: Very cold hardy.
Pruning: Good pruning can help strengthen the structure of this shrub.
Propagation: By seed. It can form a thicket by spreading from underground rhizomes so should not be grown in a small area
Pests: Nothing serious.
Other problems: It can spread by root suckers, and become annoying.
Harvesting and storage: Harvest the clusters of sticky red fruits as soon as they turn red, before they get dust and bugs stuck to them. They should last all winter in your house, because they do outside.

Medicinal Uses: Various parts of the tree were also used by Native Americans to treat dysentery, mouth sores and skin eruptions.
Other Uses: The seeds, bark and leaves have a high tannin content and have been used by the leather industry and as fabric dyes. The berries were used to make a red dye.

Culinary Uses: Whole or ground, sumac seeds should be kept in a tightly closed container away from light and heat. The berries have a sour flavor and can replace lemon in many recipes. In the middle east sumac is used to flavor fish and seafood (Lebanon and Syria), salads (Iraq and Turkey), chicken, meatballs, kebabs and stews (Iran and Georgia). It is also used to flavor stuffings, rice, legumes and breads, sauces and dips and the Middle Eastern spice blend zaatar (zatar). Not widely known, sumac is an spice that enhances the flavors of foods without overpowering them – it is more subtle than lemon. As a spice it is generally used ground. If the berries are whole, they should be steeped in hot water for about 30 minutes; then strained through a cheesecloth and squeezed to extract an aromatic liquid for use in cooking waters or marinades.

Sumac-ade or Indian lemonade
Both Native Americans and early colonists used this native plant to create a refreshing, pink lemonade hundreds of years ago. Many suggest not pouring boiling water over the clusters, because that tends to leach out too much tannic acid and the result can be bitter.
Place about a gallon of water in a large bowl, add 10-12 berry clusters and gently break them apart with your hands.
Cover the bowl and let the berries steep in the sun for several hours or at room temperature overnight.
Remove the berries, and strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a coffee filter to filter out the fine hairs.
Sweeten to taste with honey, maple syrup, stevia leaves or sugar,

Links and References
http://cuherbsociety.org/hotm/sumac.htm
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/products/spices/sumac/
http://www.mvmagazine.com/article.php?21573
http://www.floridata.com/ref/r/rhus_cop.cfm
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Rhus%20copallina

Sunchoke or or Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthis tuberosus)

MirandaCastro — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:07:37 +0000

This sunflower relative grows through the warm season, and produces abundant crunchy tubers for harvest in the winter. The tubers are one of the best sources of a carbohydrate called inulin, which is a long-chain fructose polysaccharide. Inulin is not well digested by humans, but passes into the lower intestines, where it feeds bacteria of the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, two of the most important genera of beneficial human gut flora. The bacteria, in turn, help us in many ways. Feeding inulin to your gut flora can greatly improve absorption of cation minerals from plant sources, such as Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron.

The plants grow to about 7 feet tall, and are bushy and thick. If planted in a block, they can shade out weeds. They can form a quick visual screen or hedge. We have two varieties. Eric is more sparsely stemmed and has larger leaves. It doesn’t flower until late fall, and then it usually falls over. It goes dormant later, and has higher yields. Craig is densely stemmed and has small leaves. It flowers all Summer long, and remains erect even after dormancy, which comes earlier than the other type. Yields are a bit smaller.

Soil: Tolerates many soil types, but will probably grow best in rich garden soil.

Water: Tolerates very wet conditions. May not produce well in droughty areas without substantial irrigation, though they will probably survive.

Sun: full

Cold: Sprouts tolerate mild frosts.

Pruning: none.

Propagation: tubers or pieces of tubers. Tubers left in the ground are often consumed by voles or rot, and are unreliable, as a means of propagation, in Florida. Plant refrigerated tubers in late Feb. 1.5′-2′ apart.

Pests: Pests are usually minor. They include mealybugs, termites, and deer. Fence out deer, and use organic insecticides for the mealybugs. Discard termite infested tubers.

Other problems: Digging and cleaning the knobby tubers can be labor intensive. Tubers often exhibit stem-end rot, and may rot entirely if left in the ground for too long.

Harvesting, storage, and preparation: Harvest the tubers as soon as the stems turn brown. 5lbs/plant is a good yield. Store them refrigerated and sealed in plastic bags to prevent drying. Freezing probably also works. The tubers can be cleaned with a toothbrush under running water, and the stem-end rot trimmed off. They can be sliced or grated into salads and other raw preparations. They can be baked, fried, steamed, sautéed, mashed, and included in a wide variety of recipes.

Additional references: http://www.floridata.com/ref/h/heli_tub.cfm

Edible Canna (Canna indica var. edulis, syn Canna edulis)

MirandaCastro — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:17:15 +0000

AKA the Queensland Arrowroot this plant is closely related to the garden canna. It grows 6 or more feet tall and has a small brilliant red flower so it is an excellent backdrop for smaller flowers and herbs.

Soil: It loves wet soil and can grow in boggy conditions but it also thrives in drier soils. Fertilize lightly if at all.

Water: It grows faster and taller in dry conditions when irrigated.

Sun: Full.

Cold: The stems freeze to the ground in cold snaps but the plant comes back every spring.

Pruning: Dead leaves can be removed for aesthetic reasons, especially the frozen parts in the spring.

Propagation: Seeds sometimes germinate if freshly planted, but usually require scarification. You can also divide clumps.

Pests: A caterpillar is known to eat cannas, and can affect the unrolling of their new leaves. It can be dealt with by hand-pulling or a BT pesticide.

Other problems: The tubers can be fibrous.

Harvesting, storage, and preparation: The flowers, tubers, and stems are all edible.

Historically grown in the Andes as an edible starch the huge tuber was usually roasted for hours until it became soft and sweet. We have not seen this particular variety produce a huge tuber when grown in Florida. The tubers grown here are about the size of regular garden cannas. They are best used to produce a highly digestible thickening powder similar to cornstarch. Shred the tubers coarsely, cover with water and stir. Strain out the fiber with cheesecloth and let the cloudy water settle out leaving the starch on the bottom of the container. Pour of the water and let the starchy residue dry. This makes a fine arrowroot powder.

The bottoms of the stems, up to about a foot, get thick and can be peeled and added to stir fried dishes. They have a bitter-sweet flavor and are quite tasty as a bamboo shoot replacement.

The flowers are ornamental and attractive in salads.

The leaves may be used like banana leaves to wrap food for outdoor roasting or grilling. They will impart a flavor to the cooked food though the leaves themselves are typically not eaten.

Sochan (Rudbeckia laciniata)

MirandaCastro — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:21:14 +0000

Sochan, cut-leaf or green-headed cone flower, is native to most of the continental United States. Its native distribution dips into the Florida panhandle, so some consider it native to here. It is one of the favored greens of the Cherokee.

Soil: We expect it to appreciate a little improvement in our native poor soils.

Water: This plant appreciates wet areas, and will probably grow better if irrigated.

Sun: Part sun to shade

Cold: Cold is no problem, though it shrinks to a small ball of leaves in the winter

Propagation: It spreads rhizomatously and can be propagated by seed or cuttings of the rhizomes

Pests: None known

Other problems: Leaves are usually best in the spring. Not a heavy producer.

Harvesting, storage, and preparation: In the Spring, Sochan produces a bunch of large leaves. It is these young leaves that are generally harvested. They can be stored by freezing or dehydration. Sochan is traditionally prepared by boiling and discarding the water. It is then fried in oil and spices, sometimes mixed with poke weed and/or creasy greens (winter or upland cress). Some cooks recommend adding a bit of vinegar. Teas and infusions have uses in herbal medicine, but pregnant women are recommended to avoid the tea, though they can eat the greens prepared as described.

Additional references: http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/published.php?action=view&newsletter_id=1409608353

Top photo: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12146_12213-36450–,00.html

Chinquapin (Castanea pumila)

MirandaCastro — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:36:40 +0000

Chinquapin is a small tree or shrub native to the Southeastern US, that is closely related to the chestnut. It makes small sweet nuts that are said to taste like the American chestnuts, which were wiped out by Asian chestnut blight. These are considered native to FL, but they grow differently than the locals. These plants can form a tree and produce a lot of nuts, whereas the locals rarely exceed three feet in height and are poor producers. The locals variety was once considered a separate specie, called C. Alnifolia.

Soil: Accepts a wide variety of soils. It is usually found in well drained sandy soils of North Florida. It is much more common in the slightly richer soils north of Gainesville (around Alachua and High Springs), as a remnant of a nearly extinct community called “Upland Pine Forest”. Some of our poorest sandy soils, where “Sandhill” communities exist, usually lack chinquapins, possibly because of the poor soil. (Areas like Archer, Ocala, Keystone, Hawthorne, Interlachen). I expect you can still grow chinquapins in sandhill type soils, but it might benefit from a little assistance, such as water and soil improvement.

Water: drought tolerant.

Sun: Full sun to part shade.

Cold: tolerates cold.

Pruning: The source of our seeds recommends pruning the tree to a single stem.

Propagation: seed.

Pests: Susceptible to Phytophthora root rot, and may have some sensitivity to Chestnut Blight. They are also favored by deer.

Other problems: The nuts are small. Trees are gendered. Female trees produce fruit and males are needed for pollination. We will not know the genders of our trees until they are old enough to flower.

Harvesting, storage, and preparation: The nuts should fall out of the burrs when they become ripe. Roast them like chestnuts.

Photo by Joe Schibig

Additional references:
http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/p/chinkapin.htm
http://fruitandnuttrees.com/allegheny-chinquapin-castanea

Moringa oleifera (Drumstick or Horseradish Tree)

MirandaCastro — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:12:10 +0000

The Moringa is a beautiful, fast growing tree (up to 15 feet in a year) with a shady, leaf canopy of very attractive ferny foliage. Small, waxy, creamy-white flowers, resembling miniature orchids, form in clusters, followed by 8-12 inches long round pods that look like drumsticks, hence one of the plant’s common names. The shell of the pod contains a row of neatly packed, wing-edged, round, brown seeds. Mature Moringa trees flower year round, providing lots of nectar for honey bees and a continuous supply of drumsticks for the kitchen.

Moringa Tree

Moringa trees grow extensively in tropical, sub-tropical and warm temperature areas, including Africa, India, South East Asia where it said to grow in the sandiest, driest, most godforsaken places on earth – it is even tolerant of drought, salt and neglect! Moringa has a wondrous array of uses with virtually every part of the tree useful in the kitchen, as medicine or for industry.

Planting: Plant young trees in well-drained soil in a sunny, frost-free position. They need to be protected from strong winds and frost especially when young. Once trees have had 1-2 winters in colder climates, they do adapt, but may go dormant in winter. In Gainesville, Moringas will freeze in the winter and resprout from the stump in the spring. Protect the base of the tree from frost to ensure resprouting. Stop apical dominance to keep tree short.

Moringa Leaves

Fertilization: The soils of arid regions (to which moringas are adapted) are typically less weathered and therefore contain more of the soluble minerals that plants need, than the soils of humid regions. To get all that potassium, iron, and calcium from moringa leaves, the soil must have those minerals for the tree to extract (lots more potassium and calcium than Iron). For protein, they need fixed nitrogen and a bit of sulfur. For other processes they need magnesium, phosphorous, and tiny amounts of “micronutrients“. Magnesium deficiency is common in North Fl soils.

Pruning: Young trees should be trimmed and pruned regularly otherwise they can grow 30-50 feet tall. The trunk and branches can be used as living stakes for climbing vegetables. A row of trees can be planted close together to create a living fence.

Propagation: By seed or cuttings.

Nutrition: The leaves are 38% protein with all essential amino acids. They contain 2 x the protein of milk/yoghurt (the highest protein ratio of any plant on earth), and 4 x the calcium of milk, 3 x the potassium of bananas, 4 x the vitamin A of carrots, 7 x the vitamin C of oranges and 3 x the iron of red meat. They contain omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids as well as antioxidants and phytonutrients. Moringa leaves are an excellent source of nutrition and a natural energy booster that is not based on sugar, and so it is sustained. Some consider Moringa protein better than soy as it is non-allergic. Moringa contains 18 of the 20 amino acids required by the human body including all eight of the essential amino acids found in meat products.

Medicinal uses: A folk remedy for stomach complaints, catarrh, hay fever, impotence, edema, cramps, hemorrhoids, headaches, sore gums; to strengthen the eyes and the brain, liver, gall, digestive, respiratory and immune system, as a blood cleanser and blood builder, and for cancer treatment. Moringa (Ben) oil is used for earache and in ointments for skin conditions. The oil rubbed on the skin is said to prevent mosquitoes from biting. Flowers infused in honey are used as a cough remedy.

Culinary Uses: The leaves can be cooked in any recipe that calls for spinach. The leaflets can be pulled off stalks and boiled as any green or added to soups or rice. Tender growing tips can be cooked stem and all or they can be dried and powdered and sprinkled into soups and stews.

Moringa Flowers

The flowers are edible and can be sprinkled on salads: they taste deliciously sweet at first then a spicy/horseradishy finish! The young drumsticks can be cooked like asparagus – they taste like peas with a mild mustard taste. Sliced, young green pods can be used in savory and meat dishes. The young (green) seeds can be cooked and eaten like peas. Mature seeds can be fried or roasted and taste like peanuts or pressed for an oil that is healthier than olive oil. Seeds can be sprouted like wheat grass and eaten as tender nutritious greens. Roots of young seedlings taste like horseradish, and are often grated and used as a substitute.

Other uses: Moringa oil is the most stable oil in nature (it does not go rancid) and it is used in perfumery, lubricating watches and fine machinery. Ground Moringa seeds are used for water purification.

Click here for Moringa Recipes courtesy of www.echonet.org
Click here : for a nice poster courtesy of http://www.treesforlife.org/
EPP Moringa info sheet (pdf)

Florida Water Mint (Micromeria brownii)

MirandaCastro — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:19:54 +0000

This is a native mint that grows in sunny wet areas. A common place to find it is in a roadside ditch.

It may be covered by grasses in the summer, but being frost tolerant, it out-competes them in the winter. It grows faster when fertilized.

Information Sheet to print out (pdf)

Okinawa spinach (Gynura crepioides)

MirandaCastro — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:02:33 +0000

This attractive perennial herb has half purple, half dark green leaves that make a delicious addition to salads, or can be cooked as a potherb. It propagates well from cuttings, that you must take before winter as the plant will not survive a freeze. Rooting the cutting in water before planting so that it forms good roots improves results. As with most cuttings, remove all but the top few leaves of a cutting to reduce water loss until it grows new roots. Rooting is very slow in cold weather.

Okinawa lettuce can be used in landscaping as a groundcover in full sun (with enough water) or it does well in partial shade. It needs little, but does appreciate some soil amending/fertilizing.

It can be cooked like spinach – but don’t overcook it as it can become unpleasantly slimy. Click on the Recipes link at our website to get some great ideas for cooking it!

pdf – Okinawa spinach information sheet
to print out

Pindo Palm, Wine Palm, Jelly Palm (Butia capitata)

MirandaCastro — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:59:36 +0000

The Pindo Palm is propagated from seed and generally reaches 12-15 feet in height.

Pindo Palm

Grown in full sun to partial shade, this perennial produces bright magenta flowers in the late spring and early summer.

Pindo Palm Flowers

It is quite cold-hardy and can handle temperatures in the teens with no sign of damage. It is also drought-resistant and resilient if relocated. Pindo thrives in a variety of soils, including alkaline, and is moderately salt-tolerant, though its roots and lower trunk can rot in soil which is kept too moist. Growth of this palm is slow; it may take many months to germinate. Though palm leaf skeletonizer, scale, and micronutrient deficiencies (appearing in soil with a high pH) present occasional challenges to the Pindo palm, these are not typically serious.

Pindo Palm Fruit

The plant’s date-sized fruit has a citrus-mango-coconut flavor, and makes great jams and jellies. The juice of the fruit can also be added to smoothies and tropical wines and liqueurs. Seeds can be roasted to make a coffee-flavored beverage.

Pindo Palm Fruits

pdf – Pindo palm information sheet (to print out)