2007-11-26

Perennial vegetables

Could be worth a try. Everyone's favorite, artichoke, is well known as are asparagus and rhubarb. I failed at growing rhubarb last year and the year before and the year before so maybe I'll have luck with some other vegetable.

Full articles here and here in the SF Chronicle. My attention to the article courtesy of whoreticulture.

My notes, condensed from the articles
  • Cardoon - eat the mid ribs
  • French sorrel - In mild climates, the lemony leaves are edible year-round
  • Jerusalem artichoke (a.k.a. sunchokes) - The tubers are crisp, nutty and sweet, and can be eaten raw, baked, boiled in soups or mashed along with potatoes.
  • Lovage - large celery-like perennial that grows up to 6 feet tall. Its flavor is very intense. The young leaves and stems lend themselves well to soups.
  • Mashua - An Andean root crop, mashua is a relative of the nasturtium. Mashua is a vigorously growing vine; give it a trellis to climb. The long, white, fingerlike tubers, which can be baked, roasted or put in a soup.
  • Nettle - Cooking will take away the sting, and the cooked tender leaves and shoots taste like spinach.
  • Oca - Andean root crop grown similar to potatoes. The tubers are harvested at the end of the growing season.
  • Pepino dulce - The pepino plant actually produces a fruit similar in taste to cantaloupe.
  • Tree collards - Produce a kale-like brassica leaf year-round in cooler climates. The leaves are good steamed, braised and in soups, stews and casseroles.
  • Yacón - An aster, and yet another Andean root crop, yacón produces small, football-like tubers that are mostly eaten raw, similar to a jicama.

1 comment:

  1. You may be interested in this article, which suggests some slightly more prosaic vegetables.

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