Growing Edible Perennials in the Yard and Garden

Yvonne Smith said:
As i have gotten older, and my balance has gotten worse, I have not been able to do as much gardening as i used to do. First, I switched over to mostly containero gardening, but after tripping over tree roots in the yard and falling a few times, I have been thinking that even yard work is not such a safe thing for me anymore.
However, I have decided that growing plants that do not need to be planted each year, like berries and other fruit, might be a better way for me to go nowadays.

We have enjoyed the blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries for several years now, but this fall we planted 2 small bush cherries, and two more blueberries that Starks had on closeout sale. It might be a while before we actually get fruit, but then we should have berries every year after that.

I am also starting some tree collards, which are a perennial form of kale or collards, and they are supposed to overwinter and live for years. I like rhubarb, but have not had any luck getting it to grow this far south, but I have some seeds and any going to see if they will sprout and maybe grow.
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I bought some moringa tree seeds that could work for you too. Here I will have to grow them in pots and keep them trimmed for size as well as for salads. The sent a ton of seeds!
 
Mary Stetler said:
I bought some moringa tree seeds that could work for you too. Here I will have to grow them in pots and keep them trimmed for size as well as for salads. The sent a ton of seeds!
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Where did you buy the mornings seeds, @Mary Stetler ? Won’t it take a long time for the mornings to grow from a seed ? I think that I would have to bring them in , in the winter here, too. I remember one lady that used to be here (Corrie ) had those in the Philippines,
Anyway, I would like to check them out.
 
Yvonne Smith said:
Where did you buy the mornings seeds, @Mary Stetler ? Won’t it take a long time for the mornings to grow from a seed ? I think that I would have to bring them in , in the winter here, too. I remember one lady that used to be here (Corrie ) had those in the Philippines,
Anyway, I would like to check them out.
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I think they grow exceptionally fast. I was told you can eat the seeds.
.:p
But you can trim them up into a more compact bush than the tree they aspire to be. Then you can just pick and eat the leaves as you trim.
 
We have sassafras trees, and new starts all over that we don’t want, but we don’t use the root. I have used the leaves dehydrated them and made File’ with the leaves though, but never use it enough to make it very often.
It seems like there are a lot of the older plants and vegetables that people ate all the time that we don’t use anymore, many becasue of government regulations.

Comfrey is another very healthy plant that they did the experiments on rats with, giving them quantities that a giant would not eat in a day (concentrated capsule ) and when they found it affected some of the rats, they said not to eat comfrey anymore. The part they said was dangerous is found mainly in the roots, which is not the part that people would be eating, in any case; so the whole thing is just government overreach.
 
Yvonne Smith said:
We have sassafras trees, and new starts all over that we don’t want, but we don’t use the root. I have used the leaves dehydrated them and made File’ with the leaves though, but never use it enough to make it very often.
It seems like there are a lot of the older plants and vegetables that people ate all the time that we don’t use anymore, many becasue of government regulations.

Comfrey is another very healthy plant that they did the experiments on rats with, giving them quantities that a giant would not eat in a day (concentrated capsule ) and when they found it affected some of the rats, they said not to eat comfrey anymore. The part they said was dangerous is found mainly in the roots, which is not the part that people would be eating, in any case; so the whole thing is just government overreach.
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They taste like cucumbers
 
Mary Stetler said:
They taste like cucumbers
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I had no idea , @Mary Stetler ! I have grown comfrey and used the leaves for years, but I never even thought about nibbling on one of the roots. Do you eat comfrey roots, and if so, what are the benefits, and do you just eat a chunk of fresh comfrey roots now and then , or what ? (I am all ears to learn about this ! )
 
Garlic chives are growing us out of house and home. I use everything - bulbs for chile crisp, flowers for tempura, green seeds for salads and pickles, the green for almost everything asking for some garlic. The blades are about 1/4 inch wide. Pollinators love the flowers. There must be some hyped garlic honey somewhere:)
 
Yvonne Smith said:
I had no idea , @Mary Stetler ! I have grown comfrey and used the leaves for years, but I never even thought about nibbling on one of the roots. Do you eat comfrey roots, and if so, what are the benefits, and do you just eat a chunk of fresh comfrey roots now and then , or what ? (I am all ears to learn about this ! )
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No, I pick a small leaf now and again. Maybe a flower....
 
Marie Miller said:
Garlic chives are growing us out of house and home. I use everything - bulbs for chile crisp, flowers for tempura, green seeds for salads and pickles, the green for almost everything asking for some garlic. The blades are about 1/4 inch wide. Pollinators love the flowers. There must be some hyped garlic honey somewhere:)
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We have a weed here called garlic mustard that gives that flavor to stuff. But if you have one plant you usually have tons and get tired of it.
 
I just ordered two stevia plants from Amazon , after watching this video about growing stevia. I remember that I had a plant once, years and years ago, but I don’t think that I ever used it very much, and now I decided to try it again. I remember planting some stevia seeds and never getting any to grow, and this video explains that they are hard to germinate, and the flavor is not always as good once you do grow them from seeds.

It cost $20 for 2 plants on Amazon, but according to the video, once you have plants growing, you just take cuttings and root them (similar to how we are supposed to do with the tree collards) and then you can have as many plants as you want……… forever !
The video explains several ways to use the leaves also. You can use them fresh, dried, or boiled in water and use the sweet water for coffee or tea or whatever.

 
Yvonne Smith said:
I just ordered two stevia plants from Amazon , after watching this video about growing stevia. I remember that I had a plant once, years and years ago, but I don’t think that I ever used it very much, and now I decided to try it again. I remember planting some stevia seeds and never getting any to grow, and this video explains that they are hard to germinate, and the flavor is not always as good once you do grow them from seeds.

It cost $20 for 2 plants on Amazon, but according to the video, once you have plants growing, you just take cuttings and root them (similar to how we are supposed to do with the tree collards) and then you can have as many plants as you want……… forever !
The video explains several ways to use the leaves also. You can use them fresh, dried, or boiled in water and use the sweet water for coffee or tea or whatever.

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Stevia can be grown easily from seed, and the secret is to never allow it to flower. If it blooms, the plant dies shortly after. Clip all flower buds off. Another secret of stevia is to extract the leaves with the strongest ethanol concentration you can buy. There is a bitter substance in stevia that is soluble in water but not in alcohol (according to data). You can use it as an extract, or put it into a dehydrator or just leave it in a warm place to evaporate the alcohol to leave a powder. Extract is easier and used like vanilla or almond extract to sweeten stuff. There will still be a little bitterness. This is covered in commercial preparations with artificial sweeteners or monk fruit.
 
Yvonne Smith said:
I just ordered two stevia plants from Amazon , after watching this video about growing stevia. I remember that I had a plant once, years and years ago, but I don’t think that I ever used it very much, and now I decided to try it again. I remember planting some stevia seeds and never getting any to grow, and this video explains that they are hard to germinate, and the flavor is not always as good once you do grow them from seeds.

It cost $20 for 2 plants on Amazon, but according to the video, once you have plants growing, you just take cuttings and root them (similar to how we are supposed to do with the tree collards) and then you can have as many plants as you want……… forever !
The video explains several ways to use the leaves also. You can use them fresh, dried, or boiled in water and use the sweet water for coffee or tea or whatever.

Click to expand...
I brought a plant home from a vermont nursery but it did not do well here. Not sure if it was something I did or didn't do but the leaves are surprisingly sweet. I bought a few pounds of extract years ago, for my storage and before it was a thing or expensive. You need very little for use and it is still good.
 
Edible wild plants? I was at a church dinner last week and a woman recognized me from a dinner I had given totally with wild plants. She asked when and where I got them. When is at different times and I can walk down the road and find some. I invited her to call me when things start turning green.
I was invited to a Seder meal (Passover) at a Christian church and said I could bring the bitter herbs and Matzohs . That was before the incoming storm. :confused:
Didn't figure wild plants would be difficult.;)
 
The weather is warming up again, and tomorrow we will take the starts back outside. My stevia plants are supposed to arrive today, so those can be potted up and set out tomorrow as well.
The asparagus also arrived, but we have to get the asparagus bed ready before we can plant those, so I will just be putting them in a planter for the next few days .
 
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