Your fuchsia is more than just a pretty face. Some perennial plants that might appear untouchable for human stomachs can actually be tasty and quite nourishing. A diet inclusive of nontoxic yet unconventional forage allows for a more diverse range of nutrients, antioxidants and other compounds that you might otherwise skip by sticking to vegetables — even if organically grown!
If you’re going to sample ornamental plant cuisine, it is important to adopt natural gardening principles beyond the veggie patch. Use of most herbicides and pesticides in backyards have been linked to health problems in humans, not to mention harm to the beneficial insects that help keep pest populations in check. Start by building your soil with organic matter and plenty of mulch. Then amend with “natural organic” and “slow-release” fertilizers that feed beneficial microbes to keep roots healthy and properly absorbing nutrients. Finally, adopt a “right plant, right place” design mentality to ensure your landscaping gets the ratio of sun, water and soil properties it requires to thrive. All together, these basic steps will help keep your landscape more resilient to pests and diseases, save you grief and make your garden a safe zone for munching.
Believe it or not, the following list of your average garden perennials — and some weeds — are actually edible.
Hosta (Hosta spp.): The emerging, cylindrical shoots of this leafy, shade-loving favorite are edible and can be used much like asparagus. Be sure to harvest around the perimeter of your hosta clump to maintain its aesthetic. Flowers are also edible and can be added to salads. Try: Chopping up shoots for stir-fry or roasting whole in the oven.
Dahlia (Dahlia spp.): Known for its showy poofs of color, this popular bloom is most palatable thanks to its underground tubers. Filled with inulin, a pre-biotic starch that improves calcium absorption and doesn’t raise blood sugar or triglycerides, these tubers can be harvested after frost when you are already digging up, dividing and storing the remainder for planting next year. In Oaxaca, the tubers are roasted and powdered to make a hot beverage called dacopa. Try: Grating to use like zucchini in sweet breads or just plain marinating and roasting. Flowers make a mild garnish.
Bamboo (Phyllostachys spp.):The young shoots of rampant running bamboo — not its tamer clumping cousin — are those to scout out for cooking. Harvest shoots when they’re six to 12 inches tall, cutting off the pointed tip and slicing downward with your knife one-third of the way into the core. Next, boil for 15-30 minutes, let cool and peel off layers to find the core. Try: Adding to rice or salad, cooking in stir fry, or just eat as is!
Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum): Similar to bamboo, the young stems are quite edible if they haven’t been treated with herbicide. Harvest the unbranched shoots by snapping them off at ground level or pulling out by their roots when they are 8-16 inches tall and no thicker than a thumb. Japanese Knotweed can be substituted for rhubarb and contains an antioxidant called reservatrol. Try: Strawberry-knotweed pie, jam, jelly or tart.
Bee Balm/Wild Bergamot (Monarda spp.): Similar in flavor to oregano, bee balm’s leaves and flower petals can be harvested before it sets seed. Try: Steeping fresh or dried bee balm in vinegar, pinching young leaves and chopping to substitute for fresh oregano or steeping the fresh or dried leaves in water for a warming, diaphoretic tea.
Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana): The leaves, flowers, and young shoots of this creeping herbaceous perennial can be harvested at any time during the growing season. Uncooked stems and leaves have a mucilaginous texture that turns to a green flavor when cooked. Try: Chopping leaves or shoots and adding to eggs, soup, pasta, casseroles, quiches or rice. Nibble on raw flowers or use as garnish.
Sedum/Stonecrop (Sedum spp., Rhodiola spp., Hylotelephium spp.): Plump, juicy leaves of these hardy succulents are a refreshing garden snack. Taste and potency varies from species and over the course of the season, but sedum taste spans the spectrums of wetness and flavor (tart to peppery). Try: Raw! Can be cooked, but flavor will turn mild.
Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.): Almost every single part of this prolific bloomer is edible. Young shoots can be snipped in the spring at five inches tall and have a mucilaginous texture similar to spiderwort. Eat flowers fresh or dried—just remember to remove the pistil and stamen first! Unopened flower buds from one to three inches in length can be eaten raw, pickled or cooked in soup or sauté. At the end of the season, dig up the small tubers to cook as mini potatoes. Try: Cooked daylily buds in hot and sour soup, oven-roasted tubers or homemade pasta colored with dried flowers.
Violets (Viola spp.): Violets are more than just your grandmother’s favorite groundcover. Leaves contain Vitamin A and C and have a slightly peppery, mucilaginous flavor. Sweet-smelling flowers, with petals removed from the bitter sepals, are popular and are consumed in many forms, from sweet to savory to alcoholic. Try: Candied violet blossoms, violet liqueur or salad with fresh leaves and petals. Note of caution: Do not confuse with indoor African violets, which are toxic!
Fuchsia (Fuchsia spp.): A favorite of hummingbirds, the fuchsia’s showy and often frilly flowers are quite edible so long as pistil and any other green parts are removed. Be sure to go light on flower picking, as the old-fashioned blooms are food for pollinators and transform into edible berries! Flavor is often described as grape-like with a peppery aftertaste. Try: Cinnamon fuchsia berry muffins topped with fuchsia berry jam and candied flowers.
For more help with perennial edibles, natural pest control or nontoxic yard care, contact the Garden Hotline at 206-633-0224 or visit us on our website at gardenhotline.org. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.