[Scpg] [Lapg] Perennial vegetable list wanted

[John Valenzuela]

Cory, This stuff is not just some bland lettuce. . . The Okinawan spinach (green variety) is supposed to reduce blood pressure, Katook can reduce blood sugar (and has been abused by dieting fanatics). These dark greens are mineral and protein rich. . . powerful!I love Moringa too, tops in nutrition. Great by seed in drier climates, they have deeper tap roots. In the humid areas it is easily propagated by cuttings often set along property lines as a living (edible) fence. The common one is great (M. oleracea,) but you must try the African Morniga stenopetalta. Slightly more frost sensitive, but much more palatable/sweeter, with the most tender leaves edible raw. Available through ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) out of Ft Meyers Fla. You should visit their site, great demo gardens (with all the spp. I mentioned before), nursery and seed bank. See them online at:http://www.echonet.org/For a nice little leaf crops article, see Craig Elevich's great website:www.agroforestry.net/pubs/Leaves_to_Live_By-Elevitch.pdfAs far a vines, tender vine tips of most vegetables are edible:Common pole beans, winged bean, squash, chayote,  bitter melon, malabar spinach, sweet potatoes, peas and favas, more. . .Roots are so important in the tropics, it is what people eat when a hurricane has stripped away their entire above ground food forest.Aroids: Kalo/Taro (Colocasia-Hawaiians grew over 200 varieties), Dasheen, Eddode, both smaller/more cold tolerant, Tannia (Xanthosoma),  Zuiki (just stems), Belembe (greens only too)Sweet potatoes (at one point I had a collection of about 20 varieties- leaves heart to palmate, green to purple, skin color: white, red, tan, flesh color white, yellow, orange, purple- lavendar to amethyst, and all mixtures there of!)Yams, not orange sweet potatoes but 'true yams' Dioscorea spp.several species, some can grow to be 100 lbs!, at leat one species (yamaimo) is very cold tolerant.Cassava, Yuca (not Yucca), Tapioca, Manioc-all the same- tubers not very nutritious, but so versatile and easy to grow, and leaves are good value after proper cooking.Some other odd ones, but really good:Yacon, perennial sunflower with sweet roots- low nutrition- inulin richChayote roots (2 years)- this is main crop of the plant in many parts of Mexico.Winged Bean roots- small, but a real power food (eaten by tribes in Papau New Guinea)Water Chestnuts- aquatic, can grow in a kiddy pond easily.Something I have not grown: Arracacia xanthorrhizaWho has a line on Arracacha?, I really want to grow this! See 'Lost Crops of the Incas' on line at:http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1398&page=46Cory, where are you growing in Fla and So Cal, specifically? I grew up near L.A. and still go down there regularly.If you really want to go nuts, try to find someone who has the classic book 'Edible Leaves of the Tropics' , by Martin and Ruberte, where they list about 1500 species. . . stuff like leaves of Papaya, Breadfruit and even Chile Pepper plants, let alone a bunch of stuff we most likely will never see in this hemisphere.Have fun expanding that list!Cornucopia Food Forest Gardens John Valenzuela Permaculture ServicesHorticulturist, Consultant, Educator-California, Hawai'i  phone: (415) 246-8834e-mail: johnvalenzuela at hotmail.com-----Original Message-----From: "Cory Brennan" [cory8570 at yahoo.com]Date: 12/11/2009 10:36 PMTo: scpg at arashi.com, "lapg" , johnvalenzuela at myway.comSubject: RE: [Lapg] Perennial vegetable list wantedWell, yes, please do get started on the roots and vines :-)  Love to hear what you've had success with. I love the moringa!  First introducd to it in Florida, I brought seeds to S Cal if anybody's interested. Beautiful plant, so useful for so many things and a possible life saving food source perhaps.  And the Okinawan spinach does well in shade and heat both which is great for my yard in Fl.  I haven't tried a number of the ones you listed, looking forward to it.   Have heard about this book, may need to break down and purchase...  Cory    --- On Fri, 12/11/09, John Valenzuela <johnvalenzuela at hotmail.com>; wrote:  > From: John Valenzuela <johnvalenzuela at hotmail.com>; > Subject: RE: [Lapg] Perennial vegetable list wanted > To: cory8570 at yahoo.com, scpg at arashi.com, "lapg" <lapg at arashi.com>; > Date: Friday, December 11, 2009, 12:33 PM >  >  >  >  >   > Lots of lists out there. . . >  > My favorite, a must have for all food foresters, with an > incredible range of climates included (Canada to > Hawai'i): > Perennial > Vegetables > 			From > Artichokes to Zuiki Taro, a Gardener's Guide to Over 100 > Delicious, Easy-to-Grow Edibles > 			by Eric > ToensmeierPublished by Chelsea > Green >  > After living in Hawai'i  for 15 years,  > here are some of my favorites greens for your climate: >  > Tree collards, Brassica > edible hibiscus, pacific spinach, Abelmoschus > katuk, Saropus > horseradish tree, Moringa > Okinawan spinach, Gyurna > Brasilian spinach, Alternanthera > Mayan spinach, Chaya >  > don't get me started on the perennial roots, and vines. > . . > well, I can go on, and on, if you want. >  > JV >  > Cornucopia Kitchen Gardens and Food Forests > John Valenzuela  > Permaculture Services > Horticulturist, Consultant, Educator-  >  > California, Hawai'i  > phone: (415) 246-8834 >  > e-mail: johnvalenzuela at hotmail.com >  >  >  > > Date: Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:35:17 -0800 > > From: cory8570 at yahoo.com > > To: scpg at arashi.com; lapg at arashi.com > > Subject: [Lapg] Perennial vegetable list wanted > >  > > Anybody know where I could find a pretty comprehensive > list of perennial veggies that will grow in Florida and/or S > Calif?  I have partial lists, but I'm looking to expand > them. > >  > > Cory > >  > >  > >        > > _______________________________________________ > > Lapg mailing list > > Lapg at arashi.com > > https://www.arashi.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/lapg >  		 	   		   > Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich > email service. Get > it now.  >      

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