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Alternative Food Crops

There are quite literally thousands of species of edible plants that can be grown in Britain, yet most people are only aware of the thirty or so species to be found in the Greengrocers, and many of these will have been imported. In this leaflet we will give you a small selection of little known edible plants currently being grown at Plants for a Future (PFAF). They are all fairly easily grown in most soils and often require less attention then many of our better known food crops. All are perennial unless stated otherwise.

Root Crops:

Yam (Dioscorea batatas) - Few people realise that Yams can be grown outdoors in Britain. This is a perfectly hardy perennial species from China and its root is delicious baked. The only drawback is that it can be 3 foot long in good soils with the thickest part of the root at the bottom - quite a task to harvest, which is probably why it is not commercially cultivated. Propagation is either by replanting the top portion of the root, stem cuttings in late spring or by tubercles - baby tubers that are freely formed in the leaf axil of older plants treated like seed, being sown in pots in the greenhouse, preferably as soon as ripe.

Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) - Comes from S. America. At least as hardy as the potato and grown in a similar way except it doesn't need to be earthed up and does not suffer all the diseases that potatoes do. The tubers do not form till late summer to autumn so yields can be low if you get early hard frosts, unless you protect the plants. When freshly harvested the tubers have a pleasant acid-lemon flavour and can be eaten raw or cooked. By storing them in the light, the tubers become sweet and some varieties in S. America (which we have not as yet obtained), become so sweet that they are eaten as a fruit.

Earth Pea (Lathyrus tuberosa) - Is a rare native or naturalised plant in Britain. Not very high yielding, unfortunately, but the starch rich tubers are quite delicious baked. Plant in spring.

Tiger Nuts (Cyperus esculentus) - Not a nut at all, but another tuber. This plant is a weed in the tropics and subtropics but has proved to be hardy in temperate zones also. It is cultivated in Spain and is occasionally found for sale in Britain. It grows best in a moist soil, the tubers are about the size of peanuts and are abundantly produced. Eaten raw they make a very nice convenient snack when travelling. These tubers are quite unusual in being rich in oil. This oil is occasionally extracted for culinary and industrial use. Plant tubers in spring and harvest late autumn. Mice love these tubers so look out for any sign of burrowing.

Leaves:

Mallow (Malva verticillata 'Crispa') - One of the very few annuals to get onto the list, this mallow is sometimes cultivated in the Mediterranean. The leaves have a mild flavour suitable for use in quantity in the salad bowl and can be harvested over many weeks. Sow in situ from April to June.

Campanula (Campanula versicolor) - This Mediterranean plant would grace any ornamental garden with its lovely blue harebell flowers. An evergreen perennial, its mild, slightly sweet flavoured leaves can be added in quantity to the salad bowl all year round. Sow seeds March/April in pots and plant out when large enough or divide in spring. It may not be hardy in some colder regions of Britain.

Iron Cross Plant (Oxalis deppei) - Another one for the flower garden, this S. American bulbous plant is my favourite edible leaf, and its flowers are perhaps even nicer. They have a lemony flavour ideal for adding in small quantities to salads but should not be eaten in large quantities since they contain oxalic acid. Plant the bulbs in April and they will provide fresh leaves and flowers throughout the summer. Harvest the bulbs when cut down by sharp frosts, each bulb should have produced a cluster of bulbs on top of a white tap root. This tap root can be eaten raw or cooked - it has the texture of a crisp apple but very little flavour.

Anise Hyssop (Agastache anethiodorum) - A North American member of the mint family, the leaves have a rich aniseed flavour, delicious in salads. It usually comes out tops in tasting trials by visitors to the plant project. Sow spring in pots and plant out when large enough.

Fruits:

Elaeagnus Species - A genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs mainly from Asia. A number of species have great potential as fruit crops. They are easily grown in most soils (but dislike very wet soils), tolerate very exposed situations and drought, are virtually untroubled by pests or diseases and produce nitrogen nodules on their roots thus helping to increase soil fertility. Some of the evergreen species (notably E. pungens - E. x. ebbingei) ripen their fruits in April/May before any of our home-grown fruits are ripe and so are especially valuable. Other species will worth trying are the deciduous E. angustifolia and E. multifllora.

Japanese Raisin Tree (Hovenia dulcis) - A deciduous tree, I've not yet tried the fruit, but as its name suggests, it is said to taste like raisins.

Crataegus schraderiana - A Hawthorn from the Mediterranean The ripe fruit is quite delicious, soft, sweet and almost literally melting in the mouth.

Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa) - Is a N. American annual grown in the same way as tomatoes (but does not need training) and used in all the ways you would cook tomatoes. It adds a lovely flavour to stews, is simple to grow, yields well and has not as yet suffered from pests or diseases with us.

Seeds:

Lupinus mutabilis - A South American annual Lupin with edible seeds. The seed has a similar nutritional value to the soya bean but is a lot easier to grow and is higher yielding in temperate climates. New varieties are being developed with sweet seeds, our form unfortunately has bitter seeds, but this bitterness is removed by soaking overnight. Seed is sown April/May in situ.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) - Another easily grown S. American annual with edible seeds. The seeds look a bit like millet and can be used in all the ways rice is used in sweet or savoury dishes. The seed is coated with a bitter substance (saponins) which prevents it being eaten by birds. These saponins can be easily removed by soaking the seed overnight and then rinsing thoroughly. The young leaves make a tasty spinach. Sow April in situ - be careful not to weed the seedlings out since they look very much like Fat Hen, which can also be eaten like spinach.

Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana) - An evergreen tree from Chile. If you have enough land and can afford to wait 30-40 years or would like to leave something of value for future generations, do seriously consider planting a grove of these trees. Female specimens produce a delicious almond-sized fatty seed which is a staple food in the tree's natural habitat. Trees do much better in the western part of Britain and can withstand severe exposure. The nuts are produced in cones about the size of a person's head, each cone contains up to 200 seeds and the mature cone falls to the ground before releasing the seeds, so harvesting is quite simple.

Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba) - A deciduous tree from China. When male and female trees are grown together, the female produces yellow plum-like fruits in autumn. When these fall to the ground and are squashed they give off a truly disgusting odour but contained within the fruit is a seed which is considered a delicacy in China where it is usually roasted before being eaten. Another very easily grown tree.

Database

The database has more details on these plants: Araucaria araucana, Campanula versicolor, Chenopodium quinoa, Crataegus schraderiana, Cyperus esculentus, Dioscorea batatas, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Elaeagnus pungens, Elaeagnus x reflexa, Ginkgo biloba, Hovenia dulcis, Lupinus mutabilis, Malva verticillata, Oxalis deppei, Oxalis tuberosa, Physalis ixocarpa.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Alternative Food Crops

Sat Mar 25 16:49:25 2000

Do you know about the Canadian Plant Exchange? Type in Garden Web and search....when you get Garden Web go to their huge list of subjects and you'll see Canadian Plant/Seed Exchange. I've seen monkey trees up here in Canada. They grow in Victoria and Vancouver, BC very well. Maybe someone can help you on that forum.

Alternative Food Crops

Mon Feb 5 21:18:02 2001

I would like some suggestions for growing a small cash crop for a 3.5 acre piece of land. Any idea's? We had thought of herbs for vitamins and natural healing to sell to retailers.

Alternative Food Crops

Amy Jensen Tue Nov 20 15:29:51 2001

I think that these plants are very good and help us a lot. They make our environment heathly and look a lot better. Thank You! Amy & Jessie

Lupin and quinoa - fall planting

Sat Sep 6 20:10:26 2003

Does anyone know if lupin and quinoa can be overwintered?

Alternative Food Crops

Rebecca Smith Sat Jan 24 18:24:25 2004

Are there any concerns about introducing non-native plants to an area? We hear about so many ecological disasters due to a lack of forethought or general ignorance.

When I eventually get my piece of land, is there anything I should steer clear of growing?

Thanks,

Becks

Alternative Food Crops

jessy avelino Thu May 27 16:11:31 2004

i love the paradise flowers because they look so fake gut i know there are real.well anyways i would love to have some in my own home.

Link: dont have one nno

Alternative Food Crops

Tue Sep 27 2005

need to know how to use fresh sweet annie for medical and other uses

Alternative Food Crops

PHI Fri Nov 11 2005

what about COCA an other tabu crops such as CANNABIS? ...or are we too deep in the narco-inquisition?

Alternative Food Crops

Pignut Fri Feb 17 2006

Does anyone know where I can get oca seed from? Also, is Oca grown from true seed, tubers or both?

CROP Organic farming project based in Bulgaria

Alternative Food Crops

Thu Jun 1 2006

A general comment not just about this page-please would it be possible to include a selection of common names for the plants/trees,as people know them by many names around the world and quite a few country's general population dispense with and do not recognise latin names. PS Am enjoying exploring this database immensely-well done!

Alternative Food Crops

D Fri Jan 12 2007

I would just like to mention that Elaeagnus species (particularly Elaeagnus angustifolia & Elaeagnus umbellata) have proven to be quite invasive in the U.S. (I weed out the seedlings from the neighbor's bushes regularly) and care should be taken in usage of them. I suggest using as an alternative a native species which fills the same ecological niche and looks remarkably like Elaeagnus: Silver Buffaloberry(Shepherdia argetea)

Alternative Food Crops

Kitsune Fri Feb 16 2007

I, also, am concerned about introducing so many non-native, possibly invasive, plants, particularly as permaculture. Are there not appropriate alternative food crops which are native?

Alternative Food Crops

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future Sat Feb 17 2007

I share Kitsune and Rebecca's concerns about the problems that some exotic species have caused (here in Britain I can think particularly of the Japanese knotweed and an American species of Rhododendron) and the potential for new introductions of exotics to cause further problems. However, I feel that we do need to put the whole issue into perspective. If, for example, we look in the conventional vegetable garden, we will find surprisingly little growing there that is actually native. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, runner beans and French beans, for example, come from South America; onions come from central Asia, sweet corn, pumpkins, squash and Jerusalem artichokes from N. America. The list goes on and on. The same can be said if we go and look in the flower garden which is likely to have plants growing in it that have come from all the continents of the world. Whilst it is a very good and wise thing to try and focus on native plants, the sad truth is that in many areas there are surprisingly few natives that are able to provide both the quantity and quality of food necessary to feed the local population - especially if you view native as the plants that grow naturally in your local area and exclude other species that grow in different parts of your own country. Humans have a very long history of carrying their food and other plants, plus many animal species, with them when they move to a new area. Undoubtedly this has caused many problems as some species have caused huge environmental problems. However, the vast majority of the plants have never been able to survive in their new environment without the protection of humans and so are unable to move into the wild. Most of the plants we actually grow on our trial grounds in Cornwall are species that are already being grown in Britain, so we already know if they have the potential to escape from cultivation (and we avoid growing exotic species that do have this potential). When we do obtain exotics that, as far as we know, are not being grown in Britain, we plant them in controlled conditions and monitor them to assess any potential threat. It is our belief that, by wisely using perennial species of plants from various parts of the world, it is possible to develop very productive gardens that not only provide a wide range of foods and other useful commodities for humans, but also offer habitats and food for native creatures. Our experience to date is that this works really well - our gardens of perennial food plants are not only attractive to the eye but they are alive with birds, insects, small mammals etc. They certainly provide a much better habitat than the monoculture fields around us. As an extra precaution, however, we also have a policy of ensuring that 50% of all our land is used solely for growing native species - most of that land has been planted with native trees to create a large woodland, but we also have a meadow and ponds. I think the overall result works extremely well, both for humans and all the other species we share this planet with.

Alternative Food Crops

Acornsftw Wed Jun 4 2008

Whats with no mention of native oaks as seed crops??? The English have been ignorant of this wonderful foodsource for too long!

Alternative Food Crops

Graham Fri Dec 19 2008

Perennial Food Crops A forum intended for the sharing of information on perennial crops. Their cultivation, uses, breeding and development, and suppliers

Alternative Food Crops

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Alternative Food Crops

dog Thu Nov 12 2009

this site is great pause not!

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