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kadakuda

Perennial trees for edible leaves

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Does anyone know of some healthy, tasty leaves from trees for food purposes? I always prefer perennial over annual any day of the week, and the time has come to find some edible tree leaves :) One example i am very fond of is tamarind leaves. Anyone know of any others?

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Moringa oleifera (drumstick tree)

Sauropus androgynus (Sweetleaf)

Murraya koenigi (curry leaf tree)

Pandanus amaryllifolius & Pandanus odorus

Acacia pennata (cha-om, ชะอม, su pout ywet)

various Piper spp not trees but perennials

Artemisia princeps (Japanese mugwort)

Basella (Malabar spinach) perennial vine

Most are more condiments than salads but every bit helps.

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Populus deltoides, among other species, is said to have edible leaves with more protein on the dry weight basis than barley or rice. I've never tried it or seen comment on its flavor or potential for toxicity tho, lol.

Tilia platyphyllos, among others, is another I havent tried but I hope to try this one :wink: pfaf says:

Young leaves - raw. A delicious addition to salads and sandwiches, the young leaves are mild and tender with a somewhat mucilaginous texture[K].

A very acceptable chocolate substitute can be made from a paste of the ground-up flowers and immature fruit. Trials on marketing the product failed because the paste is very apt to decompose[2, 115].

A popular herb tea is made from the flowers, it has a sweet, fragrant pleasant flavour. Some caution is advised, If the flowers used for making tea are too old, they may produce symptoms of narcotic intoxication[4].

It seems if you use flowers that have been open a while you might get high :o The flower tea is also used to induce sweating in colds/flu and in cardiovascular disease.

Closer to (your) home Lespedeza bicolor leaf. The young ones as vegetable, the older ones as tea. As an ethnobot I figure you may have this plant already :wink:

Oh, I tried Ribes nigrum this year. It made a nice tea and the leaves can also be used in soups. Some think it has a funky smell. At 2 meters tall its not a tree but it is perennial and the berries are used to increase resistance to infection.

Edited by Auxin

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Supposedly you can eat young Camphor leaf.

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I'd be hesitant about that.

Madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia) is another perennial which is supposedly edible. Not exactly a prime candidate for cultivation due to its invasive tendencies.

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Camphor video with info on eating it-

Edited by Teotzlcoatl

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Anything with the botanical name edulis means edible (in some way). Catha edulis is a good example of this.

Another good edible leaf is hemp and I'd be personally quite interestd in any hemp breeds selected/ developed for this purpose

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Hemp's an annual, though.

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Hmmm a qat salada...i'm wondering what dressing one could (hypotheticaly of course) use ? Maybe a good dash of olive oil, black pepper and balsamico vinegar...

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Great stuff guys n gals. thanks for that! The idea of not using annuals is so that nothing needs to be replanted and it can grow in place for many years with only whacking now and then. The reason for that is mostly to avoid weed issues. Keep a solid canopy of varying heights to completely shade the ground, weeds here are OUTRAGEOUS!!

Auxin, mind if i ask where this is from:

Young leaves - raw. A delicious addition to salads and sandwiches, the young leaves are mild and tender with a somewhat mucilaginous texture[K].

A very acceptable chocolate substitute can be made from a paste of the ground-up flowers and immature fruit. Trials on marketing the product failed because the paste is very apt to decompose[2, 115].

A popular herb tea is made from the flowers, it has a sweet, fragrant pleasant flavour. Some caution is advised, If the flowers used for making tea are too old, they may produce symptoms of narcotic intoxication[4].

i would really like to check out their references :) flower intoxication always triggers my interest but when they mention old i often wonder if it is simply fermentation they are referring to...? not saying i am against a good ol rotten ball of ethanol though, dont get me wrong :)

Catha salad....hmmm. I have treid some weird things before but im not sure how keen i am on that one. BUt you will catch me chowing down on that before you catch me chowing down on camphor tree salad. Thanks for the link man, just not for me though lol. I am trying to find foods i can feed children too :)

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Catha salad....hmmm. I have treid some weird things before but im not sure how keen i am on that one. BUt you will catch me chowing down on that before you catch me chowing down on camphor tree salad. Thanks for the link man, just not for me though lol. I am trying to find foods i can feed children too :)

 

you know, it's quite common in yemen, that parents take some old well macerated qat out of there mouths and give it to the children, who's eye's light up, once the recieve this pre salviated treat.

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The 'old' got me too until another bit that specified matured open flowers.. heres the Link

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Tilia has psychoactive flowers.

Edited by Teotzlcoatl

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Hmm, that sounds somehow familiar :P

  • Like 1

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I have wondered if Albizia Lebbeck foliage might be edible if cooked as a vegie . Buffalo love it if they can get at it .

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rhubarb and asparagus are perenials that will produce for 25+years, asparagus is actually a fern :blink:

rhubarb root has madicinal uses too, that were known far vefore it's edible qualities. I assume u know that rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so only eat the stalks.

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Asparagus is not a fern. It produces seeds, not spores.

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