Auxin Posted August 10, 2012 (I don't think squash is high in nutrients?). Hundreds of generations of native americans cant be wrong ;) Leaves: Good source of vitamin A, fair source of vitamin C, contributes minerals and some thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, and folate. Contains 3.2% well balanced protein on the fresh weight basis, 45% protein dry! Fruit: Source for all of the above in basically the same ratios except 2% protein fresh, 17% dry, and it supplies a small bit of pantothenic acid. Not to mention fiber. Eating the leaves makes a difference, as some of all those nutrients enters the diet through the growing season, then the fruits can be consumed over winter. The seeds have fat and protein and paralyze intestinal worms. The petioles are good in stews too. I planned to try and lacto-ferment the vine into some sort of sauce (and pray its not revolting) but it doesnt look worth while on just my last remaining stunted vine this year. I've stewed the guts in water and added just enough fruit juice for flavor and made drinkable wine. All parts are useful. Given the right spacing and no weeds they do fine with almost no water (like many plants), its the heat thats a killer. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted August 10, 2012 Do you steam the leaves or cook them in some way ? They'd be a bit prickly/spiky uncooked - wouldn't they ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auxin Posted August 10, 2012 Yeah I'd hesitate to eat those raw, lol. I boil them up in stew, chilli, curry, and such. Has kind of a tendency to liquify giving the food a greener look. Boiling for 8 minutes seems to take the prickles away, or at least does so enough so its not noticeable when mixed with potatoes and stuff.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted August 20, 2012 what are the best bamboos it is great stuff it can be used in so many aplications and the black variety look really nice what would be othewr plants to grow to make housing i know palms can be used or a thatch grass for a roof even a vine to grow on the roof 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted August 20, 2012 Best bamboos for what? the table? making the table? weaving? a solid one for milling?? Palms are a lot more useful than just for thatching , fruit, sugar, timber, palm heart although personally i'm not keen on growing a plant for a decade to only get a single meal out of it. There are so many attractive useful palms that it seems ludicrous that ppl seem to grow the ones that don’t have more than purely ornamental use. Here’s a partial list of palms that produce sugar and or an edible fruit or kernel that are worth trying in SEQ or NNSW. Acrocomia aculeata Macaw or mucuja palm Aiphanes spp. Allagoptera leucocalyx Allagoptera arenaria Allagoptera brevicalyx Amiga pinnata sugar palm Arenga pinnata (syn. A. saccharifera) Areng or black sugar palm Astrocaryum murumuru Astrocaryum aculeatum Attalea martiana - Urucuri palm Attalea sp phalerata - Urucuri palm Attalea speciosa Babassu-oil palm Attalea amygdalina Attalea allenii Attalea colenda Attalea exigua Bactris brongniartii – Marajá and chacarrá Bactris gasipaes - Peach palm or pejibaye in fact pretty much all Bactris spp Balaka longirostris – Mbalaka Balaka sp – Mbalaka Brahea dulcis Borassus aethiopium – African palmyra palm Borassus flabellifer - Tal-gas or palmyra palm Butia yatay - Yatay palm Caryota urens Cocos nucifera Copernicia prunifera Corypha utan (syn. C. eltata) – Gebang palm Chamaedorea tepejilote Dypsis Utilis /Vonitra utilis Dypsisbaronii Elaeis guineensis Elaeis oleifera Euterpe edulis Gastrococos crispa - Cuban belly palm Hyphaene dichotoma Jubaea chilensis - Chilean wine palm Mauritia flexuosa moriche Oenocarpus bacaba (syn. Jessenia bacaba) - Bacaba wine palm Parajubaea torallyi - Bolivian Mountain Coconut Parajubaea cocoides Mountain Coconut Phoenix reclinata - Senegal date palm Phoenix sylvestris Polyandrococos caudescens - Buri palm Sabal pumos Salacca spp. - Salak or snake palms Serenoa repens - Saw palmetto Syagrus smithii – Catolé (not S romanzoffiana) Syagrus coronata (oil seed) Syagrus oleracea Syagrus pseudococos Coco verde Syagrus yatay Veitchia joannis – Joannis palm, niusawa Veitchia vitiensis – Kaivatu Jubeaopsis caffra - Pondo Coconut 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
apothecary Posted August 21, 2012 Chickweed = Stellaria sp.? Lamb's Quarters = Chenopodium album = Fat Hen? - seeds might be better (related to Quinoa) but the leaves contain oxalic acid so not good in large quantities All of my favorite greens (including spinach) contain oxalic acid. Re survival crops, it's my understanding that sweet potatoes, Ipomea batatas, are nutritionally complete aside from protein. Good choice if the climate can support it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shruman Posted August 21, 2012 "All of my favorite greens (including spinach) contain oxalic acid." Cooking reduces it though I think. A pinch of bi carb if its realy high, like with taro leaves, saw that trick by a poly lady on Peter Kuruvita island feast. She made like a cream spinach but with Taro leaf, you never see it for sale in aus because of the oxalic acid. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted August 21, 2012 Re survival crops, it's my understanding that sweet potatoes, Ipomea batatas, are nutritionally complete aside from protein. Good choice if the climate can support it. Sweet potatoes are great, edible leaves & tubers, good flavor & very productive. However i would caution about relying to heavily on them or any other single crop for that matter. Several years ago i would harvest multiple wheel barrow loads of sweet potatoes from a smallish patch 6 X 6m, then the sweet potato weevils appeared & my next crop wouldn't have filled an ice cream container, it took years to get rid of the blighters & i couldn't grow an Ipomoea of any description in ground. That is one of the reasons i now grow small plots of lots of different things. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) re bamboos , consider "clumping" varieties over "runners" otherwise a small space can be over run. Google will help there. I helped a mate attack and remove an overgrown patch of black Phyllostachus (nigra I believe), I will say NEVER again to anyone looking for labour on such a job again - It was a nightmare to remove , resorted to a bobcat in the end..... napalm was my first thought, but my mate wasn't up for it, what about thermite....eyes roll. As a word of caution this beast of a thing also damaged his house foundations due to the incredible pressure the shoots can exert. EDIT - Phyllostachys sp. Edited August 21, 2012 by waterboy 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whitewind Posted August 21, 2012 Something like Bambusa oldhamii has useful timber and edible shoots, grows well anywhere where the temps don't drop below freezing, better in the warmer zones though. Good as a windbreak too, needs water though like most bamboos. Apparently they can sequester CO2 30% faster than most trees, due to the growth rate. Some interesting info on dealing with the oxalates there too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted August 22, 2012 Would it be a good idea to start a 'survival gardening seed trade' thread? There is already a fruit and veg trade thread hiding somewhere, but there have been so many interesting plants mentioned in this thread it would be great to get trading these useful plants and growing them ourselves, even if to just set a fresh crop of seed and ensure a steady supply, just incase the possibility of trading/buying seed is taken away from us for whatever reason. 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted August 22, 2012 yacon is a good cropper +1 for sweet spuds grows year round where i am aswell with the taro 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bℓσωηG Posted August 22, 2012 Aloe vera , very nutritious full of protein, containing the complete chain of amino acids .. easy to grow ,great for skin and hair ,when preparing for consumption its best to avoid the sap from the green skin and eat only the clear gel.. Sure it has no taste and has the consistancy of snot but chopped gel scraped into a glass of water can be quickly drunk .. Great for heartburn ,indigestion ,hangovers ,diahorea ,and diabetes.. Good thread watching with interest. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chilli Posted August 22, 2012 just incase the possibility of trading/buying seed is taken away from us for whatever reason. With some of the recent developments over there that is a legitimate concern! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted August 22, 2012 With some of the recent developments over there that is a legitimate concern! In which case this thread probably isnt a safe place to be Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted August 23, 2012 Yeah you could consider it like that if you want... I was only making a suggestion. Sorry, I didn't consider that I might be endangering the integrity of this thread by my presence. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted August 23, 2012 Its not your presence that is the issue Bogfrog, Hell i'll start it off if you want to create a thread & get a mod to pin it. & Its a great suggestion, Its just the safety issues surrounding the potential for self incrimination. Probably no more than any other trading threads, just likely to attract attention from different Gov depts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted August 23, 2012 If thats the case then it would be possibly wiser for someone else to start the thread. I'm unsure of the current status of the nz bill I assume is in question here, although I do know that amendments are being made in regard to the small-scale/personal aspects, which is a little ray of sunshine in the wake of impending doom. Regardless of who starts the thread, I have a bit to contribute and would love to see it take off. Expect the best and prepare for the worst! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted August 23, 2012 Its not the only bill in question, we will be getting our own in the next week or so, i think the pollies are sill busy screwing us with the New Cybercrime laws so that they can snoop on every single email, pm im, text msg etc etc Yeah i'm more than happy to contribute. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted August 23, 2012 I see, I see. I had underestimated the situation. Cheers for the clarification, Shortly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted August 23, 2012 what about medicinal plants yeah i know pot cures everything i love garlic and ginger and willow bark can be used to make asprin and criket bats but would love to know what would be another great thing to grow when i leave society Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted August 23, 2012 Your willows are likely to attract some unwanted attention bigred, they be weeds of national significance now & declared weeds in many districts. I'd put in a plug for Opuntia's as being both medicinal & nutritious but alas they too have found their way onto the weeds of national significance list, even O ficus indica that is still legal here for the moment. Gingers are such an interesting group, so many different flavors, so many different medicinal profiles & so many traditional uses & the stories that go with them of course. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kadakuda Posted August 23, 2012 on the squash front. loofa greens are my favourite gren vegetable hadns down. its eaten a lot in asia. the new growth is used, not old leaves which are harder/prickly. fried like any other green usually. plus the fruit is edible or dried ot be used as a aponge. one of my favourite annual vines. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted August 24, 2012 ginger is my favorite when ever i feel a bit sick i have some ginger always fixs my flu symptoms Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stillman Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) I'm slowly collecting the right plants for my climate, I'm a big fan of sweet potato and yams but have a few other interesting good producing plants going this year a lot with much thanks from the generous folks here. Some of the most out standing for my climate. tomatillos various sweet potato Taro Edited October 12, 2012 by Stillman 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites