This is the second monthly post for the research project about perennial plants, and perennialising annual plants, which provide food in temperate climate parts of Australia. The original article introducing this project, stating its aims, and providing participant instructions, can be found here. Growers are sending me information on a month-by-month basis, then this information is collated and published the following month. The first monthly post can be found here.
Grower #2
| Grower # |
2 |
| Latitude |
38.15°S |
| Broad climate information |
Mediterranean buffered by maritime influences. No frosts. |
| Brief description of garden/farm |
Courtyard, raised beds, mostly shaded in winter, as well as some planters that get winter sun. |
| Botanical name |
Lactuca sativa |
| Common name(s) |
Sword Leaf lettuce, Pointed Leaf Lettuce, Taiwan Sword Leaf, Orient Sword Leaf, Yu Mai Tsai |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw, cooked |
| Notes |
|
|
|
| Botanical name |
Hypochaeris radicata |
| Common name(s) |
Flatweed |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw in green smoothies |
| Notes |
Self-sown |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Petroselinum crispum |
| Common name(s) |
Parsley, Curly-leafed Parsley |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw, cooked |
| Notes |
Biennial. This plant was razed to the ground by possums, then recovered! |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Plantago lanceolata |
| Common name(s) |
Plantain |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw in green smoothies. Cooked. |
| Notes |
Self-sown, foraged locally. |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Sonchus oleraceus |
| Common name(s) |
Sow Thistle |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw in green smoothies. |
| Notes |
Self-sown, foraged locally. |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Stellaria media |
| Common name(s) |
Chickweed |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves, stems, flowers |
| How used |
Raw in salads or green smoothies |
| Notes |
Self-sown, foraged locally. |
|
|
Grower #2 has also obtained food in October from Beta vulgaris var. cicla leaves, Fragaria spp. using tender young leaves as well as fruit, Lactuca sativa leaves, Passiflora edulis fruit plus tender young tops of suckers, Santolina rosmarinifolia leaves, and Symphytum officinale leaves (all profiled last month).
Grower #3
| Grower # |
3 |
| Latitude |
32° |
| Broad climate information |
Mediterranean climate, winters mild, rarely have frosts, summers hot, dry and windy. Mean annual rainfall about 870mm, most of it falling between May – Sept. Can go many weeks without rain in the summer months. |
| Brief description of garden/farm |
Established suburban garden undergoing conversion to food production. 720 sq m block with as much garden as I can squeeze in around house, studio and driveway (and I have my eyes on that). Front garden south facing, exposed to strong winds (7km from coast), competing with two huge street trees (Queensland box and unknown eucalypt). Back garden north facing, more sheltered, partially shaded by 2 coolabahs and jacaranda, established citrus trees, chook pen. Soil type – water repellant sand, greatly improved by addition of bentonite clay and constant addition of compost and mulch. Watered twice weekly from bore during summer months, plus hand watering as needed. |
| Botanical name |
Aethionema cordifolium |
| Common name(s) |
Lebanese Cress |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Salad, soup |
| Notes |
Growing in pond water and at water’s edge.
Not Apium nodiflorum — which is also sometimes labelled Lebanese Cress. |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Beta vulgaris var. cicla |
| Common name(s) |
Perpetual Spinach, Mediterranean Spinach |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw, steamed, stir fry |
| Notes |
Self-seeding |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Brassica chinensis |
| Common name(s) |
Bok Choy |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves, stems |
| How used |
Steamed, stir fry |
| Notes |
Self-seeding annual |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Centella asiatica, Hydrocotyle asiatica |
| Common name(s) |
Gotu kola |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw in salads, cooked in soups, curries |
| Notes |
Growing at pond edge, damp ground |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Fragaria x ananassa |
| Common name(s) |
Strawberry |
| Parts used for food |
Berries |
| How used |
Raw, dried, jam |
| Notes |
I grow these in pots (about 40 plants), otherwise the slaters get them. |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Ipomoea batatas |
| Common name(s) |
Sweet Potato |
| Parts used for food |
Tuberous roots |
| How used |
Roasted, steamed, patties, soups |
| Notes |
Apparently the leaves are also edible, but I haven’t tried them. |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Lactuca sativa |
| Common name(s) |
Lettuce |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Salad |
| Notes |
Self-seeding annual |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Morus spp. |
| Common name(s) |
Mulberry |
| Parts used for food |
Berries |
| How used |
Fresh, jam |
| Notes |
Harvest from local trees – street verge and cycle path |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Petroselinum neapolitanum |
| Common name(s) |
Italian Parsley or Flat Leaf Parsley |
| Parts used for food |
Leaf |
| How used |
Culinary herb |
| Notes |
Self-seeding biennial |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Physalis peruviana |
| Common name(s) |
Cape Gooseberry |
| Parts used for food |
Berries |
| How used |
Raw, dried, jams |
| Notes |
Plants are productive for 2 or 3 years if cut back, prolific self-seeders, prone to attack by mites in spring. |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Rheum x cultorum |
| Common name(s) |
Rhubarb |
| Parts used for food |
Stems |
| How used |
Sweetened and used in cooking — stewed, crumble, muffins, etc. |
| Notes |
|
|
|
| Botanical name |
Tetragonia tetragonoides |
| Common name(s) |
Warrigal Greens |
| Parts used for food |
Young leaves |
| How used |
Steamed, like spinach |
| Notes |
Becomes bitter when heat stressed. Self-seeding. |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Tropaeolum majus |
| Common name(s) |
Nasturtium |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves, flowers, soft green seed |
| How used |
Salads. Seeds pickled like capers. |
| Notes |
|
|
|
| Botanical name |
Vaccinium spp. |
| Common name(s) |
Blueberry |
| Parts used for food |
Berries |
| How used |
Fresh, frozen |
| Notes |
Grown in pots |
|
|
Grower #4
| Grower # |
4 — Yvonne, Melbourne |
| Latitude |
37° |
| Broad climate information |
Mediterranean temperate |
| Brief description of garden/farm |
Inner city urban garden full of edible plants – the majority perennial – with more than 20 fruit trees,
40 herbs, a constantly updated array of berries (trees, shrubs and vines) and many other edible goodies. |
| Botanical name |
Geranium robertianum |
| Common name(s) |
Herb Robert |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw |
| Notes |
Self-seeding annual that is now growing in between the bricks of the paved areas. |
|
|
| Botanical name |
Rumex cristatus |
| Common name(s) |
Greek Dock |
| Parts used for food |
Leaves |
| How used |
Raw, cooked |
| Notes |
|
|
|
Conclusion
Thank you so much to the growers who have contributed so far, both last month and this! We now have approximately forty plants mentioned (including some foraged plants), with more to come :)
If anyone else feels they would like to participate, you can email me for the proformas on:
- 5555susana (at) gmail (dot) com
As I said in the introductory article, even if you have obtained food from one perennial(ised) food plant, then that can be useful to someone out there, so don’t hold back if you’ve been feeling that one or a few plants are insignificant!
And once again, if anyone wishes to profile a particular plant in more detail, please feel free, we’d love you to. Email:
- editor (at) permaculturenews.org
These are an incredibly useful series of articles that I, for one, am very VERY happy to be reading and saving. Thank you SO much for this informative series and please keep them coming. Cheers from the bottom of my permaculture penniless student hippy heart to each and every single one of you contributors making our Northern Tasmanian 4 acres of evolving permaculture a much better place :)
Wow, this was very helpful! Thank you for the great pictures. I have seen several of these growing wild in my yard and wondered if they were edible. This gives me the encouragement to check into it farther. This is a great series. Hopefully, I will have something to contribute soon. Unfortunately, we are wanderers right now. I am really curious how to grow veg as nomads. . . . Anyway, keep up the good work! I really appreciate the quality.
Hi Susan. This is a really useful article series and has helped me identify some more food plants growing about the place. It is also really interesting seeing the difference that latitude makes in relation to harvesting and stage of growth of the various plants. PS: Herb Robert is an incredibly valuable medicinal herb. Chris
Interesting… We have loads of Dock and Herb Robert growing near us, but I must admit I never thought of adding them to a salad. In the PFAF.org database Herb Robert is listed as having no known edible uses, while the oxalic acid in dock leaves is noted as a hazard…
Sweet Potatoes have edible leaves which are very delicious and nutritionally richer than the tubers.
I was looking for lebanese cress. Growing like a monster in my garden.
Much Love