
Reply To: Plants for Food
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If you wanted to increase the size of the tubers, prune the stalks back so more energy can go into producing larger tubers. You can also cut off the flower stalk before it blooms, too, in order to conserve energy for the growth of the tubers. None of mine were ever round like a potato. They are like the tubers you plant. Kinda funky and shaped like a ginger root. None were huge but a bit larger than the tubers I planted. I’ve only harvested a few of mine in order to let them spread. I cooked a few to make sure I wouldn’t have any gastrointestinal issues and they tasted like a cross between a potato & a water chestnut to me. I fried mine like you do potatoes with onions and were actually good. Some people may experience gas, excessive gas and some even more issues with stomach pain with gas. It all depends on what your body/stomach tolerates.
Mine are planted along my woodline as a hidden food source that most will think are a flowering shrub instead of a food source.
You must mulch them well if your area gets freezing temps to keep the tubers from freezing & rotting.Another survival food I started last year is Chayote Squash. It is a perennial and comes back year after year & is a prolific producer. It has lots of long vines that can cover an area so it needs to be supported if you plant in pots. A simple trellis or like an arbor. I have some planted around my chicken coop/yard and they will produce vines all around the coop that will provide shade for the chickens as well as food if the fruit hangs down into the coop/yard area where the chickens can get to them.
They kind of have the texture and slight taste of a pear and some people use them as a filler for pies or they can be cooked like a winter squash, put in salads (raw).
The vines die back for the winter. Just trim them back leaving a few inches of the vine then mulch real good. They will re-emerge in spring.
I bought mine at Walmart in the produce section. They used to run about .76cents each but they have gone up some to around $1.15. Leave them on your counter or window seal and they will begin to sprout on the large end. Let the sprout get about 4-6 inches long then plant in well draining potting mix, large end down with the sprout above the soil. Keep moist but not saturated or the roots will rot. That is how I root mine to plant and I then transfer into their growing area or large tub in the spring.Another survival food for us southerners is the Whipporwill cowpeas. They are an indeterminate variety & will produce prolifically. They love the heat & humidity and long growing seasons we have. These peas will produce all summer & even into fall until 1st frost. Most of our peas are done by summers end or before but this variety will keep going. I know your space is limited but even planting a few in some pots would give you a good source of protein & nutrients plus you can save these seeds as they are heirloom, let them dry and have to plant again next year. These peas are smaller than our normal garden peas but cook much quicker and can even be eaten raw. Seeds are kind of hard to find but I THINK Baker Creek has them and a few other online shops.