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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 9, 2009 14:31:36 GMT -5
I'm sure we've posted about this somewhere but I just wanted to show you a picture of my Earth Chestnut still alive in my coldframe which is pretty remarkable if you've been keeping track of the weather we've been having with windchills below -35 degrees celcius - yuck!! Mind the dead vegetation around it...  |
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Post by utopiate on Feb 9, 2009 14:50:08 GMT -5
I couldn't find anything in the search of these forums on either Earth Chestunut or Bunium bulbocastaneum. Did you grow out some tubers of full size? I experimented with it a couple seasons, some time ago. I'd be interested in comparing reports. Mine grew best inside the greenhouse in a pot, but, like yours was very hardy outside. I just couldn't get decent size outside. I did get a nice cluster of substantially larger tubers greenhouse growing in a pot. Will post pic. Flavor was disappointing, and some fibers in the tubers also. There is an online site from some years back with pictures and talking about the excellant flavor of this plant, but it seems to me that person is confusing it with Chaerophyllum bulbosum in her report (she speaks of finding and eating it in France, and in the Tuberous Chervil growing area, if I recall correctly). I think the common name Earth Chestnut may have been applied for both plants and confused her. Don't see this available in any US catalogues now. Might be a prohibited invasive, but I'm not sure.  By utopiate, shot with Canon PowerShot A700 at 2009-02-09 |
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 9, 2009 14:58:37 GMT -5
I was wondering if people confuse the two. I thought we had babbled on about this plant in a post that had started off with a different topic but then again, I seem to be confused today. They didn't form tubers last year and this will be the start of their second year so I'll get back to you on that.
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 9, 2009 15:04:29 GMT -5
The above picture (excellent as usual by the way) didn't show up last I viewed this thread. I definitely had the multiple roots but they weren't swollen yet. I wasn't sure what to expect when harvesting next year so this is useful.
Did you try the seeds as a cumin substitute?
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Post by utopiate on Feb 9, 2009 15:10:12 GMT -5
No.. I suppose I nibbled some but dont recall about them. Will try that if I grow again. They produced seeds easily though in the greenhouse. The outside rosettes I had about like yours did produce small bean and pea sized tubers by fall for me, but not many of them. I'd check them again, I would think you would have a few down there. The plant and tubers here were grown from one of those small tubers in the greenhouse next season.
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 11, 2009 16:12:30 GMT -5
Interesting. I plan on building a more insulated greenhouse next year. Thoughts of heating cables have gone through my head but I'm not sure if I'll go that far. I did not know whether you could propogate them by tubers so that'll be something I'll have to try.
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