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Post by billw on Dec 28, 2015 4:02:39 GMT -5
So far, it seems easier to select good edible dahlias from mass sowing than it is to find existing dahlias with good qualities. I have a few ornamental varieties that make for fair eating, but the best of my seed grown varieties are better. I guess that shouldn't be too surprising, given how intensely they have been bred for flowers. I find that D. coccinea produces more tubers that aren't fibrous than D. pinnata. There is a trade-off though, as D. coccinea seems to introduce a resiny flavor. This is my best from seed so far, from a D. coccinea x (D. pinnata x D. coccinea) cross. It tastes like celery, is not fibrous, and has no bitterness. It is fairly bland for fresh eating, but I really like it as a soup vegetable. I can tolerate about twice as much dahlia as sunchoke before unpleasant consequences.  |
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Post by steev on Dec 28, 2015 4:21:33 GMT -5
I can tolerate about twice as much dahlia as sunchoke before unpleasant consequences. [/quote] Subtle, that. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Dec 28, 2015 10:29:11 GMT -5
I have continued working on my edible dahlia project. This summer I grew plants from both tubers and seeds. The tuber grown plants produced more and larger tubers. Some of the seed grown plants did well for themselves. Long term I'd like to select for strains that do well when grown from seeds, so that I don't have to fuss with overwintering tubers. Another grower in my valley is also working on this project, so we exchanged seeds at the end of the growing season. I produced a lot of seed this summer. I am attempting to overwinter tubers from 4 plants. Bugs really got after the seedlings in the greenhouse. I had enough that I could eat them every imaginable way. The remained crispy after cooking, so I thought they were best in soups, stir-fries, and roasts, where they were a portion of the vegetables. I did not like them mashed, fried, or as chips. They scorched readily under the same conditions used to make potato chips. Taste was bland. They took on the seasoning from the broth. They didn't keep very well in the fridge. I felt like the had to be peeled before eating. Didn't have any troubles with fibrous tubers once peeled. They really didn't keep well. The open flowers that I am choosing are highly favored by bumblebees and honey bees.  I am selecting only for open flowers that can be easily cross pollinated.  Seed grown tubers:  Dahlia tubers grown from tubers:  I threw some dahlia tubers into the root pit with the other things I'm trying to overwinter: (attempting bok choi, beets, and kohlrabi)  |
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Post by steev on Dec 28, 2015 13:45:48 GMT -5
Wow! Either that's a kiddie=barrow or those are enormous tubers.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Dec 28, 2015 15:42:13 GMT -5
Wow! Either that's a kiddie=barrow or those are enormous tubers. The pit is about 18" wide and deep. Those huge "tubers" are kohlrabi...  |
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Post by imgrimmer on Dec 30, 2015 9:01:58 GMT -5
This is my best from seed so far, from a D. coccinea x (D. pinnata x D. coccinea) cross. Do you have a picture of the blossoms? |
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Post by prairiegarden on Oct 23, 2016 2:57:15 GMT -5
Tried dahlia today and was disappointed, it seemed to take ages to cook, but it might have been cooked long before I tried it, it never did really change a crisp sort of texture, like an Granny Smith apple without the flavour. I finally just took it off the heat. It was.really bland, in fact what it mostly tasted like was crisp water. Soup makes sense so it would pick up the flavours but I wanted to see what flavour it had on its own, the answer being +\- none. Maybe other varieties would have more flavour, these were just chain store tuber mix, so no idea if they even had names. Produced well though, some of the tubers were as big as a medium size potato. I might try some others and see if shape changes signifies taste difference, these ones were skinny and carrot like in shape, one of the others is more like potato.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 23, 2016 13:12:54 GMT -5
We have come to think of dahlia tubers as akin to water-chestnuts: something that stays firm and crispy, and that adds a bit of crunch to a soup or stir-fry.
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Post by imgrimmer on Dec 21, 2016 4:56:39 GMT -5
I recently tasted my dahlias. They differ slightly in taste but they were mostly to over season. too much for my taste. These are from seeds I collected in a botanic garden.
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Post by philagardener on Sept 18, 2018 20:56:15 GMT -5
billw , noticed that you posted on your website that your yellow gem has a virus. What are the visible symptoms, apart from what I assume is a lack of vigor?
(I've had a really terrible year here in PA for dahlias, but that goes for a number of things - just wanted to know what to look for if this pops up in this or another variety.)
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Post by billw on Sept 23, 2018 22:56:13 GMT -5
I'll try to get a picture tomorrow. The symptoms tend to be worse in early growth than at maturity, but the leaves are a bit rugose with irregular yellowing. I don't find it to be much of a problem and it wouldn't bother me if I weren't selling seed. Unfortunately, dahlia mosaic virus transmits reliably through true seed.
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Post by farmermike on Sept 25, 2018 14:49:01 GMT -5
Unfortunately, dahlia mosaic virus transmits reliably through true seed. , is it possible to use TSP, peroxide, or anything to clean the seeds before sowing to prevent spreading the virus? |
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Post by billw on Sept 25, 2018 18:24:10 GMT -5
Nope - the virus infects the embryo within the seed. Possibly heat treatment, but there is no way to test it without an affordable test for DMV.
I'm not sure that it is really worth worrying about. Research has found that commercial sources of dahlia seed are routinely infected, which probably means that this virus is ubiquitous.
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