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Post by ottawagardener on Jan 4, 2012 11:57:53 GMT -5
I'm interested in cranberry Hibsicus - H. sabdariffa but it probably won't produce many flowers here even if overwintered (this is my guess). It is grown as an ornamental around here.
Along the same lines, sunset Hibsicus manihot / Abelmoschus manihot.
Of course there is Abelmoschus esculentus - okra.
I also can grow Hibiscus moscheutos and Hibiscus syriacus but I'm not sure of their food value.
Experiences/thoughts/more interesting plants?
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Post by atash on Jan 4, 2012 18:54:29 GMT -5
I've had similar thoughts: identify a NON-tropical Hibiscus for food potential. I think I'm most interested in the prospect for a leafy green. Tim Peters has considered the possibility of using the pods, similar to Okra.
The blossoms could be ingredients for smoothies.
It needs to be something without fuzzy leaves, and not too fibrous.
Another characteristic that would be useful, would be "cut and come again" ability. It should be something that keeps trying to regrow, despite not being tropical. Might be some sort of mutually-exclusive requirements there.
Idea is you should have a source of greens in your back yard that you can harvest several times a year--maybe even stagger harvesting of multiple plants so as to have a constant supply of greens for a multi-month harvest season.
And it could look "nice" if a bit too clipped, when it bloomed.
Haven't had time to pursue. Probably one of the many herbaceous or semi-woody species of the American southeast might fit the bill.
I have a number of Hibiscus in my yard, including a few woody ones like H. syriacus, H. sino-syriacus (a little bushier, bigger-leaved, bigger-blossomed, woody but softer wood than H. syriacus), and various moscheutos-type hybrids.
Also non-Hibiscus Malvaceae including a few Abutilons, Cornylabutilon (similar to an Abutilon and sometimes , maybe a little softer wooded, fuzzy leaved, fast growing and short-lived), and maybe a few others. I just started seed for an Anisodontea, but the seed is old and I have doubts about its viability. But if it lives, great. South African mallows.
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Post by ottawagardener on Jan 6, 2012 17:18:10 GMT -5
Sounds like the beginnings of, if not a project, than a direction? I suppose I can just try a bunch and find out what is most appealing as a green crop. I tend to pick off hand falls of leaves rather than doing a big harvest but I imagine some of them would handle light pruning, especially to encourage fresh new growth. Of course, around here, this would have to be well before hardening off in fall.
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Post by atash on Jan 7, 2012 0:16:12 GMT -5
After thinking about it, Ottawagardener, I'm wondering if it would make sense for a "vegetable greens" Hibiscus to be a shrubby species. At least some structure that survives over the winter, though many species are sort of in-between because they're coming up from the tropics but have developed some hardiness.
Anyway, this is my thinking: herbaceous vegetables can be a lot of work to try to rescue them from weeds. Well, at least in my climate; in yours I suppose the weeds at least partially die back too (they don't here. They get entrenched over the winter, then you try to rescue your herbaceous plants from them without accidentally hoeing new shoots). It would be nice to have a plant that cleanly clears low-growing weeds. It seems to me that farmers have a good sense of how to grow shrubby crops but a poor sense of how to grow perennials that die back in the winter, since you can't just plow up the field again. Tom and I are having a devil of a time with perennial crops for that very reason.
A shrubby species might be less work overall. Mostly just hoe around it, and clip leaves as needed. (That said, my initial thoughts involved herbaceous die-backs, because those are the ones that I've noticed some of them have tender-looking leaves).
Might need to be a hybrid, to find something hardy enough for typical temperate climates.
What do you think?
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Post by ottawagardener on Jan 8, 2012 10:59:00 GMT -5
Shrubby species sounds like the way to grow but I can't think of anything woody and as vigorous as the Rose of Sharon.
I can see what you're saying about perennial grains etc.. and current agricultural practices. Need to change the model to suit the crop.
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Post by johninfla on Mar 9, 2012 10:31:37 GMT -5
Have you thought about Roselle? I've not grown it but have heard some old timers say that they grew it here. The Mexicans have a drink called Jamaica which I think is made by boiling the flowers. I haven't had the actual drink BUT have had the kool-aide type of artificial version which was passable and I'd drink it again.
John
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Post by johninfla on Mar 9, 2012 10:54:28 GMT -5
Ooops...Roselle is H. sabdariffa. Sorry about that.............
John
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Post by ottawagardener on Mar 9, 2012 12:22:54 GMT -5
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Post by raymondo on Mar 10, 2012 4:30:42 GMT -5
Rosella, as H. sabdariffa is known here, was once popular. People made drinks and jam from it. But it appears to have gone out of favour. Not sure why.
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Post by johninfla on Mar 28, 2012 10:31:53 GMT -5
Ok, so I've been thinking about Roselle (H. sabdariffa) since I posted the above. I think it is still early enough for me to get it in for this year....(my average first frost is mid to late November) Would anyone like to trade some roselle seed for aguaymanto (Physallis peruviana)....
Thanks,
John
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