Sword bean (Canavalia gladiata)

Everything about the sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) is impressive. From the time the first true leaves emerge from the seed, until the pods split open to reveal their giant pink seeds, there's something awe-inspiring about this plant.

The pink seeds are about the size of a quarter, and get even larger if soaked before planting.

The cotyledons are pulled up out of the ground as the roots head downward, and when the first true leaves emerge, they can be 6-8 inches in diameter. Here's a seedling next to a 4-inch pot for scale:

From there, they quickly shoot up and start twining around, looking for something to climb on. Yes, this bean is a climber, so give it a sturdy support that will endure throughout the growing season. I like to grow them on dead trees, since many types of garden supports will collapse under the weight of the vines.

By mid-summer, the lavender-pink flowers appear in clusters all up and down the vine.

If pollination is successful, the bean pods start to develop, and eventually reach over a foot in length. It takes about 90 days from planting for the beans to reach a maturity at which they can be picked and eaten.

For fresh eating, the pods should be picked while they're still tender, and before the beans start to swell up too much inside. At that stage, the pods can be sliced cross-wise and boiled until tender. Discard the cooking water.

If you wait too long to eat them fresh, just let them finish maturing until the pods are dry. It will take an additional 2-3 months of growing to get to this stage.

Then the beans can be shelled out and cooked, but require soaking overnight and thorough cooking in  2-3 changes of water to rid the beans of potential toxins. For this reason, they are usually picked and eaten when the pods are still tender.

Taro, Dasheen (Colocasia esculenta)

Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a tropical starchy root crop. The large, "elephant-ear" type leaves can grow 2-3 feet long and 1-2 feet wide. Each leaf emerges from an underground corm and the overall plant height can be 5-6 feet.

In addition to the corm, the leaves and stems are also edible. The immature leaves are boiled or steamed and served as greens. The stems are peeled and boiled, and served as a vegetable. They must be cooked to break down the oxalates in the tissues. Varieties with naturally lower levels of oxalates make better cooked greens.

The corms are peeled and baked, boiled or steamed. When cooked and mashed with water, taro becomes poi, a traditional food in Hawaii.

The flesh color of the corm may be white, yellow, lavender or pink. In ancient Hawaii, where Taro had been extensively grown for generations, there were as many as 300 named varieties. There are both upland and wetland varieties. Upland cultivars are also known as Dasheen.

Taro grows best in partial shade, but will grow in full sun if given plenty of water. Best growth is in soils high in organic matter. It will also grow in standing water up to 12 inches deep.

As it grows, multiple smaller plants form around the original corm.

By the end of the growing season, most of these corms, or "eddoes", will be big enough to eat.

Taro is propagated by dividing the clump, and re-planting the smaller corms surrounding the original. These are planted 2-3 inches deep and 2 feet apart.

Taro is perennial in USDA Zones 8-11, but can be grown as an annual elsewhere.

Colocasia esculenta also has many uses in traditional medicines:
Some infections respond to the use of Taro leaves mashed with salt. This poultice can be applied to an injury, covered and wrapped with a large Taro leaf (I wouldn't do this on any open wounds!). 

Undiluted poi is sometimes used as a poultice on infected sores. A piece of Taro stem can be touched to the skin to stop surface bleeding. For a sting from an insect, the stem leaf (petiole) can be cut and rubbed on the afflicted area, preventing swelling and pain. (Whistler,W.A. 1992. Polynesian Herbal Medicine.) Note: people with sensitive skin can experience irritation from contact with the sap.

Taro is native to tropical Southeast Asia, but was long ago spread around the world by ancient travelers.

There are similar-looking plants that belong to other genera, other species, or are different cultivars of this species, but the true taro is the only one with peltate leaves (the petiole is attached to the center of the leaf blade).

There are also ornamental varieties of this species that are grown only for the attractive leaves, and are not considered good eating varieties.

Papalo (Porophyllum ruderale ssp. macrocephalum)

Papalo (Porophyllum ruderale ssp. macrocephalum) is a traditional Mexican herb commonly used fresh with salads, sandwiches, soups, stews, meats or beans. It is only used fresh, or added to cooked foods at the end of cooking. It is never dried.

Many restaurants in Mexico keep a vase of this cut herb on the table so patrons may pull off some leaves and add it to their meal as desired.

In the garden it's a fast-growing annual that can reach 7 feet tall in a season, if not cut back. If you're using it regularly in the kitchen, you'll have no problem keeping it trimmed down to size. In fact, it's better if you do cut it regularly; tall slender plants are more prone to being blown over or simply bending under their own weight.

The leaves are rounded and about 2 inches in diameter. It grows best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade.

Also known as papaloquelite, yerba porosa, or poreleaf (the undersides of the leaves have large visible pores).

As the days shorten in the fall, the plant ceases leaf production and starts to bloom. At first the buds point downward, but as they get ready to open they point up.

The flowers look like brushy stubble on the end of an elongated bud.

The blooms are pollinated by bees and are prolific seed producers. After a couple of months, the seedhead splits open to reveal a buff-colored fluff-ball that releases seed onto the wind, floating to new growing locations.

Papalo is native to Mexico, but can be found growing wild in the Southwestern U.S. Many websites list various health benefits associated with this herb, but I am unable to find any scientific documentation to support these claims. Eat it because it's good, and maybe it's good for you!

Read about the closely related subspecies, Quilquina.

Buy Papalo seeds

Molokhia (Egyptian spinach)

Molokhia is a highly nutritious ancient super-green from the Middle-East. It's also known as Egyptian spinach, jute mallow or Jew's mallow. Botanically, it's Corchorus olitorius. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked; use them fresh in salads, cooked as a side vegetable, or made into soup. The cooked leaves are mucilaginous, and dried leaves can be used as a thickener in soups or brewed as a tea.

The nutritious leaves are high in vitamins A, C, E, K, potassium, calcium and magnesium, and also contain beta carotene, iron, and more than 32 vitamins, minerals and trace elements. It’s said to aid digestion, improve vision, lower stress, and increase libido among other health benefits. The leaves also contain 6 different anti-oxidants.

Seed should be sown in spring when the soil is warm. Plants grow quickly and are ready for a first cutting in about 60-70 days.
Harvest by cutting the upper 6-8 inches of growth. The tender stems from this region are also edible if finely cut up along with the leaves. Repeat cuttings can be made from each flush of new growth until you run out of summer. Alternatively, you can sow seeds in succession and harvest the entire young plant at once.

Plants have a strongly upright growth habit, but each successive harvest of  the newer growth forces more branching. Individual leaves are 2-3 inches in length. If left uncut, molokhia can reach 6 feet tall.

In fall, as the days shorten, the plant ceases leafy growth and starts to flower. For this reason, molokhia is not a good choice for a fall garden where temperatures permit; the plant just wants to bloom and you'll get nothing leafy to harvest.

The flowers are bright yellow and emerge from the leaf axils.

Soon after blooming the seedpods start to develop. They grow to about the same length as the leaves.

The plant declines as the seedpods reach maturity and dry to a tan or black color.
The pods are a 5-sectioned capsule filled with many angular, greenish-tinted seeds.

The stems of the plant are the source of jute fiber, and that is its primary reason for cultivation in India.

Although Corchorus olitorius likely originated in Africa, it is now pan-tropical and in some countries it is considered a weed (perhaps testament to its ease of cultivation). As a garden vegetable it can be successfully cropped anywhere the growing season exceeds 70 days.

Buy Molokhia seeds

Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis)

Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) is a legume with numerous health benefits. The plant grows as a vine so some sort of support is needed when growing it in the garden.

The vine climbs by twining around adjacent supports, but the stem remains thin all the way to the base of the plant, even though it may reach 15-20 feet in height. Leaves are tri-foliate.

This is a nitrogen-fixing legume so it has low nutrient requirements, and may benefit other inter-planted crops.

Purplish flowers appear in pendant clusters starting in mid- to late summer.

The pods swell quickly and are dark green covered in black fuzzy hairs. In some varieties these hairs are skin irritants that make shelling the beans a literal pain, but the cultivar M. pruriens var. utilis is the non-itchy variety.

At the end of the growing season the vines dry up and the pods turn completely black and hard (2-3 months after flowering). The pods retain the velvet-textured covering even after they are dried and each contains 5-6 seeds.

At this point the beans can be shelled out for home use. Seed color varies with the different cultivars and may be white, black, marbled or speckled.

Treatment to make the seed edible is by boiling in water for one hour, pressure-cooking for 20 minutes, or soaking in water for 48 hours and then boiling in water for 30 minutes. The beans can also be roasted and ground to make coffee; in some parts of Central America the plant is known as Nescafe!
In some regions velvet bean is used as a green manure or cover crop in fields. It can also be harvested for forage or silage.

Mucuna pruriens is native to southern China and eastern India. The plant requires a 6-9 month growing season to mature the seeds, so it is best suited to subtropical climates if you are growing it for the beans. It can be grown anywhere as a cover or forage crop.

The health benefits of velvet bean have been widely studied. The findings reveal "it is a good source of food, as it is rich in crude protein, essential fatty acids, starch content, and certain essential amino acids ... all parts of the Mucuna plant possess medicinal properties. The main phenolic compound is L-dopa (5%), and M. pruriens seeds contain some components that are able to inhibit snake venom. In addition, methanolic extracts of M. pruriens leaves have demonstrated anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activities in the presence of bioactive compounds such as phenols, polyphenols and tannins, and preliminary studies on keratinocytes support its possible topical usage to treat redox-driven skin diseases. Collectively, the studies cited in this review suggest that this plant and its extracts may be of therapeutic value with regard to several pathologies..."

A more detailed listing of the health benefits of Mucuna shows it is effective for diabetes, spasms, inflammation, infertility, pain, growth hormone deficiencies and as an aphrodisiac.

Buy velvet bean seeds here!

Tindora (Coccinia grandis)

Coccinia grandis is a perennial cucurbit commonly known as tindora or ivy gourd. The striped fruits are about 2 inches long and are edible raw or cooked. When approaching maturity, they start turning red from the inside out, and from the distal end of the fruit to the stem.

They are edible while still green and have a crunchy texture. As they turn red, the fruit becomes sweeter and very soft.

They make a very attractive addition to a vegetable tray. Young leaves and stems are also edible after cooking.

Even the thick roots are edible after cooking, and have a delicious flavor.

Tindora is a climbing vine which attaches itself by tendrils. The leaves are palmate and about 3 to 4 inches across. Vines can grow up to 9 feet in length, branching at any point along the stem, and rooting if they touch the ground.

Flowers are white, open for a single day, and are about the same size as the leaves. Flowering and fruiting can occur nearly year-round in frost-free climates, but it is most productive during the warm months when the plant is in active growth. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The time from flower to harvest is about 2-3 weeks.

Coccinia grandis is native to tropical Asia and Africa, and is recommended for USDA Zones 8-11 (perennial in the coldest zones and evergreen in frost-free areas). It will grow in nearly any soil type, and needs full sun to be most productive.

Unharvested fruits drop seeds, and over time the offspring can become invasive. It has naturalized in tropical regions around the world, and is listed as a noxious weed in Hawaii and Western Australia.

There is a sterile cultivar that is preferred for home gardeners, and this is the variety that I grow. It produces parthenocarpic fruit, so no male plant is required. The seeds you see in the photo of the cut fruit above never develop fully, and are not viable.

According to WebMD, research suggests tindora might improve blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Studies have also shown Coccinia grandis has anti-cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and anti-oxidant properties.

The dormant bare-root crowns are available for purchase during the winter months. The potted plants are available at my local markets year-round.
Buy tindora crowns here!

Longevity spinach (Gynura procumbens)

Longevity spinach (Gynura procumbens) is a leafy vegetable that was relatively unknown in the U.S. until recent years. It has rapidly gained in popularity as more people grow it and become familiar with its health benefits.
In warm climates the plant is perennial, and will provide harvests for many years. The growth habit is spreading, with the floppy stems trailing on the ground.

Overall plant height is usually less than a foot, but the width can be several feet if allowed to grow unchecked. Prostrate stems root as they grow along the surface of the ground making this an excellent edible groundcover. Growth can be kept in bounds by frequent harvest of the longest stems.

The leaves and young stems can be eaten raw or cooked. This is an excellent salad green, or use the leaves on sandwiches in place of lettuce. Stems can be chopped in soups, stews, or vegetable medleys in the same way you would use celery. Leaves hold their texture well when cooked, making this a good choice for those who don't like the mucilaginous texture of many other cooked greens.

Longevity spinach grows well in full sun or part shade. Growth slows or stops in cold weather, and a hard freeze will kill top growth, but in spring the plant quickly regenerates from the root system. 

Gynura procumbens is native to the Philippines, Thailand and Indo-China. It is recommended for USDA Zones 9-11, but can be grown as an annual in colder locations.

In spring the plants go through a flowering cycle when little leafy growth occurs, but the plant is covered in orange blooms, attracting Monarch butterflies to the nectar. This plant is in the same genus as Okinawa spinach (Gynura crepiodes) and the houseplant known as Purple Passion (Gynura aurantiaca), and the flowers are clearly similar.

Many healthful claims have been made for this vegetable and it has been used in folk medicine for generations in SE Asia to treat inflammation, rheumatism and viral infections. Scientific studies have shown strong anti-inflammatory action and an ability to reduce type 2 diabetes.

Buy longevity spinach cuttings! 

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

Chives is a popular herb commonly grown in gardens around the world.
Botanically, the plant is known as Allium schoenoprasum (AL-ee-um skoy-no-PRAY-sum).
Plants grow a foot or more tall and produce several 1-inch diameter lavender flower heads throughout the spring and early summer. The leaves are round and hollow, similar to other members of the genus.

Harvest chives by clipping individual leaves with a sharp scissors. They have a mild onion flavor and can be used fresh from the garden in a wide variety of recipes. They may also be dried or frozen for later use, although dried chives lose a lot of their flavor. The small bulbs are generally not eaten.

The chopped leaves are often added to green salads, egg dishes, potatoes, vegetables and soups. The flowers are also edible.

Chives are perennial and multiply fairly rapidly, eventually forming large clumps. It may be necessary to divide the clumps every few years to encourage new growth and to keep them from getting too dense.

The species is believed to have originated in Asia, but has been transplanted around the world by gardeners. They are recommended for USDA Zones 3-9, and grow year-round in the warmest parts of this range. Full sun exposure is best and they are drought-tolerant once established.

Allium canadense (wild onion)

Allium canadense is a small species of onion that grows wild over a large part of North America. In some areas it grow so prolifically it is considered a weed. In other areas it is listed as a threatened or endangered species.
These onions never bulb up, instead remaining the size of tiny scallions. The entire plant is edible either raw or cooked. In the kitchen they can be used the same way as conventional green onions.
Foliage is bright green and somewhat stringy in appearance. Leaves are flat in cross-section, not rounded and hollow like many other alliums, and can reach more than a foot in length.

In the warmest parts of its range this species grows during the cooler months and spends the summer in a dormant state. In northern states the growing season is reversed.

In early spring, it appears the plants are getting ready to flower when they send up blue-green stems topped by a large bud, but when the bud opens, mostly what you see is a group of small onion bulbils.

There are only a few white flowers scattered among the pearl-sized onions. Some of these bulbils sprout leaves of their own, forming a miniature plant on top of the stem from the mother plant.

When the plant goes dormant the bulbils dry up, loosen from the stem, and drop to the ground where they wait for the next growing season. It often takes a couple of year for them to reach a harvestable size.

Allium canadense grows in USDA Zones 4-9 in full sun to part shade. Regionally popular common names for this species include wild onion, wild garlic, meadow onion, and meadow garlic.