Saturday, June 26, 2010

Edible Leaves

Some nutritionists have made the argument that Americans should eat a lot more leaves. Since they have low Calorie densities and people seem to control the weight of food they eat better than the Calories this makes sense to me, although to this day nutrition seems governed mostly by fads so I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't hold up.

Still, this seemed overly restrictive to me. There are just not that many leaves sold in the super market. I rarely see a store with more than perhaps twenty. 

This seems to be more an issue with the supermarkets than the leaves though. There are literally hundreds of plants with edible leaves.

Being back in a place with a back yard means that I can finally garden, sort of. There is tons of empty concrete. So I could literally put fifty or more potted plants in the yard. So I have decided to grow plants based around the theme of edible leaves. 

Currently I have, or have ordered, seeds, or plants, of the following species:
Pineapple Sage
Rosemerry
Chives
Basil-whatever generic type home depot has.
Basil, Thai Holy
Japanese Giant Red Mustard Greens
Terragon
Sheep Sorrel
Pepper Cress
Fennel
Vegetable Amaranth

I am looking for, or considering purchasing:
Bay Laural
Oregano
Thyme
Sage
Cilantro
Mint
Miner's Lettice
Anything else I can think of with edible leaves that is expensive, hard to find, or easy to grow in a pot.

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