Mulberry is another permaculture favorite, mostly because it is also a quicker grower and a big producer, known for its berries rather than leaves. The seeds-as are the roots and stems-are also edible, and they can be used purify water. It can be coppiced, grown as a hedge/living fence, or allowed to be a good understory tree. In the garden, it has a deep-tapping root and can work as a chop-and-drop nutrient accumulator. Plus, moringa is renowned for the health benefits it provides. They have a spice reminiscent of mustard greens or rocket, with a bit of nuttiness. I can hardly walk by a tree without grabbing a few leaves for snacking. The leaves are small and can be eaten raw, as salad greens or additions to omelets, stir-fries, soups and so on. It’s fast-growing, drought-resistant, and highly productive. This is just a top tree for me in general. Moringa (the Moringa genus) Moringa Leaves ( Courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr) We may not all-out reject annual crops-I’ll be honest: I still love a tomato sandwich on potato bread-but we do acknowledge that they are not the way forward, not the focus needed on making more sustainable food systems.Įating the leaves of trees and shrubs is a great option for transitioning food sources from high-energy annuals to high-yielding perennials. What’s more is that perennial plants are the permaculture way. The great thing about eating the leaves of perennial trees and shrubs is that the supply is so great, a tree’s worth or whole hedge rather than a small herbaceous plant. What the experience did for us is open the door to whole new assortment of salad greens. (Luckily, permaculture has provided us a great state to be in, so we can do more than just eat leaves.) In other words, things were starting to move that direction for her. Then, a few years ago, we were farming in the hot and humid tropics, where lettuces and cabbages don’t grow so readily, so we learned to make salads from other plants, namely perennial trees and shrubs. Eating leaves has certainly been that way for me.įunny thing, moving from my mother on to my wife, a hardcore vegan (as am I), when frustrated with the state of the world, Emma used to often joke about just living in a tree and eating leaves. As an adult, I don’t find it difficult or disconcerting to try new foods, but in fact, it’s exciting. Frankly, now, some thirty-odd years later, I’m quite thankful to her for teaching me to appreciate a variety of flavors and textures for making sure I stayed on the healthy straight and narrow. Mama always insisted I eat something green.
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