Perennial Edibles

Plant something once, enjoy it for years afterwards, this is what perennial plants bring to the table for your food security plan.  Includes information for which perennials are good for different gardening zones. Ever wondered what was a edible perennial? Here's a short list:

Almond (Prunus amygdalus) ...photo
Apple (Malus pumil)
Apricot; Golden Apple (Prunus armeniaca)
Artichoke, Globe (Cynara Scolymus)
Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
Bamboo, Giant (Phyllostachys spp.)
Bay; Laurel (Laurus Nobilis; Umbellaria californica)
Blackberry (Rubus ulmifolius; R. ursinus) ...photo
Blueberry, Highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Blueberry, Lowbush; Huckleberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
Burnet (Poterium sanguisorba)
Chayote; Mirliton; Vegetable Pear (Sechium edule)
Cherry, Nanking; Downy C; Mountain C (Prunus tomentosa)
Cherry, Sour (Prunus cerasus)
Cherry, Sweet (Prunus avium)
Chestnut, Chinese (Castanea mollisima)
Chestnut, European; Spanish C. (Castanea sativa) ...photo
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum; A. tuberosum) ...photo
Chokeberry, Black (Aronia melanocarpa)
Citrus, Hardy (various)
Cornelian Cherry; Cornel; Cornet Plum (Cornus mas)
Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
Currant, Clove Black; Buffalo C. (Ribes odoratum; R. aureum)
Currant, European Black (Ribes nigrum)
Currant, Red; White C. (Ribes sativum; R. rubrum; R. petraeum)
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Elderberry, American; Sweet E. (Sambucus canadensis) ...photo
Fig (Ficus carica)
Filbert, European; Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) ...photo
Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa; R. hirtellum)
Grape, American (Vitis labrusca)
Grape, European; "The Vine" (Vitis vinifera)
Grape, Muscadine; Scuppernog (Vitis rotundifolia) ...photo
Gumi; Cherry Elaeagnus (Elaeagnus multiflora)
Hickory (Carya ovata; C. laciniosa)
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
Jostaberry (Ribes nidigrolaria) ...photo
Jujube; Chinese Date (Ziziphus jujuba) ...photo
Kiwi, Arctic Beauty (Actinidia kolomitka)
Kiwi, Hardy (Actinidia arguta) ...photo
Kiwi; Yang Tao; Chinese Gooseberry (Actinidia deliciosa)
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Lingonberry; Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
Medlar (Mespilus germanica) ...photo
Mint; Spearmint (Mentha spicata)
Mulberry, Black (Morus nigra)
Onion, Tree; Egyptian O.; Catawissa (Allium cepa aggregatum) ...photo
Oregano; Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)
Passionfruit; Maypop (Passiflora incarnata)
Pawpaw; Michigan banana (Asimina triloba )
Peach; Nectarine (Prunus persica)
Pear, Asian; Sand Pear; Apple Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia)
Pear, European (Pyrus communis)
Pecan (Carya illinoensis) ...photo
Persimmon, American (Diospyros virginiana)
Persimmon, Oriental; Kaki (Diospyros kaki)
Pineapple Guava; Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana) ...photo
Pistachio (Pistacia vera)
Plum, European; Prune (Prunus domestica)
Plum, Japanese (Prunus salicina)
Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
Quince (Cydonia oblonga)
Raisin Tree (Hovenia dulcis)
Raspberry (Rubus idaeus; R. occidentalis)
Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum)
Rose Hips; Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa; R. eglanteria)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinale) ...photo
Russian Olive; Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia)
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Saskatoon; Serviceberry; Juneberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
Savory, Winter (Satureja montana)
Sea Buckthorn; Sea Berry (Hippophae rhamnoides)
Sorrel; English Sorrel; Sour Dock (Rumex acetosa)
Strawberry (Fragaria X Ananassa )
Strawberry, Alpine; Fraise de Bois (Fragaria vesca) ...photo
Strawberry, Musk; Hautbois (Fragaria moschata) ...photo
Tarragon, French (Artemisia dracunculus)
Thyme; Lemon Thyme (Thymus vulgaris; T. citriodorus)
Walnut, Black (Juglans nigra)
Walnut, Persian; English Walnut (Juglans regia)


[http://www.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible.html]

The Lost Arts of Food Preservation Shelf

Everyone likes their food, naturally. What people don't like is spoiled food. If you're offline and your refrigeration fails, that can be a crisis if all of your food is only preserved via cold. You can lose a lot of food if you have a power failure or equipment failure. Naturally, we got here not because we had frostless freezers since the bronze age, but we had knowledge of how to preserve our food for the future using salt, smoke, and other techniques.

Food preservation really opened up when we discovered pasteurization and an understanding of basic microbiology--that is, knowing what kinds of bacteria or molds can spoil food. Canning will require you to get some new kitchen tools for safety, because  handling jars of delicious liquid-sugared napalm demand it.


    

Solar Greenhouses: Fresh Food in Winter

I saw a greenhouse kit in Costco recently (one of a few) and I thought that certainly someone must have done it better. They have. Solar greenhouses aren't just designed to capture solar energy, but also store it and distribute it well over time and in different zones for different kinds of plants.

What is especially telling in these older books is the desire to maintain these systems without the use of oil-based energy for heating them in the dead of winter.