Amazing Salad Tree that Grows Delicious Greens You can Eat All Year Long

John from www.growingyourgreens.com/ shares with you his favorite tree that grows delicious and mild tasting leafy greens you can eat all year long if you live in zones 9 or above. This plant will grow in zones 8-10 as a perennial or anywhere as an annual vegetable.
In this episode, you will learn about Abelmoschus Manihot, aka the salad tree, aka bele tree aka slimy cabbage tree. This tree will provide you with mild tasting leafy greens all year long.
You will learn where John purchased these trees from and how fast they grow in just 3 months.
You will discover what these salad tree leaves taste like and which cultivar has better tasting leaves so you know which variety to buy.
Jump to the following parts of this episode:
00:15 Most important food that is not eaten in enough quantity
00:35 Buy a GYG Tee shirt to help support me
01:15 Greens from Annual Crops vs Perennial Greens
03:50 Growing Moringa in a non-tropical climate
04:27 Perennial Tree Collards
07:15 Bele Tree aka Abelmoschus manihot aka Salad Tree
12:13 3 Unique varieties of Abelmoschus Manihot
13:56 How I have been growing the bele tree
15:35 Height at Maturity
16:00 How to grow them from Seed or Cuttings
16:45 Buy rooted plants instead of cuttings
17:55 More nutritious than spinach
19:10 Thomas Jefferson Grew this Wild Food
20:09 Trying a leaf of Kiko's Crump Bele
24:15 Taste Testing Chief Kubo's Bele
26:45 Taste testing Aunt Lilies
28:54 Ranking the taste of the Bele Leaves
After watching this episode, you will learn about one of the best trees you can grow that will provide you with delicious and mild leafy greens you can eat all year long.
Referenced Videos:
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Juicing Okra video
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[@gerardshorticultureculture7579]

Bring back the greens!!! Make greens great again💯💯

[@floridagrown6250]

We Polynesians LOVE eating Pele/Bele. We cook it with coconut milk and any kind of meat. It’s delicious!!!

[@floridagrown6250]

Bele is one of my prized garden possessions. Here in central Florida the Pele/Bele dies back a bit during winter but shoots back up in spring and doesn’t slow down until fall. Not only does it grow well it’s super easy to propogate… just cut em and stick in the ground.

[@abemartin6297]

John thank you to you I have malabar spinach and Armenian Cucumbers now growing veraciously on my south enclosed porch ad will have greens all through snow season Awesome and I told many people about you while vending at recent Music festival and hope your viewers goes up !

[@HaphazardHomestead]

My top 5 favorite tree leaves to eat are American Elm (Ulmus americana), American Basswood (Tilia americana), Mulberries (Morus rubra and M. alba), Hawthorne (Crataegus spp.) and Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum). They are just for the spring, so it's nice that folks in more frost-free zones can have tree leaves all year long!

[@epeleg]

hi. Are the leaves of all the varieties of mulberry edible? How do you eat them? Raw? Cooked?

[@HaphazardHomestead]

+Eyal Peleg - Here's a salad where I used leaves from Red and White Mulberry trees, with their fruits, too. The leaves can be steamed, too, like greens. steemit.com/food/@haphazard-hstead/another-free-hotel-salad-wild-style-trees-vines-weeds-and-a-great-salad The big American Elm, American Basswood, and Mulberry leaves all make good wraps, too. Here's an example using Elm leaves: steemit.com/steemit-ironchef/@haphazard-hstead/steemit-iron-chef-2018-act-02-02-spinach-wraps-wild-style-with-elm-leaves-gingko-nuts-cherries-and-more

[@suzyq6767]

I have three morus nigra. What about them?

[@matchpoint14]

Thanks for telling me about tree collard, I had NO idea! I will be getting one right now actually

[@TealeBritstra]

Abelmoschus manihot has the common name of "Aibika" here in Australia (though I suspect the name comes from the Pacific Islands). It's native to northern, tropical areas of Australia, among other places. I live a bit further south than its natural range, but we actually have a local relative - Musk Mallow (Abelmoschus moschatus subspecies tuberosus) - which is a lovely small, trailing shrub with bright red flowers and an edible tuber in addition to the edible leaves and flowers. I hope you enjoy your Bele!

[@Merkasaur]

Aibika is also used for Japanese paper making. Washi paper, used for shoji screens and other arts, use the mucilaginous roots in the pulp mix to suspend the fibers.

[@Nah-ah]

I’m from PNG, living in Brisbane since I was 12. I grew up eating aibika before moving here and sadly aibika is not as popular here in Australia, but I recently found out its popular amongst our indigenous friends, up Northern Territory as well. I have PNG mates who I buy off from because the local nurseries don’t sell or grow them!

[@wildoutstandingworld4066]

Im a little confused by this. I just bought what the seller called Abelmoschus manihot, the plant that has beautiful flowers, and leaves that resemble manihot esculenta. did I get moschatus?

[@TealeBritstra]

@@wildoutstandingworld4066 probably Aibika (Abelmoschus manihot) as suggested. There are a wide variety of leaf forms. Abelmoschus moschatus is a different species.

[@nunyabiznes33]

Is that the same musk mallow that musk alternative is extracted from?

[@binyaminklempner2153]

All of John's videos are important. But this one is very important to watch! Beyond the actual discussion of the Bele Tree, the video touches on the key elements of John's approach to gardening/farming: deeply sustainable and highly nutritious.

[@serenitytrek]

🍁🌾🌿John Kohler = Plant Whisperer🌻🌱🍂

[@wontonparmesanmusic]

Hey! You’re so awesome & inspiring. I’ll preorder an organic shirt. ;)

[@HealingNatureMeditation]

What a beautiful and healthy garden!💖 In my diet almost every product is organic!🍀 Thank you for the intresting and helpful information that you always share!🙏💜🙏

[@thefutureofgardening5912]

Hey John. Where do you recommend as a resource to order some of these edible green hibiscuses? (bele) thank you!!!

[@geeyah7278]

I remember watching a desert gardener and he used prickly pear pads in the dirt around the roots to keep roots from drying out lasts up to 4 years if I'm remembering right

[@mra6308]

This plant is super delicious in anything you want to cook it with. It excels especially when frying. That one plant will keep growing for years and you can grow more from cuttings. They can grow to a massive bush and the amount of leaves it'll hold will be plenty

[@POLK200172]

Love your videos. Great info thanks for sharing with all of use.

[@lesliebeckwith2483]

SOMETIMES I WATCH jOHN JUST TO HAVE A BETTER DAY :)

[@doraw7766]

Thank you. Very entertaining as always! Great info.

[@biglou4452]

Awesome video thanks for the info John:')

[@Iloveorganicgardening]

Thanks for sharing that John! I love watching all your videos. You have introduced me to many nutritious plants I would have never seen otherwise. I'm planning to upload my September garden tour today. Thanks again

[@zepherzepher1228]

awesome look up channel speak life garden homestead and Permaculture

[@zepherzepher1228]

awesomei! just started posting Too

[@zepherzepher1228]

I'll sub U

[@SonOfAGun1814]

sweet! I saw you at sprouts in phx on Friday :D

[@TheOrionStargazer]

canned a dozen quarts of stewed tomatoes, a dozen quarts of spaghetti sauce, 20 pints and 7 quarts of peaches and dried 2 gallons of apples this year.

[@levdovgish5264]

For a colder regions Toona Senensis is the best edible and very tasty. You can make pesto to preserve for winter or simply freeze fresh leaves in a zip lock bag. Can make chili oil also because of mild garlic alike flavor to it.

[@nunyabiznes33]

Is this the one with beef flavor leaves?

[@robertroesler8023]

I grow Bele here in Jax, zone 9. Use the biggest leaves to make burritos.

[@ellena858]

I love how you describe the taste and texture of each leaf, so helpful!

[@christianhansen3292]

be nice if he left a link and where to obtain these. wellspringgardens.com/collect.

[@ellena858]

Chris Hansen wellspringgardens looks good, thx for the link. Since I don’t have a lot of space I was thinking I could choose just 1. It sounds like he likes Aunt Lilies the best of all. Will look for it.

[@themotivatedgardenergarden7822]

Great stuff 👍👍

[@PracticalPrimate]

I grow a lot of moringa here. Will have to try bele! Thanks for sharing.

[@pheotonia]

First to like and I have the Crumps on order already.

[@lindageorgette9174]

I just ordered this plant

[@GreenerGarden]

They look yummy.

[@BryceGarling]

They sell a red leaf form here ( Not talking about cranberry hibiscus) and Baker Creek sells a variety mix of them. I have had the green one for several years now. Best to take cuttings before winter. I haven't seen that they come back very well after winter frosts.

[@shelleycottrell7596]

Love love wellspring gardens. They are on amazon too.

[@gypsypath1]

Thomas Jefferson - wrote the Declaration of Independence - founded the University of Virginia - wrote the religious freedom clause for Virginia that was used for the US Constitution; he’s the reason we have the ability to choose our own religion instead of the government telling us what we can practice - Monticello was his home, very close to Charlottesville, VA, and is still a working farm (We just went to their homeschool day for a few hours last week 😁)

[@LD-cc2de]

Thank u for the info.. I'm gonna start growing this now. It grows like weed where we live

[@wanderingmonk007]

Where did you find your green tree collards? All I can find is the purple variety. Your garden a;ways looks good!!

[@JudithTheROSE]

Can you grow them inside under grow light in winter?

[@kathleenlewis324]

Scored three today, fablous sweety

[@lucyenemaku8801]

Good evening John! Viewing from Nigeria (tropics). I can't get the purple passion fruit seeds and I don't know how to go about it . I have the green variety but not too excited about it. I want to have the purple passion fruit in my garden. Thanks for the great job you are doing.

[@andreawisner7358]

Hibiscus Acetosella en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_acetosella is another edible hibiscus. The leaves are delicious, and red.

[@nunyabiznes33]

That's false roselle right? Shame the fruits are inedible, the leaves look really nice.

[@pattyclarkson3]

Thank you for teaching us all about the tree greens John. Question: I have some moringa seeds. I placed 4 of them in a small cup of clean water, changed the water often but was on vacation, they smelled bad upon my return, threw them out. How long do they take to sprout? I heard you say to scrape up seeds to get them to start more quickly... would this work with the moringa seeds?

[@OurTropicalSoil]

I have grown moringa trees from seeds. They grow very easily. First I would recommend you getting very fresh seeds. If you get them still in the pod wait till the pod is dry and cracking but don't wait too long because they will rot. Also make sure the pod is somewhere dry. Take the seeds and soak them in water overnight. After you can either plant or germinate them. I found it better to plant directly into the soil because they grow so fast and it also prevents transplant shock. Most of them will germinate and grow really fast. To germinate them I just get a damp paper towel and wrap the seeds with it and then put it into a ziplock bag somewhere warm and dark. They germinate really fast and you need to plant them quickly. Hope that helps! Don't leave them more than 24 hours in water because they will likely rot instead of germinate.

[@katsterling2226]

Getting ripped off with small cuttings barely rooted makes me want to go Green and Hulk Out!🤯😩💚🌴🌵🥬🥦🦖🤣💚

[@christinearmington]

Two inches of snow in Las Vegas. Hope the hibiscus is doing well.

[@LD-cc2de]

We have this in the Pacific we call it laupele. Lau meaning leaf and Pele might have come from its origin name

[@samuelgamato971]

We have it in Papua New Guinea too. It's a common green leafy vegetable here.

[@sherry4004]

I just checked wellspring gardens. They don't ship to Hawaii. Do you think you will have your bele plants go to seed and put it in your store?

[@natureboy6410]

The one with the 7 pointed leaf looks more like chaya. I've been looking for that for quite some time now. Chaya loves shade.

[@msdramamusic]

I ordered cuttings from etsy.

[@natureboy6410]

@@msdramamusic Thanks for the reply. :-) How is your climate? Here, in zone 9b, high valley, 2,500ft elevation, in the Mohave desert, it's very hot, dry, arid, with strong, drying winds. Even in a wind protected, shaded area, on the north side, between the house and the tall, wooden fence, I'm not sure that this semi tropical food plant, chaya, would do very well. Have you had any luck in your area?

[@vc9732]

zone 5 suggestions?

[@bostockscircusarts6468]

where do you buy the aunt lilies?

[@sheilafade2016]

So collards need semi shade?

[@suzyq6767]

I have lots of moringa trees but it makes me throw up unless I cook it. It's also a pain to harvest. I keep it because it's pretty and shady. I'm sure going to try bele. Thank you.

[@ashwinpratap4771]

Harvest them with the stems and wrap them in newspaper for 24 hours then unwrap them and shake the leaves off. Easy

[@ashwinpratap4771]

Wrap them in newspaper for 24 hour s with the stems and shake the leaves off. Easy

[@julianoan6683]

hi john i'm trying to find these collard greens in then netherlands please note the latin names so we can find them world wide

[@Sissymtz]

Where can we get the plant or seeds?

[@louismcallister1632]

Where's the link for the T-shirt?"

[@gypsypath1]

Do bele or moringa leaves regrow?

[@Dhruvartworks]

From where did u get the seeds

[@nancygalvez3035]

can i buy some from you, i have the first one but it will be nice to have the three

[@denisefrickey5636]

I enjoy your videos, you often introduce me to new things. However, you should know T Jefferson's home was Monticello, not Montibello.

[@randywiley1220]

His face is on the 20.00

[@h.r.romeroauthor8516]

John, I've been watching you for 9 years. This is the first question I have asked. I accidentally planted my cabbages too close together. They are big now. Is it too late to translate them to move them further apart so they can continue to grow big, or is it too late?

[@epeleg]

I hope john will also answer your Q, from what i know there is not a big chance of success in moving cabbages. I would suggest that you just start using them in a pattern that allows those that aren't being used first to have more space...

[@growingyourgreens]

You can try a few different approaches: 1. Move a few- see how they do. (strip back as many leaves as possible AND dig up the largest root ball as possible. 2. harvest some as young plants and eat them, to make space 3. work on harvesting out leaves that are touching and eat them as fast as they start to touch again. After doing all these ways see which one you like best!

[@h.r.romeroauthor8516]

you can eat the leaves of young plants before they mature into cabbages?

[@suzyq6767]

@@h.r.romeroauthor8516 Slice them thinly for salad just like regular cabbage.

[@Nicholas.Tsagkos]

Please help me, i'm looking for this variety but i live in Europe, where can i find cuttings or seeds of this variety please? Can someone send me seeds in an envolope? Thanks

[@dennism790]

Has anyone grown the manihot in an indoor garden that has year around growth time? I would love to see those results.

[@Nightengale0000]

where to get the seeds

[@shen4983]

Hey john, do you eat moringa leaves raw or do you cook them?

[@growingyourgreens]

raw :)

[@nalitamaama8758]

Would you sell a cutting of pele Here inLas Vegas

[@glma2711]

Would it be possible for you to turn on auto caption? I have bad hearing and captions would really help!

[@80Manzanita]

Genesis Mallanao b

[@bj97301]

Plant: wellspringgardens.com/products/auntie-lilis-south-sea-salad-tree-abelmoschus-manihot

[@Ded-Ede]

Do you still eat these plants??

[@tammy-lynnstewart5677]

If only I didn't live where it is frozen 7 -8 months of the year...lol. Planning on experimenting with hydroponic greens indoors. *\o/*

[@morenonavarro6796]

malunggay in tagalog (moringa)

[@thomasnovak2736]

Why keep up planting? Why not just flop it into a 10 gallon container right away? Just curious if there's a specific reason.

[@leefu2000]

The reason to up can little by little is that if you go big right away there will be large areas of soil that are not touched by roots. This less active area lends to bacterial pathogens and fungal problems. Hope this helps.

[@thomasnovak2736]

@@leefu2000 Thanks! Vey helpful.

[@Bhatmann]

The Tree is giving you the bird in the thumbnail photo. I can see the shadow on your tee shirt. Don’t piss off the locals.

[@jellytruck1683]

The last varieties kinda looked like castor plants

[@Jason33784]

lmao. Grazing from trees like a giraffe.

[@nunyabiznes33]

Wait that's not okra?

[@christianhansen3292]

it doesnt glow in the dark? i feel if i hung around u very often u can turn me into a vegan or vegetarian.

[@riverside321]

Plants affect you then you eat them

[@blackbutterflybreezy7083]

😏

[@LynnMTHA]

E2³

[@asupremum1246]

Ughh I got excited for nothing. The only edible tree he mentioned was moringa. We really need more widespred tree cover so planting trees whose leaves,fruit, or pods we could eat would be fantastic. Trees I know of that have edible leaves in my zone 10 climate include moringa, sesbania grandiflora, Chaya, mulberry, noni, jackfruit, and neem to a lesser extent due to palability. Mulberry,noni,and jackfruit are in the same family. Moringa and sesbania are in the same family.

[@OurTropicalSoil]

Another tree with edible leaves that would grow in your garden is the june plum aka ambarella. I am going to be doing a video about it soon.

[@asupremum1246]

@@OurTropicalSoil , I had no idea June plum leaves were edible! It's a common yard tree in my neighborhood. Thank you!

[@OurTropicalSoil]

They taste great. Nice and sour :) Another one is the ciruela aka hog plum leaves. I am not sure if those require cooking though. I have eat a leaf or two raw sometimes and its fine but maybe eating a whole bunch raw wouldn't be a good idea.

[@asupremum1246]

@@OurTropicalSoil , thanks I just read that some people eat the leaves but those with a sensitivity to poison ivy can get a similar reaction to hog plum leaves as it's in the sumac family along with mango, macadamia, poison sumac, poison ivy. 😬

[@OurTropicalSoil]

Yeah I would be careful with them. I have just ever eaten a leaf or two. My friend who grew up in mexico said they would eat them raw with salt so that is why I went for it. If you try it just be cautious. Maybe boiling them in water and removing the water could help with that. I have no idea though.