Grow Edible Tree Leaves Instead of Lettuce & Spinach!

[@HuwRichards]

Latin names by popular request (sorry I didn't put them in sooner!) Tilia Cordata (small-leafed lime) Morus alba (white mulberry) Atriplex halimus (saltbush) Vitis vinifera 'Chardonnay' Lycium barbarum (goji)

[@yellowlabsrule]

@@HuwRichards thank you!!

[@morgonerlenstar]

Thanks for adding the Latin names

[@tacticalpoet]

Recommended places to buy in the UK?

[@marking-time-gardens]

Thank you! 🌿👵

[@dane2487]

scientific names ;) keep up the good videos!

[@Darkice77]

I have close to 100 fruit/nut trees and bushes but i never thought about growing trees for their leaves as a food product. Awesome idea. Thanks for the info.

[@daniellapain1576]

Your fruit trees definitely have edible leaves that you can use. You just have to find out which ones.

[@teessencemack5199]

😢😢😅o oppo😅😅😊🎉

[@rasbijalpatel310]

Must be in a blissful state. Enjoy

[@ricos1497]

It's funny that Joshua says that beetles are all we need, because when I asked them, they said that love is all you need. It's confusing.

[@sharonhoffer3599]

😂😂😂

[@UllricLex]

😃

[@1rober2]

❤❤❤

[@pamelakasper7627]

Lol

[@rickh3714]

Too grubby for me. A Blackbird singing in the dead of night will clean those nocturnal beetles & grubs out of the garden! A Ring'o mushies will appear in no time for further sustenance. I've known this for'ages. 🔎^🔎 ☮ A.G C.G.T.H

[@brigitteparrant9589]

I bought a Bay leaf tree in a grow bag at a Salvation army Op shop in Australia for 5 $ . Its like a bush tree . Trimmed the roots , soaked it in diluted Worm wee for day's and put it in good soil back in the grow bag .She is SO happy and producing leaves all the time . The more you pick 👌. Finely sliced in anything your heart desires ..hot or cod meals 💪

[@helgardhossain9038]

Yeah, we had a whole hedge of bay leaves in Seattle ... I just love this stuff.

[@anomally9742]

This blew my mind, I had no idea there were edible tree leaves!! BRB making my childhood dream of eating leaves like a dinosaur in The Land Before Time a reality 🥰

[@xavierprotocols]

Yup, yup, yup. 🦎

[@Mulberrysmile]

Not trees, but some other leaves to consider to bulk up a salad, add to a sandwich or soups. I lived in FL so growing lettuce or spinach was impossible in the heat when I really wanted salads. The following were all super easy to grow, and each has nutrients we need. I grew red amaranth and discovered the leaves were a fine lettuce replacement, and reseeded itself. Sweet potato leaves are also nice to add, growing prolifically and coming back after winter (high in vitamin A, too). I also used young kale and collard leaves for salads. I had a few plants of each, and would just alternate harvesting. The older leaves were good for cooking as a veggie and soups. I also like them for juicing. I saw someone else posted about moringa. I grew a tree, but really didn’t care for morninga leaf flavor. Kind of like horseradish. If your climate is too cold to grow a moringa tree and you like sharp flavor, try mustard leaves. Mustard leaves have a sharp bite, but it is easy to grow and reseeds itself readily.

[@musaadfelton3909]

When i read the title of this video it gave me goosebumps. So excited to hear about this idea. Awesome.

[@HuwRichards]

@@musaadfelton3909 ahh glad to hear it!

[@Jebediah1999]

​@@HuwRichards what's the botanical name for the limes he's talking about.

[@elainesommers9109]

My daughter has been eating young lime tree leaves ever since she was little. She loves them. Thank yoh for promoting these more practical salads. Our primate relatives including chimps eat young tree leaves, and have been observed wrapping them around fruit to make them more palatable and easier to digest.

[@latoyalynch4325]

Does she eat it raw straight from the tree?

[@elainesommers9109]

@latoyalynch4325 yes, straight from the tree 🙂

[@TheNyuszus]

This is the most exciting idea I've heard in a long while! I keep struggling with slugs and I've been searching to find alternatives to salad, like nasturtium leaves and flower that slugs just avoid.. however the little black bugs do feast on them during summer. I'm so excited to look into having edible trees and also to have beatles to have a good ecosystem. Thank you so much for sharing this very valuable information, you've given me hope ❤

[@HuwRichards]

Ahh I am glad you enjoyed this video! You are most welcome and so glad it has!

[@candyopal4792]

Ducks are great for getting rid of slugs they eat them all up

[@nattravn8445]

Hot tip from Eastern and Northern Europe. Stinging nettles are pretty much identical to spinach when cooked in taste and texture. I live in the USA and I use spinach as a stand-in for nettles .

[@alid3424]

Nettles are my favorite wild green. Whenever I run across a patch of them while hiking, I harvest some. They're good dried and used later, too. I found them all over when I lived in Washington state, even found a bunch while visiting Utah.

[@nattravn8445]

​@alid3424 , mine too that's actually one of the things I look forward to eat when I'm back home in Sweden

[@katella]

I live in Mallorca and am happy every year when the nettles appear. Free, healthy green veg that requires no effort to grow. Tea, spinach substitute, green addition to any bland looking dish. I give thanks to Nature when they appear.

[@alis49281]

Actually, in some areas some stinging nettles grow where the soil is polluted with high levels of Nitrate (like dog-poop sites). There are different species and the high nitrate shouldn't be eaten too frequently. I prefer to eat dead nettle. How I came to eat wild plants? I collected plants for my friend's rabbits on dog walks - and that stuff smelled so tasty.... 😋

[@katherinelucas2161]

As people are commenting it’s the young fresh leaves which are more palatable. This is such a good idea for the food gap as it corresponds with we that vege gap we get between the last winter vege and before the summer salads kick in.

[@SK-lt1so]

But there aren't any leaves during that time-at least in zone 5b.

[@katherinelucas2161]

@ I’m in NZ so I think I’m zone 10. By September we’re getting the fresh leaves on our deciduous trees. Our hungry gap is October to December unless our winter crops are still squeezing out produce in October.

[@one_field]

Warm climate here in the Mid-Atlantic area of the USA; lettuce and other crops that bolt fast are a huge waste of time and effort. We switched to mulberry (here we use the red mulberry tree; the leaves are great when young and they keep producing new young leaves all summer) and mallow (malva sylvestris) for our salads. Much less work, lovely perennials in the garden, and the salads are very nutritious. My favorite: chop up mulberry and mallow leaves, and gather the 'yam berries/air potatoes' (aerial bulbils from discorea batatas, Chinese mountain yam/cinnamon vine, the domesticated kind). Stir fry the chopped leaves and air potatoes together with some delicious fat, salt, and eat with balsamic vinegar. Yum!

[@motherlandbot6837]

Mulberries have been selected for flavor and size in West Asia and parts of South Asia for millennia. A few of these selections are available from specialist nurseries catering to NA backyard orchardists, and they are delicious!

[@sandrinakeffufal6008]

I need to see these plants to understand how this works... Please show us in the garden!

[@genevievebarker943]

Maybe Google?

[@sandrinakeffufal6008]

@@genevievebarker943 that's a long list, this video is pretty pointless if they don't actually show the plants they are talking about unfortunately.

[@evapick1566]

@@sandrinakeffufal6008 I just did a cut-and-paste of each of the latin names into google, and photos came up for them. Easy (If even I can do it!). Enjoy

[@maiqueashworth]

This is really interesting and useful, thank you. So far my favourite tree leaf has been from cherry trees. As far as I know they need to be the fruiting and not ornamental varieties. The advantage here is that you get to eat the cherries as well. In Japan they wrap a cherry leaf round sweetened bean paste with a chestnut in the middle.

[@lf4061]

Most of a cherry tree is toxic, except for the flesh of the berry, including the pit, bark, and sap.

[@maiqueashworth]

@lf4061 strange then that they eat them in Japan, and that I've eaten them often. I think they contain very small amounts of cyanic glucosides as do many foods, which our body can break down in small amounts. I think the point here is moderation. I probably had no more than half a dozen leaves at a time, and that mostly in spring when they're most tender.

[@lf4061]

@@maiqueashworth Although, I did not mention the leaves in my comment, I decided to do some research on them. Many sources state that the fresh young leaves contain less toxicity so may not cause obvious ill effects in an adult but even small amounts could effect children or people with other health issues. However, wilted leaves they state as being toxic enough to risk fatalities. I just like to advise people to do research from more than a few resources before consuming any part of any new plant or tree to them.

[@maiqueashworth]

@lf4061 that's interesting. Actually I've heard that the way people in hunter- gatherer communities proceed with unfamiliar foodstuffs is to firstly get the young strong men to place the prospective food on the outside of the mouth, in case there is extreme toxicity, then when that proves safe, to put a little inside their mouths and spit it out. They gradually expose themselves to higher doses before risking it on children. Takes more time but avoids the worst dangers.

[@lf4061]

@@maiqueashworth Yeah, I wish they were a little more specific about what they perceive as “wilted” leaves though. 😳🤣

[@ebradley2306]

I am in a warmer climate. About to put in a Moringa tree.

[@slrs3908]

FYI, I have a rabbitry and grow lots of forage food for them. That includes tree hay, which they love! Willow, mulberry, ash, most fruit (apple, pear), maple, etc. They devour all twigs and leaves, even dried leaves, although leaves, like hay, is best when cut at peak and dried quickly.

[@jackstone4291]

More collabs with this Joshua lad please Mr Hugh - great partnership !

[@edithattreed4762]

Moringa oleifera is my preference to a vegetable leaves,it is a complete food

[@Ntuthu-ZA]

I added it to my list, because I already have two and they are a superfood.

[@Erewhon2024]

Good choice. I think Mr. Richards is British, which would be too cold without a greenhouse (or maybe on some Gulf Stream facing Channel Island?), but it would be great for those in USDA Zone 9+ where conventional (supermarket) vegetables from temperate Eurasia tend to fail.

[@victoriassecretisluv]

Yes Moringa is FANTASTIC ! Every home should have a tree . The internet has lots of info about Moringa .

[@fletchybabe6172]

Woohoo!!! My book arrived this morning, The Fermentation Kitchen, thanks Sam Cooper 😊❤

[@Wisald]

Mulberry leaves are really good as tea, I've been drinking it for years now.

[@katella]

I've been feeding them to my two pet sheep as a treat, never thought to use them for myself. Will try it today 😊

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

They cook like spinach but taste like grape leaf

[@VAinWI]

Can you eat red mulberry as well, or just white?

[@katella]

@VAinWI yes. They actually have, to me, better taste.

[@annipetratos9401]

​@@katellaI always learn these things just as autumn robs me of the leaves😊 do the leaves have to be young? Our goats go nuts for them

[@williamsaltsman6537]

I found that you can dry out leaves and ground them to a fine powder to make flower. Also, I looked up eating maple tree seeds( the helicopter ones). I got that you can eat them raw or roast them. So cool!

[@lulabelle4760]

I make tea from blueberry and raspberry leaves. I make a super green mix using grape,raspberry, blackberry leaves with all kinds of other leaves from vegies. Here in 🇺🇸 where i live the grocery store will put those bags and boxes of salad greens on clearance. I snatch those up and dehydrate them as soon as i get home and add it to the super green mix. Enjoyed this video and the comments-always learn so much from U💖🙏💖

[@wahid-lg1kk]

I hope you are washing the supermarket greens well, in your country, all that stuff is soaked in poisons.

[@lulabelle4760]

@wahid-lg1kk I do🙂

[@lf4061]

Be careful with how often or how much blackberry and raspberry leaves or tea you consume. They are used medicinally as anti-diarrhea and to reduce edema (excess fluid swelling, like in the ankles); so may cause dehydration in someone without these problems.

[@lf4061]

Caution about lime trees, if they are similar to lemon trees, they may require constant maintenance for pests and disease and the one to two inch long sharp needle like thorns make it very difficult and uncomfortable. If you cut the thorns off, more grow back, plus you cause a wound that can make it vulnerable to more pests and disease. I was growing indoors in winter and outside in summer for fruit but fruit takes nearly a year to ripen and I got fed up with the maintenance and moving required and definitely with those nasty thorns. Maybe if you live in more tropical year around area or have a very large heated greenhouse it might be more worth it. I will say that the sweet smelling flowers inside in the winter were nice but still ended up not being enough weighed against the cons for me. Before anyone starts complaining or countering me, remember that I am just sharing my personal experience for those tempted but unfamiliar with growing these types of trees to have more info to base their own decisions.

[@wahid-lg1kk]

@lf4061 the thorns are a horror. I live in the tropics and have a few lemon or lime trees... Hard to tell, they seem intermediate between the two.

[@RenAtkins]

Very interesting. I'm all about adding more diversity to the plate and reducing reliance on annuals.

[@gardentours]

My salad always bolted. When I saw on a KZbin channel that someone was growing lime trees (linden / tilia) in a container to use the leaves as salad 🥗 I tried it as well. The leaves 🍃 are very hard they do not really taste very nice but I'm going to use them. The blossoms of that tree are very good against a cold. I normally buy them as tea in the pharmacy now I can get them right from the garden.

[@HuwRichards]

Make sure it is the small-leafed lime variety and use the young leaves :)

[@jog1546]

@@HuwRichardsthe young fresh leaves also make a great sushi wrap instead of seaweed

[@nonnapapera3044]

English is not my language and I couldn't catch the name of the tree... It seemed lime (the citrus one) to me and it made no sense. Now I got it. I love tilia so much! Now I can't wait to try their young leaves ❤

[@fish3339]

It really is the youngest leaves which are still soft and a paler green or even copper colour. I love them and I'm growing 4 saplings for this purpose, and to enhance my wildlife.

[@sagebrush22]

I grow my lettuce in the shade of afternoon. I water everyday, mostly lightly but sometimes deeply. This method is working for me, by extending my lettuce production from bolting. Check the descriptions of your lettuce choices. There are a few varieties that are slow to bolt.

[@bradlafferty]

This was an eye opener for me. I’ve been considering how to change my garden crops to thrive under climate changes. This line of thinking has inspired me. Thank you for highlighting this grower!

[@larrystrayer8336]

Very fascinating. Hummm more slugs lol. I have observed, I began a “food forest “ and have never had a slug problem but in the kitchen garden extreme pressure. Thanks for bringing a great diversity to your channel.

[@jensissons5709]

Been doing tree leaves for years. Toona and sumac are good too.

[@sinntax1647]

What’s toona? Does it grow in the subtropics?!

[@jensissons5709]

@@sinntax1647 Toona sinensis, Chinese Cedar. Also known as the beef and onion tree due to the taste. Dont know if it grows in the sub tropical area.

[@mariusebauer]

Bitter flavors

[@MyScooby15]

Oh, I got a goji berry....I need to try this....a good advise against slugs is spray cold coffee on the leafs of your veggies....this was the only thing that worked out this year

[@sappir26]

Spreading ashes around your growing bed also works great, until it rains of course. Then you have to repeat the procedure 🙂

[@curiouscat3384]

Brilliant! I remember reports of middle east people eating leaves to survive the wars and famine but never looked into it. Joshua is VERY knowledgeable and interesting - I'm heading over now to watch the full episode!

[@tonjernstad5990]

I can't believe this is the first time I've heard about beetles eating slugs! My mind is blown, so incredibly interesting. 😊

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Rove beetle and bird beetles I know

[@composttoilets]

Great video! I lost my subscription to you somehow and now I reminded myself to actively check you out again- I’ve so much exciting content to catch up on!!.I’m inspired ❤

[@Gooliejibson]

I feel very encouraged to see this approach to food. So good to see this knowledge growing, especially as our food source is being demolished

[@jackstone4291]

Toona sinensis . Oniony taste of the fresh leaves. Flamingo colour variety too. Delicious.

[@ptrckhanna]

I love this. Have been using these in restaurants for about a decade. Mostly for dolmas. So true about early season.

[@AA-69]

I've been eating tree leaves for years !.. in fact the neighbours love me because Im out rain or shine nibbling there leylandii as a snack ... I also eat potato Shaws and rhubarb leaves but I've had to stop eating hawthorn trees since I got piles 😢

[@rasserfrasser]

That wine connoisseur line made me laugh, totally reminds me of West France.

[@PrincessFidelma]

Fascinating. My mum is always saying we should be eating tree leaves! I'm sure there are Lime trees along my road.

[@s-c..]

Australian here - wasn’t until I googled specifically _young_ lime leaves salad that I realised it wasn’t citrus! 🤣 Now I’ve found out there’s lime, lime & lime, and also lime, if you include the colour. Maybe there’s more, without including companies. I guess that’s why scientific names are important… 😄

[@RenAtkins]

Fellow Australian here, and like a fool I went into the garden and tried to eat a (citrus) lime leaf, because I missed the part that said Tilia. I don't recommend.

[@s-c..]

@ Haha, I’m not surprised you’re not recommending it! Seemed like a particularly bold choice for a salad substitute!

[@Erewhon2024]

Americans have switched to calling ours "basswood" because of the confusion.

[@AmazingJane137]

@@Erewhon2024oh that’s what basswood is!

[@AmazingJane137]

Also Australian here. I believe hibiscus leaves and flowers are edible too. At least I eat them all the time.

[@FairyFrequency]

Fascinating information! Sending love and warm greetings from the creeks and woodland of Missouri.

[@edzakete.3700]

I think this way about leaves too, fig goji very good. Plan to add mulberry this year I grow goji indoors and the leaf is much more tender and zesty than outdoors which is woody I’m keen to add mulberry to the leaves I use to lower blood pressure like fig

[@leebrown4049]

The government have destroyed farming! you guys are bringing it back to the masses! Great content.

[@bernadette6211]

Thankyou so much for bringing such refreshing content to you tube.

[@HyaenaHierarchy]

This is a very cool and underrated approach to growing food. Thanks Huw.

[@HuwRichards]

You are most welcome! Just wan to fill gardeners with ideas!

[@hollydimig3998]

I’m going to have to watch this a second time. So much new to me great info!

[@Marra7777]

This is fascinating Huw. I've been considering this sort of approach for a while. Good to know I'm not alone. BTW really good to have you back. Was just thinking the other day how much I've missed your videos and wondering if you would ever head down the foraging route?

[@taiduong3575]

Goji berry leave they have different varieties. One is fruit producing variety, on is leave eating variety. The leave eating variety asian we use it in soup. The leave after cook will taste sweet. Very easy to propagate.

[@HuwRichards]

Very interesting! What is the Latin name or variety of the leaf goji?

[@taiduong3575]

@@HuwRichards the same name goji leave. They sell them in asian foodmarket. I brought them to eat. Then the stalk just plant them in the ground. Very easy to propagate. The leave frost proof. It can take temperate down to 20 degree F. It leave more round than the fruit production type.

[@Chaos_Senpai]

Ooo i have been growing Goji berries in my backyeard for years

[@johnnyc8775]

Very, very interesting. I want to hear more.

[@reinm7553]

I'm super excited about this! I think the way Joshua think is very similar to how I approach my garden, though not nearly the size of a farm :p But thinking about attracting hoverflies for aphid control, introducing spots for hedgehogs to live so they eat slugs, growing perrenial leaves to always have easy salad (I use black mulberry leaves, I also make 'matcha' powder out of them) and tree cabbage. Also thinking about planting an 'Onion Soup tree' (Toon asinesis). The leaves of this tree literally taste like onion soup. Magical :D

[@trevordickson8617]

This is really, really interesting. Again, working with nature rather than trying to fight it seems to work very well for Joshua. I hope these ideas take off. I'm going to give Tillia cordata seed a go, even if they are slow & difficult to germinate. Excellent video by the way Hugh.👍

[@brigittecrombez]

wauw, so inspiring, I will soon have a new piece of land so I can plant some tree salades.

[@DJ-uk5mm]

I’ve been eating small leaved lime for a few years. Absolutely delicious

[@jkid9942]

Thank you! I can’t wait to go watch that interview!

[@marianneeckertjensen4723]

How interesting that you could try those leaves.. 🤩 Regarding slugs, I do have some succes in having the local hedgehog around to eat the slugs and snails in my garden. And with a bowl of water for the hedgie, and maybe a little hideout for the creature helps too.

[@lynnsbomb]

Rose of Sharon leaves are delicious and nutritious as well. So are the flowers and buds. I been enjoying them for a few years now.

[@ryandmaal]

Doing it with birch, hornbeam and lime. sometimes just pick from the tree fresh young leaves.

[@HuwRichards]

Beech and hawthorn are two other options!

[@Erewhon2024]

​@@HuwRichardsWouldn't hawthorns have prunasin (aka amygdalin, a cyanogen) like most rose family trees?

[@TupeloHoney6104]

This was fascinating!

[@cherylhowker1792]

I’ve got goji berry that hasn’t had fruit either in 2 years. The plant is fairly big. And lots of different branches full of leaves.

[@bertibear1300]

Me too.Cloudy all the time.

[@HuwRichards]

At least you have a use for it!

[@cherylhowker1792]

@@HuwRichards never known what to do with it, got it and it’s ment to east to grow…. But have found it’s just 6-8 long branches and leaves lol

[@actionagainstanimalcrueltyuk]

Me too! I've had it planted for about 6 years.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

I been looking for a list like this for years

[@mzansime]

I enjoyed the clip; interesting and unexpected. I'll be watching the full podcast. 👌

[@anatevkabell6046]

Great video content! Thanks 🙏🏼. Another tree you could try is Toona sinensis. The common name in German translates to Chinese Vegetable Tree.

[@peruphasmaschultei]

Interesting about the bladdernut. I have planted that several times here and the guinea fowl go crazy for it in the spring. To the extent that only 2 out of 10 have survived their attention.

[@sandraparkin9372]

Really interesting since I've always had partly wild gardens which have attracted lots of invertebrates including beetles, and I've never noticed slugs, or snails, in any kind of numbers and not had plants damaged by slugs in any significant way.

[@mayb.wright509]

This is so exciting! I'm just starting out trying to create a food forest in Quebec, Canada. I'm in a rather woodsy area, nestled into the foot of a mountain. I need to figure out which species will translate well into my zone 4, whether or not they're considered invasive and if there are North American "sisters" that I can substitute with. For example, I discovered that the white mulberry (morus alba) is considered a threat to the indigenous (and threatened) red mulberry (morus alba). I just have to see if its equally edible and tasty. THANKS SO MUCH for opening up this new train of thought for me. I've been looking at "weeds," not trees. This is just great. :)

[@az55544]

Oak Summit nursery in Manitoba puts out oodles of information and grows some awesome trees. He does lots of experimenting with grafting for cold climates.

[@ImSuitsMe]

Awesome idea! Ty!

[@chrissiehart22]

Wow that's fantastically mind blowing! Loving it Hue thank you

[@alisonbamford6723]

Not a tree but I like Houttuynia leaves in salad. They look beautiful & have a lovely tangy lemony taste.

[@Erewhon2024]

Sometimes this is called "fish mint." Apparently there are 2 (+?) chemotypes, one citrussy (I have read orange peel rather than lemon, but maybe that varies) and the other distinctly fishy. Makes me think I need to scratch & sniff before I buy (local, not mail order) to make sure I am getting one that I like. I don't even like my fish to be fishy.

[@granospaz4156]

In all central América and south of México use a plant called chaya, or mayan spinach(in each country have diferente names). The scientific name is Cnidoscolus aconitifolius. The flavor is so diferent to other leaves.

[@Erewhon2024]

This is also being adopted in Central & South Florida. Be sure to cook it, and unless also using it as a security hedge, get the non-stinging varieties, not "mala mujer" (as with Urtica & Laportea nettles, cooking will destroy the Sting but even the stingless ones are cyanogenic raw).

[@simonpannett8810]

Thailand use a lot of tree leaves!!

[@alexandersalz5850]

love the ideas try young hazelnut leaves someday when theyre still partially rolled up they taste almost exaclty liek thte finsih hazelnut youl love it :) oh and sweet chestnuts taste best raw sliced paper thin in a salad please try that too ! :) a single chestnut is enough for a serving for 1 person

[@arhodes2866]

Interesting video thanks. Anything to deter deer?

[@EvelynM-vlogs]

Living in a temporate rain forest climate (I live in Campbell River on Vancouver Island off the west coast of BC, Canada) with lots of slugs, I don't have a slug problem. I do have a healthy eco system and knew the birds and garter snakes ate lots of slugs, but did not know about the beetles. I do have lots of ground beetles, so they are probably helping with the lack of slug issue. People do ask me why I don't have a slug issue, especially on my 150 dahlias. Thanks for this video, it was really interesting. If I could grow lime trees outdoors, I would, I love limes, and now that I know the leaves are edible and tasty, I am jealous.

[@alexk7973]

You might have seen already from other comments, but there has been a bit of a debate going on about the „lime trees“. They aren‘t actually lime fruit trees, but of the tilia plant (linden). They just call them lime trees in Britain. So you might be in luck, I once spent 5 months on Vancouver Island and I wouldn‘t think that there is a tree that thrives in the British climate that is impossible to grow in yours. It might still be an option for you, after all!

[@EvelynM-vlogs]

@alexk7973 oh thanks, I was wondering how a fruit lime would do well in the British climate. We actually can grow fruiting lime trees if they are in a high tunnel, but I am an urban environment, and no high tunnels allowed.

[@zuditaka]

Stuffed vine leaves are very nice. Delicatessens sell the leaves, in brine, ready for use, but you can boil up your own tender grape vine leaves...

[@jackstone4291]

Magnolia flowers are delicious too!

[@Erewhon2024]

Which species?

[@amyblueskyirl16]

Interestingly, in summer when grass is brown, my pigs will eat maple, fruit tree leaves, and ivy but not grape leaves. It would be useful to know what the chemical composition is, nutrient levels, in birch and other deciduous trees & shrub leaves. I understand that currant leaves are also good (but the pigs don’t eat them lol)

[@davidhogan621]

Brilliant! Off to watch the full podcast now. Small-Leaved Lime is associated with minor heart stress in some people. Mulberry leaves can cause tummy upset if eaten to excess, should be avoided by pregnant women because of this. Saltbush is high in minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. it should be consumed in moderation, especially for those on a low-sodium diet. Ingesting large quantities can strain kidneys and lead to dehydration. Rinsing the leaves can help reduce salt levels. Grape leaves have no known side effects but can benefit from a quick blanching to soften them for salads. Goji leaves may interact with certain medications, especially blood thinners like warfarin. Overuse may lead to mild digestive upset. Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert and this advice is purely educational and for entertainment, do your own research.

[@HuwRichards]

Sure! Many things have side effects, spinach is high in oxalates, which can contribute to kidney stones if eaten in excess, particularly in people susceptible to them. Kale, contains goitrogenic compounds, like thiocyanates, which can interfere with thyroid function by inhibiting iodine uptake. This effect is mostly a concern for people with thyroid issues and usually only when consuming large amounts of raw kale. Annual leafy greens can affect blood clotting medications like warfarin. Brassicas can speed up the metabolism of certain medications making them less effective. Isn't it fantastic how many minerals are in saltbush leaves? Like everything it is about a balanced diet, and saying things like this causes unseeded worry about things for vast majority of people are not worth worrying about. Stressing about what to eat I think can be worse for us than just taking a balanced approach 🌿

[@davidhogan621]

@@HuwRichards Very true, that was not my intent. But if you recommend something, you do have a duty of care to make people aware, especially in this litigious age, just trying to help. The most amazing property of these trees is their use in an urban garden, as my research seems to indicate, unlike garden veg that takes pollution and heavy metals from the soil into itself. Trees and some fruit trees and berry bushes take that same pollution and store it in their hardwood, leaving the fruit and leaves internally clean. As you know, the trees take a lot of their nutrients from the air and light but the leaves still remain surprisingly internally clean, even in the presence of heavy traffic. I have found that a simple good wash in a vinegar/water solution cleans the outside of fruit and leaves. If you are growing veg in these circumstances, I suggest raised beds or containers with their bottoms shielded from the ground beneath, and changing the soil every season. I have watched your stuff since you were a kid Huw, and I am really impressed with how you have developed and the direction you have taken, keep it up.

[@HuwRichards]

@@davidhogan621 if I had a duty of care for everything I'll not recommend anyone grow veg as they could get struck by lightning or accidentally pick a poisonous leaf they didn't see in their harvest or get stung by a bee and have an anaphylactic shock. I will make appropriate cautions when needed of course, but it's time we lived in a world we can all take responsibility for ourselves

[@katherinelucas2161]

Thank you. As someone who is trying to eat what I grow this is important information. I will take heed and use these as additions rather than the ‘whole’ salad. Thank you.

[@katherinelucas2161]

Thank you. As someone who is trying to eat what I grow this is important information. I will take heed and use these as additions rather than the ‘whole’ salad. Thank you.

[@ElleCappuchino]

My neighbours from Hong Kong gave me a goji berry shoot. She makes pork stew with their leaves.

[@MinMarshall]

I dry my mulbery leaves, grind them x have my own super green powder. Also use blackcurrant leaves in teas. Sweet potato leaves are so versatile you can use them in salads and soups as you can young grape leaves. Paw paw leaves make an amazing tonic tea, heals lots of ailments. If its good enough in the Bible, Rev 22, its good enough for me❤

[@kerstinmerkel8881]

Almost every tree mentioned here is on the list of invasive species for my area... exiting idea though.

[@willemakkermans4067]

Great, so they're beneficial AND easy to grow. What else is on the list? 😂😉

[@louiseswart1315]

Please could we have a video of your walkabout on Joshua's farm, if it is allowed?

[@kazparzyxzpenualt8111]

How are you going to put the lime in the coconut if you eat all the lime leaves?

[@sinclaire5479]

Hastas are edible from leaves to flowers and are super common. Young dandelion etc. Purslane is edible it has a peppery taste

[@Erewhon2024]

On a similar note to purslane (which I don't find peppery), Talinum paniculatum (also T. fructitosa) have bigger leaves and are prettier though likewise weedy (via seed) plants. In the Midwest USA (Zone 5b or 6a depending on who you ask), I grow them as summer bedding plants. In 7b+ they should be short-lived but abundantly self sowing perennials. I would use them as a foreground planting in front of a pretty Amaranthus tricolor or in the Deep South, Malvaviscus arboreus subsp drummondii, Abutilon hybrida/pictum/megapotamicum, or Abelmoschus manihot. Amaranth self sows but gets buggy in its 3rd year in the same spot, so rotate with some unrelated plants (colorful chiles, red okras, maybe just inedible sunnhemp to feed the soil [not sure pigeon peas produce in short seasons]).

[@tamsinleighton-boyce2560]

Wow! So interesting-thankyou 🙂

[@HerMountainlife]

Thanks for sharing

[@HighWealder]

Don't forget the fresh young spring leaves of the Hawthorn, in England country folk knew them as 'bread and cheese ', when there was nothing else to eat.

[@gaiasoundandvision]

Wow ~ how amazing! Thanks for sharing :) 💚

[@annikasyren3696]

Most of the tree leaves should be harvested and eaten very young. Hence the season for edible tree leaves is very short. Do you have any tips for how to preserve the leaves or for prolonging the season (for example, can you coppice and harvest all leaves repeatedly without harming the tree?) Do you know any species for which you can eat the more mature leaves, and not only the very young leaves? Tip: the young shoots and leaves from toona sinensis can be eaten cooked. I grow it in southern Sweden, so I am sure you can grow it in Britain as well.

[@beaandersson6696]

This is exciting stuff - thanks, Huw! I’m in New Zealand & wondering if we have any slug-predating beetles. We do have the monster leopard slugs, but they like the dog’s food more than garden slugs 😆 We also have hedgehogs, blackbirds & song thrushes, but not snakes, shrews or voles. Maybe we should just take a leaf (sorry) out of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s book & eat slugs ourselves 😅

[@mariaannainditahernawati7132]

in asean u could use the young leaf from : gnetum gnemon cosmos ipomoea aquatica manihot esculenta

[@aleenaprasannan2146]

Tamarind leaves would great on salads, with their slightly sour taste. Moringa and Agasthya plant's flowers and leaves are used as sauted veggies in India and both of those grow well in temperate regions

[@greenfingers9437]

I’m overrun with snails 🐌 and slugs but I have never seen beetles in my garden!

[@Erewhon2024]

If zoning and predators allow it, ducks are supposed to eat them greedily also.

[@lyndashimoda3628]

Super thanks! What do you use for earwigs getting rid of them?

[@tomshupe6405]

How does cottonwood leaf taste.? Supposedly full spectrum protien.

[@bertibear1300]

I had trouble growing lettuce too.Failed 3 times.Eaten by pests despite raised bed and slug pellets.

[@AF-oq5bu]

I tried copper tape around my raised beds and it really worked for me. A little pricy but worth it for the salad bed

[@ElisandeWalters]

Tillia cordata is really delicious

[@MariaPalmer-xo8eb]

All these tree leaves are not around during winter . Salads can be grown in a protected space through the winter when there's also less slugs .

[@You_Can_Grow_Too]

That is the only way I can have a successful garden here in the Subtropics, and have salad in the Spring and Summer, is to grow certain perennials. My lettuce time is Fall and Winter. Thank you for your videos! I enjoy, and still learn from other gardeners in other climates. -From Florida, USA

[@bmiles4131]

Have you found a way to make salads with those plants? I’ve been growing tropical greens, but they just don’t have that same crunch, etc. haven’t figured out how to make salads out of them, so I use in wraps or add some leaves to store bought lettuce salads.

[@You_Can_Grow_Too]

@bmiles4131 I do make salads from them, and of course they are different than the Fall and Winter salad greens. For that crunch, I might use peppers and onions to help. I have not tried this yet, but in the Summer I would like to try those indoor growing light systems where you can grow lettuce, so I could add them to the tropical perennial green salads. Perhaps an option? I admit, I look forward to my Fall and Winter annual greens, but the tropical perennial greens are still great, during a time we can't grow those common annuals. I hope that helps! Happy Gardening!!!😄

[@bmiles4131]

@ Thank you! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I used to never buy lettuce for salads because iceberg was all I knew of. You’d think I’d remember that, but once I discovered other types I forgot. This really fixes my problem.

[@Erewhon2024]

​@@bmiles4131Abelmoschus manihot is reasonably palatable raw, though it is a short-lived perennial/subshrub so you would need to keep propagating it. Abutilon and Costus flowers might also be worthwhile.

[@SallyJGlendinning]

Our hedgehogs make sure we hardly see a slug !

[@Garden_Growers]

What beetles are the ones that eat slugs. I would like to experiment with them because our allotment is riddled with slugs