Did You Know Hostas are Edible? Find out Everything you need to know in 6 Minutes! (Week 48)

[@smaple1618]

😳 I had no idea they were edible. I just love hostas and I have a ton of shade on my property. Let the planting begin!!

[@suzannefronzaglio2427]

Same here, I was just going to text the same comment! Never in a million years would I think that these were edible! Glad I know now.

[@Nikvicious923]

@@suzannefronzaglio2427 yep, I will be dividing my current huge hostas to new plantings. AWESOMENESS CREATOR MOST HIGH. APTTMHCOY ALONE

[@yishnir]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm interested in getting people to grow hostas as food. They're in the same family as Asparagus, which explains two things about them: First, why they are completely edible and nutritious, and second, why they typically grow only one set of leaves per year and have a very slow growth rate. But there are Hostas that have more useful characteristics as a food crop. Some Hostas do keep growing more leaves throughout the year. Those are the ones descended from the Plantain Lily, or August Lily, Hosta plantaginea, which is also the most heat-tolerant Hosta. For those farther up North, the cultivar, Hosta 'Royal Standard' is one-half Hosta plantaginea and one half Hosta (sieboldiana) which is noted as being one of the best-tasting varieties, and possibly one of the most nutritious. Another trait that is useful for those who want to grow Hostas for food is self-replication. Some Hosta varieties reproduce rapidly by runners. Some examples of this are: Hosta clausa, Hosta clausa 'Normalis', Hosta clausa var. stolonifera, and Hosta venusta 'Paradise Puppet'. Finally, around twenty hosta species that I know of have actually been tested for their nutritional content, and, while they're all nutritious, the five 'most nutritious' are H. alismifolia, H. sieboldii, H. nakaiana, H. longissima, and H. montana in terms of their K, Ca, Fe, P, Mg, Zn content. I hope to eventually cross-breed Hosta plantaginea and Hosta clausa or Hosta venusta to achieve a rapid-spreading Hosta which regrows it's leaves throughout the year. Hosta plantaginea is also the only fragrant hosta, so ideally the 'perfect edible Hosta' would also keep the fragrance. Then the goal would be to keep crossing with the most nutritious Hostas to maximize the nutritional value of the 'perfect Hosta'. We should also probably pay attention to flavor. Supposedly different Hostas have different flavors, with flavors such as 'asparagus', 'pea', and 'green bean' all having been mentioned. Right now there is no record of what flavors different Hostas have. Anyway, these 'harvesting and cooking videos' are incredibly important to get people to start growing and trying Hosta for themselves, so thanks for the work you put into this. Other shade vegetables you may want to investigate are Hablitzia tamnoides (a cold-tolerant, shade-tolerant spinach vine) and Smilax laurifolia (also in the Asparagus family, but large clumps can grow ten foot long 'Asparaagus Spears' in the spring).

[@deniecedonnafield5264]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@ruthsmith2367]

Thanks for your comment. I’ve just bought some seeds for the first spinach vine plant you mentioned 👍

[@yishnir]

@ruthsmith2367 I'm thrilled to have contributed a tiny bit to your project. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Also, in case the seed supplier didn't make it super clear, the key with those seeds is ten days of cold moist stratification, which can be accomplished in your fridge, or by fall-sowing & overwintering if you're in an area that gets frost.

[@ruthsmith2367]

@@yishnir Thanks for the tips. It’s winter here so next dry day I will pop some in a pot and say a prayer over them. I’m sure they will grow 😀

[@lilyrockatutu]

Right after watching this video I went out to the garden and harvested a couple of young hosta plants to have a taste. I just boiled them and they were really good - Better than asparagus! Who knew there was such a delicious food source growing year after year right in my backyard! Need to plant more hostas! Thank you!

[@LovinofftheLand]

That's awesome. So glad you tried them and enjoyed them ❤️

[@julialewis271]

I worked in a plant nursery for years and as a landscaper and didn't know hostas are edible. They are so easy to grow! Thank you for sharing. I can't wait to try this :)

[@LovinofftheLand]

We had no idea until recently either. We have discovered so much this year. Try the young shoots too. They are apparently the best but we haven't tried them yet

[@karlsfoodforestgarden6963]

Absolutely true! And good call with the bacon - hard to go wrong there! ;) As you mentioned, the spring shoots are choice. The flower buds are also choice, and these come in the summer. Don't hesitate to try planting some of your hostas in the sun. Many varieties will do even better with at least 1/2 day of sunlight, especially when you're growing them for the flower stalks and buds. I have many that grow in full sun. This allows you to extend your season for both the shoots and flower stalks, since they will come in earlier in the warmer, sunnier spots. If you're looking for perennial greens, definitely consider sea kale and also plant some of the Homesteader's Kaleidoscopic Perennial Kale Grex. They don't do as well in the shade, of course, but they fit in well in awkward spots. At this point, greens are the least of my worries. Tomatoes, on the other hand...

[@mamaneedsagrande]

No KIDDING!! I have them growing right in a pot on my patio because they’re beautiful and it’s very shady in my backyard. This is amazing! Who knew!

[@LovinofftheLand]

Glad it helped :)

[@owenthompson7793]

I had no idea. This was great. Thank you

[@diditeufel1671]

So happy to have 'stumbled upon' yous!! Thanks for sharing your life.

[@laurice8056]

This type of leaf really cooks down a lot! You have to start out with a pretty large raw bunch in order to serve 2 or more people. But I still would like to taste them. Thanks for sharing!😋👍

[@LovinofftheLand]

Let us know if you try them

[@istandforfreedom1111]

Thank you for sharing with us all ❤️ very inspiring channel I just literally stumbled upon but then nothing is ever random. Let the Hosta growing commence 💥

[@jameslowey7940]

you know my wife is going to be pissed when i start chopping up her house plants !

[@Yellowbanana2024]

😄lol

[@Helenebemis]

last year i strted to ask that question. now I have some good answers on that. defanitly planting more. now thanks for this vid..

[@LovinofftheLand]

Thanks. Glad it helped

[@NayrbRellimer]

some other shade loving plants you could try growing in your forested part of your property are ramps (Allium tricoccum), ostrich ferns/fiddleheads (Matteuccia struthiopteris), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), Wasabi (Eutrema japonicum/Wasabia japonica), hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata), and groundnut (Apios americana).

[@LovinofftheLand]

Thanks so much for the tips. We have Wasabi already and it's doing really well. Definitely want to try ginseng as well :) Thanks again

[@eveolynyk8090]

Long time lurker here- love your videos. I always learn something new and I also love how natural you two are in the vids. It feels like you went over to an old friends house. Having grown up in the gulf islands it's so cool to see what does well in this area and to have watched your endeavours evolution over time. :)

[@LovinofftheLand]

Awww. Thanks Eve. We definitely try and make it as honest and natural as possible. So glad you are enjoying following along. What island did you grow up on?

[@lindasanders6777]

I just found out recently that they are edible, but havent tried them yet. I was happy to find out here that they taste somewhat like asparagus! I LOVE asparagus!

[@keivanbahmani964]

Can you talk about how you guys keep/store food for winter?

[@nancybaumann1695]

are the darker variety also edible??? I don't have the varigated variety

[@jeremyharris883]

I've seen deer love them I see them eating hostas and say we've got a hosta situation. Figured we can probably eat them too in a situation. Thanks for the video and example.

[@ohmyet2173]

My chickens gorge on my hostas! I’m going to spray them down with garlic, mint and cayenne pepper spay to get them to quit eating them so I can eat them! I had no idea we could eat them! Thanks for the heads up!! The chickens don’t eat my mint so that should deter them.

[@LovinofftheLand]

Oh gosh... keeping the chickens away from our plants is an ongoing battle as well. Try and get the newer shoots if you try it. They will be more tender

[@milknhoneyheritagefarms4706]

Thank you! I have 6 large hostas! Can you add the flowers too?

[@arborholics4262]

apparently the flowers are actually tastier !

[@pawshands9706]

I am learning some incredible stuff. Never knew these lovely plants are edible. I am vegan and would sautee them with some dried Chipotle for a vegan smokey flavor.

[@LovinofftheLand]

That Sounds great! Let us know how that works out if you try that

[@cozycornerlife]

I wish I known this years ago before I got rid of a huge amount of "hostiles" hostas . Time to restock them then

[@walbiramurray5762]

Great use of plants suitable for your land

[@LovinofftheLand]

Thank you. We really didn't want to cut down a bunch of trees so are happy we found other ways to make it work.

[@GmamaGrowz]

Thanks for sharing this awesome information 🤩!

[@WholeHealthConnections]

This is so good to know. Just came across your channel. Love what you two are doing. Keep it going!

[@LovinofftheLand]

Thanks so much and glad you are enjoying following along with our journey.

[@sharonmcqueentorres2459]

The deer munch on them if they come around. We had to rip them all out n replace with Lilly rope for similar garden decor.

[@LovinofftheLand]

Yes, they love them. We have tons of deer on our island too, so we had to fence our whole property to protect our gardens

[@rebeccacurtis6680]

I don't think I've ever even heard of or seen Hostas plants before today. I'm not sure if I can grow them in So. Texas, but will be chkg at a nursery soon. I love asparagus, but it's pricey due to the time it takes to grow. One plant that I discovered in my region that's found growing like a weed, but is more nutritious than most things grown in the garden from which it's usually pulled as a weed is Purslane (aka Portulaca in my area). It's off the charts in Omegas, a succulent so requires little water, & even thrives in poor soil, high heat climates, bright sun, etc. Tastes a bit like Nopalitos & can be pit in salads, cooked in stews, etc. Some Mediterranean dishes have purslane in them. It's even mentioned in the Bible for food. There are organic seeds online, too. Around here, it's often sold as a flowering hanging basket.

[@Tiffany-cv3hl]

I wonder if you get steam the stems

[@TheGreenAcreWI]

Thank you for sharing. I learned that hostas are edible earlier this year but have yet to try it!

[@LovinofftheLand]

That's great. Let us know if you try them and how it worked out

[@michaelpeterson2024]

Hi guys. Enjoying your vids from Tasmania. We are three years into our off grid homesteading permaculture life. My wife has the idea of doing a year on just our grown food. We have a couple of questions as to the rules you made. I hope you will reply. What if you were invited out to dinner or to a birthday dinner. Did you refuse? If not, did you make up for it somehow? Did you use foods you had previously canned or preserved? Did supplying your own food extend to food for your animals, or were they outside of the project in that way? Was it just for you two? Finally, were you allowed to barter if only using things you produced? I don't recall answers to these questions in the vids I have seen. Thank you. Michael and Robyn. We have lots of animals, but not pigs yet. We should get pigs before we start.

[@trkstatrksta8410]

You need to stop being so paranoid and just enjoy your life!!! Seriously.

[@freshwaterfarm4783]

So funny, as I watched you cutting bacon I kept hearing what sounded like turkey poults and thought one of my poults had managed to fly out of the brooder pen. When I paused the video so that I could rescue the poult, the chirping stopped. You must have babies in the house?

[@LovinofftheLand]

Haha. Wow. Good ear... and narrowed it down to a Turkey. It is a Blue Slate Turkey Poult. Thanks for following along

[@rachaeljohnson9583]

Had no idea!! How do you guys pay for electricity and toiletries and stuff if your not working?? I would love to live of thr land 🥰🥰

[@LovinofftheLand]

Hi Rachael, thanks for the message. We were just out of work for a few months at the beginning of the pandemic. We have both been back to work full time for a while now. It's a lot of work, but we are really enjoying it. :)

[@rachaeljohnson9583]

@@LovinofftheLand oh wow!!! You guys are amazing. I love watching, thanks for sharing your journey!!

[@willowspirit1225]

Love it 🥰 that was fabulous 🤗sending love,favour and peace of mind ❣️🙏🏼🙃🌈from Kirkland Lake Ontario Canada 🇨🇦

[@LovinofftheLand]

Thanks fellow Canadian 🇨🇦 Glad you are enjoying following along with our journey :)

[@fireusaf6]

Just make sure you protect them. The dear loooooove hosta salad

[@heatherwalker235]

so do the bunnies

[@charmed2284]

How do you know the difference between young and old leaves

[@LovinofftheLand]

The new leaves come out as "shoots" in a tight spiral

[@yvonnenelson9056]

Are Hosta's FDA approved for eating? I really don't think so. Gonna check it out.

[@carolynfrench-witham769]

Who cares.

[@vlera9095]

It such an amazing video as always Thanks for sharing 🤗

[@aldersonsprint7604]

Might have been better to have shown them cooking on some sort of hot plate outside on a fire, perhaps using fallen wood from your trees instead of an electric hob! That way, there's no carbon footprint-a true 'Lovin Off The Land' approach. Keep up the good work.

[@meaganc9405]

I just found your channel, and I really appreciate/love it! Thank you so much for sharing your journey; I’m just starting out on a similar path. Have you ever tried anything using Permaculture? I wonder what kind of Guilds, Hostas would fit in to?? I’m excited to check out the rest of your videos. Thank you for the inspiration! :)

[@LovinofftheLand]

Thanks so much and glad you are enjoying following along. Yes, we have been slowly starting to study permaculture as well and are incorporating more and more of it in to our property. Keep in touch on your journey as well. You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook where we are more interactive :)

[@lydiadoumon6781]

Soon I'll be @ your grocery stores near you ✅✅✅

[@LovinofftheLand]

🤣

[@willf5768]

Deer like those hostas to 😁

[@TwinsJawaCanada]

Bacon make taste awesome

[@Stephenzaffarano]

Do you have any microgreens growing? 4 to 40 times more nutritionally dense than harvested vegetables and turn over new food every 14 days!!

[@LovinofftheLand]

Yes, we have done a few trays on microgreens, but definitely plan on doing wY more inside this winter

[@jerrywhidby.]

If slugs become a problem, then a little beer in a saucer will attract and eliminate them.

[@Raychillicious]

Did you raise that seesalt yourself? 😉😄

[@LovinofftheLand]

Well.... I can't take credit for raising it, but..... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKSYfH-hd8uJhas

[@dalekelley]

Something tells me you already know this, but just in case... You can multiply your hostas by dividing them. No need to get more plants.

[@LovinofftheLand]

Hi Dale I actually didn't. Thank you. I will definitely be doing that this year :)

[@dalekelley]

@@LovinofftheLand My pleasure, buddy. To be safe, I'd highly recommend researching the right way of doing it though.While I did have success at it, I'm not so sure I did it the most effective way. I'm not really much of a gardener ;)

[@joanmiller2335]

Worked with nurse who stabbed her hosta plant with shovel & dug away a portion for me; the variety is plain leaves & in full bloom now (September) while the other striped leaves plants’ flowers are spent

[@kmortiz2001]

Lol of course add bacon. All is well with bacon - even grass clippings

[@LovinofftheLand]

I'll watch that video when you make it ;)

[@40intrek]

Bacon makes everything taste better...

[@francisbacon2401]

You really do not know the carbon cycle.....?

[@LovinofftheLand]

🙄 Guess not. Please tell me how clearcutting 120 trees on our property contributes to a positive carbon cycle.

[@timg185]

That’s cheating! Everything taste better with bacon.

[@debz7535]

and toxic to dogs. FYI.

[@LovinofftheLand]

Good to know. I didn't know that

[@scottcampbell7944]

I was going to watch to the end but as soon as you started worrying about your carbon footprint I knew there was nothing.

[@LovinofftheLand]

🤣🤣 So you're offended that we didn't want to cut down trees on our own property? Shouldn't we have the right to do whatever we want on land we own? Sorry that doesn't fit with YOUR views. People sure do let the stupidest little things bother them these days.