Not-So-Popular Edible Vegetable Parts
As a teenager, my brother once planted a quarter acre of sweet potatoes,
which he planned to sell in the fall for a nice profit. The small crop
looked so beautiful as it was growing. The vines were thick and lush
with beautiful deep green foliage. My brother looked so proud.
Well, come fall when the potatoes were dug, they were thumb-size and
not very tasty. I remember my grandfather’s comment, as he leaned
against his shovel with a very big grin and a mischievous twinkle in
his eye, “We should have eaten the leaves.”
Of course, my grandfather was joking - but as it turns out the leaves
and stem tips of sweet potato plants are edible. Often considered a
poor man’s food, sweet potato foliage has a rich protein content
that helps supplement the nutritional value of the roots.
Gardeners often phone the office asking about the edibility of various
garden plants. So this information is primarily for gardeners who have
entire vegetable plants at their disposal. This article answers the
question - is it edible - without regard to flavor. The leaves of some
garden vegetables have strong flavors and are disagreeable or simply
too strong for most people’s taste. Other leaves are edible only
after cooking. The parts listed below may not be delicious but they
are not dangerous to eat. You be the judge. Sorry, I do not have recipes.
| Vegetable |
Common Edible Parts |
Other Edible Parts |
| Beans, snap |
pod with seeds |
leaves |
| Beets |
root |
leaves |
| Carrots |
root |
leaves |
| Cucumbers |
fruit with seed |
stem tips and young leaves |
| Eggplant |
fruit with seed |
leaves edible but not flavorful |
| Okra |
pods with seeds |
leaves |
| Parsley |
tops |
roots |
| Pepper |
pods |
leaves after cooking |
| Potatoes, Sweet |
roots |
leaves and stem shoots |
| Tomatoes |
fruit with seeds |
(leaves contain alkaloids, do not eat) |
Resource: Secondary Edible Parts of Vegetables by M. J. Stephens, University
of Florida, Department of Horticulture, for a more complete list of
vegetables visit http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/
newsletters/hortupdate/may02/art4may.html
August 2002
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Flavored Oil Alert – FAQs | Not-So-Popular
Edible Vegetable Parts | Refreshing Ginger Lemon
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