This is Part II of a two-part review of the book. (Read Part I of the review of Eric Toensmeier's Perennial Vegetables.)
Toensmeier, Eric. Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to 'Zuiki' Taro, a Gardener's Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-Grow Edibles. Chelsea Green Publishing: White River Junction, Vermont, 2007.
Part II of the book begins with a caution about sampling too much of too many new food plants for the first time. This is an important caution, given the prevalence of food allergies. Sample slowly! I was also a little taken aback to see how frequently some of these perennials have poisonous cousins and look alikes. Exercise caution and know what you are eating before you taste!
After that brief caution, Part II plunges into the meat (OK, the vegetables) of the subject in earnest. What follows is a list of edible perennials, accompanied by a map of the U.S. climate range for the particular plant (similar to the maps in bird-watching books); shaded pink where the crop is perennial and yellow where it might be grown as an annual. Along with the Latin name of the plant and known common names, Toensmeier provides the following for each entry (as applicable): Overview, Crop Description, Climate, Tolerances and Preferences, Naturalization, Pests-Diseases-Weeds, Propagation-Planting-Cultivation, Harvest and Storage, Uses, and Related Species and Breeding Potential. Wow! These "notes" on various plants are alone worth the price of admission. (However, I should note that Toensmeier breaks his pattern sometimes and treats some plant in a cursory manner, e.g., Lovage, pp. 86-87.) I cannot wait to try a few new plantings and report on the results this year. But, of course, I live in what Toensmeier calls the "Cold Temperate" section of the country in Zone 5b Indianapolis. I'll not be able to plant anything now until the ground thaws. We woke today to a temperature of 16F in an area that regularly experiences temperatures as as low as -16F. It will be March 2010 before I am able to plant, and many of the perennials will likely take a full year or more to become fully established. So, my sampling of new vegetables will be slow. As indicated in the previous review, though Toensmeier discusses growing tropical perennials in some locations as annuals, I plan, because of my particular climate, to ignore the tropical plants and those for the warmer Southeast and review the book with an eye toward its greatest usefulness to me here in the Cold Temperate Midwest.
So, what can I and will I plant? Herewith, my personal list of potential perennials, with an asterisk beside those I plan to try in 2010:
Onion Family, Alliaceae
Arrowhead, tubers cooked like potatoes.
Multiplier Onions
*Ramps (wild leek)
Perennial Onions
The Celery Family, Apiaceae
*Lovage
Water Celery
*Skirret
The Aroid Family, Araceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Spikenard Family, Araliaceae
Udo
The Aster Family, Asteraceae
Chicory and Dandelion
Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke)
Fuki
Scorzonera
The Malabar Spinach Family, Basellaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Cabbage Family, Brassicaceae
Turkish Rocket
Sea Kale
Watercress
The Cactus Family, Cactaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Canna Family, Cannaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Papaya Family, Caricaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Goosefoot Family, Chenopodiaceae
*Good King Henry
The Morning Glory Family, Convolvulaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Squash Family, Cucurbitaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Sedge Family, Cyperaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Yam Family, Dioscoreaceae
*Yams (D. japonica and Chinese yam)
The Wood-Fern Family, Dryopteridaceae
Ostrich Fern
The Spurge Family, Euphorbiaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Pea Family, Fabaceae
*Groundnut
The Mint Family, Lamiaceae
Chinese Artichoke
The Lily Family, Liliaceae
Asparagus
Camass
Daylily
Giant Solomon's Seal
The Mallow Family, Malvaceae
Musk Mallow
The Neem Family, Meliaceae
Fragrant Spring Tree
The Mulberry Family, Moraceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Moringa Family, Moringaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Banana Family, Musaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Lotus Family, Nelumbonaceae
Water Lotus
The Wood-Sorrel Family, Oxalidaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Pokeweed Family, Phytolaccaceae
Pokeweed
The Grass Family, Poaceae
Running Bamboos
the Smartweed Family, Polygonaceae
Rhubarb
*Sorrel
The Nightshade Family, Solanaceae
Wolfberry
The New Zealand Spinach Family, Tetragoniaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Linden Family, Tiliaceae
Linden
The Nasturtium Family, Tropaeolaceae
NONE AVAILABLE
The Nettle Family, Urticaceae
Stinging Nettle and Wood Nettle
Remember, I have listed above ONLY what Toensmeier has claimed is hardy as a perennial to Zone 5b. Part III of the book is entitled "Resources" and includes lists of perennial vegetables for each climate type (similar to what I have done above, but for all of the plant hardiness zones and with greater detail, including variety names and Latin names). He also includes a list of recommended books in the following categories: useful plants, permaculture and edible landscaping, history-ecology-native/non-native species, garden climates, and gardening techniques, water gardening, pests-diseases, and propagation. There is a short, but excellent list of organizations and web sites, and lists of plant and seed sources and garden suppliers. Finally, Toensmeier includes a bibliography and helpful index.
I heartily recommend the book. It is well worth the $35 list price. The only downside is that the cultivation of perennials as garden vegetables is so new that the details are sometimes sketchy at best, because sketchy details are all that is available. Toensmeier has done us a great service in drawing so much information together under one roof. It is now our turn to do the hard work of collecting, propagating, and breeding these plants--and introducing them to our friends and neighbors--until they become successful, mainstream garden varieties. I for one wish winter would hurry up and end so that I can get started.
[Note: The above title was provided for review by the publisher. No remuneration was received for the review.]
