On this episode we countdown the top 10 vegetables now foods you’ve never heard of part 4.
In this series we’ll be including not only vegetables but nuts, beans, mushrooms and
edible flowers.
Fruits will stay as a series of their own.
Lets go!
Number ten, Wild Carrot Measuring the full grown height of a small
bush the wild carrot or queen anne’s lace as it’s more
commonly known also goes by bishop’s lace and bird’s nest.
Named after queen anne of england an expert lace maker this plant is found in meadows,
back alleys, gardens and along roadways.
Easily identified by the cluster of white flowers on top, this biennial plant or one
that lives for 2 growing years is only edible in its first year of growth otherwise it becomes
too tough.
When crushed both the stems and leaves emit a strong carrot odor where the color is much
more of a pale yellowish.
The tops are somewhat like the common carrot but appear more closely to parsley.
Unlike the common carrot the tops of the queen anne’s lace aren't edible as it can cause
skin irritation.
Being the origin of the carrot we eat today the queen anne’s lace does have an edible
root but is very tough and needs to be stewed for many hours to be able to be consumed.
Sometimes the the wild carrot is used to make a broth versus eating it.
Thriving in dry soil this plant is designed to survive and often beats out neighbouring
plants giving it the distinction of being a weed to many.
Number nine, African Spiny Cucumber This spiky cucumber indigenous to Africa is
small and fits in the palm of your hand.
Being related to the common cucumber this thin stemmed scrambling vine reaches up to
10 feet or 3 meters tall.
While the African spiny cucumber is its more commonly used name others exist like maroon
cucumber, cackrey, west indian gherkin and west indian gourd.
While originating from Africa they are now grown in the Caribbean, Australia, Cayman
islands, costa rica, South america, and the Southern United states.
They are also able to be grown in colder climates like the UK under protection.
Considered to be an invasion weed in some parts of North America and Australia they
are most destructive to peanut fields.
Taking 80 days to grow from seed, they are susceptible to infestations from aphids cucumber
beetles and fungi.
They can be eaten raw and cooked and go well with savory dishes or in a salad.
The the spiny cucumber is also pickled as it soaks up a lot of vinegar making for a
unique pickled treat.
Being a good tasting cucumber without bitterness, the wider the fruit gets through bitterness
will develop which is typically what is found with wild grown spiny cucumbers.
The leaves can be cooked and eaten as well where the seeds are rich with a nutty tasting
oil or are ground into a fine flour.
In more rural areas the african spiny cucumber is traditionally used to treat stomach issues.
Number eight, Hedgehog Mushroom Scientifically named Hydnum repandum in 1753
this mushroom is also called the wood hedgehog fungus.
Called the hedgehog mushroom because of its spiky gills under the cap, this mushroom is
easy to identify by its orangish tan color and iconic gills.
Found widely across north america in summer and fall these mushrooms will sprout up one
their own or in groups.
Sporting cap cap that 1 - 7 inches or 2-17 cm wide, they are best picked and eaten when
young, as it gets older it may become home to grubs and worms.
Nobody wants to be chomping down on a worm filled mushroom.
Offering a peppery, nutty, sweet taste with a bit of a crunch to its texture, the hedgehog
mushroom is a great meat replacement in savory dishes due to its meaty texture.
Popular in risotto, soups, stews and stir frys this mushroom is tasty by itself sauteed
up with a bit of hot sauce.
Being very high in copper and manganese and a potent source of other minerals like calcium,
zinc, magnesium , iron, potassium, sodium, and vitamin C wild grown mushrooms like this
are great by building a diverse culture of bacteria in your microbiome.
Number seven, ALH ALH an abbreviation I just gave to this plant
with no common name is short for it’s scientific name Abutilon longicuspe Hochst.
Found in eastern africa, Egypt and Yemen this shrub is found along riverine forests, grasslands,
rocky outcrops, clearings, forest edges and among coffee plantations.
Reaching up to 5 to 16 feet or 1.5 to 5 meters tall this thick shrub thrives in full sun
and grows best at 3000 - 10000 feet or 1000 - 3000 meters.
Locals harvest it from the wild for its edible flowers and medicine.
The edible flowers are cooked before consumed and treated like a vegetable.
This hardy flower is cleaned, chopped and cooked up with pounded groundnuts, tomatoes,
onions and served with rice or ugali which is african cornmeal porridge.
Medicinally this plant is used to ease childbirth and the root as a treatment for stomach issues,
the bark is also used to make rope, baskets and string.
Number six, Thai Eggplant This golf ball sized eggplant originating
from Thailand which shouldn’t be a surprise is also cultivated in Sri Lanka.
Being a common ingredient in thai cooking the green-white thai eggplants are a staple
of red and green curry dishes as they absorb the curry sauce quite well when they are halved
or quartered and added to the dish.
Eaten raw in a thai salad the thai eggplant is also used in the creation of thai chili
paste.
They come in different thai varieties as well that have different colors like thai purple,
thai white, thai yellow and thai green.
Quique for their obvious size but also their crunchy texture and mild flavour, people will
just pop these whole without the need to peel them.
When over mature they’ll produce a mild amount of bitterness making it ideal to eat
them when they are young but fully formed.
When cooked they will produce and earthy scent which will pair nicely with garlic and onions.
Packed with iron, calcium, vitamin a and c this little eggplant help control blood pressure
levels, reduces risk of diabetes, increases liver function and boosts the immune system.
Number five, White Alder You’re probably not expecting to see a large
tree like the white alder on this list but believe it or not they’ve got something
we can eat.
Found among bogs and woodlands this tree is native to my homeland of British Columbia
to western Montana and down to Sierra Nevada.
Both the inner bark and catkins or flowering spike are edible.
The inner bark is emetic or will cause vomiting unless it has been dried.
Once dried the inner bark is used as a flavouring for soups, stews or mixed with flours to add
a unique taste to homemade bread.
The catkins produced by this tree are up to 4 inches or 10 cm long, are yellowish and
can be eaten raw or cooked.
The dried bark is used as a treatment for diarrhea, stomach issues and to aid in childbirth.
Offering a source of tannins the bark provides color dyes for fabrics where the roots of
this tree are used to make baskets.
Number four, Hamburger Bean The mucuna family of beans is often referred
to as the hamburger beans but within this family are individual beans each with their
own hamburger flair.
Today we are focusing on the mucuna urens or red hamburger bean.
A much more rare bean to find compared to its other family members the mucuna urens
grows on a vigorous climbing shrub that will climb up and over tall trees.
Often referred to as the sea bean this bean is commonly washed ashore on the beaches of
the gulf states in the southeastern United States.
Found in countries along the equator between north and south america, these beans grow
at low elevations in forest and thickets and are pollinated by bats.
A successfully pollinated bean will develop into a gnarly large brown bean pod.
Hairs on the beanpod are mixed with molasses and drunk as a way to expel intestinal worms.
The beans hilum or the connection point to the plant is like a marking or scar on the
bean which often looks like a smiley face on the hamburger bean.
Not being the tastiest bean out there, the sea bean is ground into flour and used in
times of famine.
Considered edible by some and poisonous by other, harmful compounds within the hamburger
bean need to be removed by thoroughly cooking before consuming.
While providing a backup source of food for locals, fibre from the stems are used to make
strong ropes.
Number three Arracacha This root vegetable from the Andes, thrives
at elevations of 6000 to 8000 feet or 1800 to 2500 meters.
Also called apio in Venezuela, zanahoria blanca or white carrot in ecuador, virraca in peru,
and mandioquinha or little cassava, batata salsa or parsley potato in brazil.
Speaking of parsley the greens of this tuber are very similar to parsley but may be dark
green or purple in color.
The arracacha is an off white color on the outside but may be white, yellow or purple
on the inside.
This root vegetable is very much a mix of the carrot and celery root.
This starchy taproot which is popular in south america is often grown with companion crops
such as coffee, beans or maize.
This slow growing vegetable takes a full year to develop at which it’ll start to turn
woody if not harvested immediately.
Once harvested it only has a shelf life of 1 week before it goes bad which is why you
won’t find it outside the regions it grows.
This root needs to be cooked to be consumed, it tastes like cabbage, celery and roasted
chestnuts.
It can be made into common potato dishes like mashed potatoes, gnocchi, or formed into dumplings.
Sometimes it’s added to pastries, soups or served as a side dish.
It’s strong flavour profile makes it highly desirable which has found it to be made into
chips, biscuits and flour.
Having four times the calcium of a potato arracacha does the body good.
Number two, Tindora Native to tropical Africa and Asia, the scarlet
gourd and ivy gourd as it’s also called is a considered a noxious weed in hawaii as
this vine can grow up to 4 inches per day.
Having smooth green skin like a cucumber its similar to one on the inside as well.
A big difference between the two, the tindora will develop seeds with a red hue to them.
Big Red a variety of the tindora will have bright red outer skin and inner flesh.
This climbing tropical vine offers a crunchy texture with mildly bitter aftertaste.
As they get more mature they’ll become more soft and sweet.
Measuring 1 - 2 inches or 2.5 to 5 cm long, both the shoots and fruits are edible.
Apart of Thai, Vietnamese and Indian cuisine they are added to curries, stir fries, and
as the main ingredient in chutneys.
The tindora can be eaten raw in a salad, pickled, fermented or candied.
When vinegar and sugar is added they’ll remove the bitter taste.
Tindora soaks up the flavours of a dish it’s within making it a great curry sponge.
High in vitamin a and beta carotene, this veggie is used to treat jaundice and high
blood pressure and also used in Ayurvedic medicine in India.
Number one, Voodoo Lily Hailing from the himalayas and southern india,
the voodoo lily or voodoo bulb gets this name because of its unworldly ability to flower
from a corm or bulby tuber without the aid of soil or water!
A long stock will shoot up and eventually a purple and yellow inflorescence or flower
head will open and emit a strong odor of cow manure and decomposing matter.
Similar to the corpse flower which we covered on another video the stink this flower emits
will draw in bugs with bad taste to pollinate it.
These stinky times only last 2 days at which point an awesome purple corn like structure
will be revealed.
It almost looks like the hala fruit from top 10 fruits episode 1.
Despite it looking awesome it is not edible but highly poisonous.
What is edible of this plant are the roots or tubers.
Someone must have been really hungry to try to eat the root of a plant that smells like
rotting, cow poop.
We're going to have to imagine what these tubers taste like as there is only a research
journal that describes it as being edible but we do know they are eaten as a remedy
for intestinal parasites which is effective for both humans and livestock.
This concludes this episode, if you want to check out the 166 rare fruits and vegetables
I’m planting in my garden this year you can head over to my other channel Earth Monkey
or my taste test channel Usual Foods and until the next one have
a good one.