Author Topic: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods  (Read 3957 times)

TheVeggieProfessor

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10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« on: September 04, 2022, 08:20:11 AM »
In the vein of living more sustainably, I've been buying more local food and growing more and more of my own food. It's easy to find locally and grow your own "nutrition" crops, like green leafies. I can also find local fruits easily. But staple foods are harder to come by. So now I am growing my own annual staple crops (e.g., sweet potatoes, cassava, etc.). But I am more interested in perennials; tree and shrub crops. Here's what I have going on right now and what I have in mind.

Currently:
Jackfruit (for the seeds)
Pigeon pea
Bananas

Potential:
Macadamia
Oyster nut

Any other ideas for perennial crops that can provide meaningful amounts of calories and macronutrients like carbs, proteins, and fats that grow in my climate?

skhan

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2022, 08:45:34 AM »
Breadfruit grows pretty well down here at this point.
The occasional cold spell trims it for you.
Just plant it in a more protected spot.

Green jack fruit can be used as a vegetable in addition to the seeds

Avocado (you can pretty much get this year around here)
Akee

I would also consider something like mamey,
It's a pretty filling fruit

Maybe malabar chestnut

roblack

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2022, 09:12:09 AM »
moringa

kalan

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2022, 12:20:03 PM »
katuk

Galatians522

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2022, 01:33:50 PM »
I saw an oil palm growing well at the Fruit and Spice Park. It would likely produce all the oil you needed in a year. Peach palm (probably should be named Pumpkin Palm), coconut palm, and the Sago Palm (not to be confused with the Sago Cycad) are grown as staple crops on their respective countries of origin. Not sure if any of these would fit in with your plans.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2022, 09:10:24 PM by Galatians522 »

1rainman

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2022, 02:36:38 PM »
Peanuts grow in Florida. Sugar cane.

pagnr

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2022, 03:39:12 PM »
Having travelled /lived off the grid in Nth Qld, on and off when I was younger, suggest the following.
Taro
green papaya
pumpkin
avocado
sweet potato for tubers and leaves
These have some storage potential, at least a week and upwards with taro and pumpkin
Breadfruit was suggested, don't forget Breadnut, the type with seeds.
Jackfruit was suggested. As I remember Chempadak has better tasting seeds.
Marang and Pedali have really nice crab tasting roasted seeds.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2022, 06:22:40 PM by pagnr »

CarolinaZone

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2022, 05:08:58 PM »
Sweet potatoes, Okra, malabar spinach.
Katuk? Don't you have to boil that stuff and pour off the water because of some cyanide compound? I not sure about them greens.

TheVeggieProfessor

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2022, 06:19:49 PM »
Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I already have pretty much all of the perennial vegetables (except for Chaya - the one that CarolinaZone was referring to - which has to be boiled before it is safe to consume).

Among everything that was mentioned, I'm really interested in breadfruit, though I don't have the biggest yard and already have a lot of trees. Is 12x12 feasible for a breadfruit tree?

Malabar chestnut is super interesting, but I know it contains a fatty acid that is toxic and a possible carcinogen. Of course, the dose makes the poison.


Breadnut is also very interesting but, as far as I'm aware, is pretty marginal for my climate. I also don't know how I would go about finding a tree. 8-10 years is a long wait if going by seed. Plus, these are gigantic trees and I doubt I have the space. Could this one be maintained around 12x12?

I have an avocado and mamey, which were mentioned.

TheVeggieProfessor

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2022, 07:58:13 AM »
Another thought. Not food but I use soap every day. In the vein of sustainable living, growing my own soap would be valuable. Does anyone have experience with soapberry? I know I’ll need a male and female. I wonder how small these trees can be maintained while still fruiting?

FMfruitforest

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2022, 12:06:20 PM »
In Downtown Fort Myers off MLK man there grows collard greens year round on his driveway, I was able to keep mine till May, I think the trick is to give them some shade during summer. In Georgia they also grow collards year round.

pineislander

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #11 on: September 05, 2022, 09:15:39 PM »
I don't think you can beat Orinoco banana or dwarf plantain for a staple crop, except they do take up a lot of room.

Galatians522

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #12 on: September 05, 2022, 09:58:08 PM »
I don't think you can beat Orinoco banana or dwarf plantain for a staple crop, except they do take up a lot of room.

I once read an account of an explorer in South America who was rescued by the natives. Green bananas (probably Orinoco) and Cassava were the two staple crops they grew. Great recommendation!

FMfruitforest

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #13 on: September 06, 2022, 07:25:42 AM »
Muntingia Calabura fruits just about year round here, produces lots of small fruits

FMfruitforest

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #14 on: September 06, 2022, 07:37:57 AM »
Starfruit also a must for year round fruits

FMfruitforest

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #15 on: September 06, 2022, 12:16:39 PM »
Nutritional value of Black Sapote , also loaded with vitamins not mentioned, single fruiting tree can crop 1000+ fruit in winter season,
Calories: 111cal
Protein: 2.6g
Dietary Fiber: 15g
Carbohydrates: 34g
Calcium: 19.5mg
Sodium: 10 mg
Magnesium: 25.5mg
Phosphorus: 42mg
Potassium: 344 mg
Iron: 0.3mg
Fat: 0.8g
Vitamin A: 420IU
Vitamin C: 22mg
Also adding other southern fruiting persimmons to list, they crop heavy and loaded with vitamins and nutrients, non processed.

TylerTheTrout

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #16 on: September 06, 2022, 12:22:35 PM »
SWFL here growing lots of perrenials:

Chaya
Lemongrass
Long Leaf Hibiscus
Katuk (grows like a weed and sprouts everywhere, kinda a pain)
Longivity/Okinowan Spinach/Sisso leaf Spinach
Pigeon Pea
Bananas
Pineapple
Seminole Pumpkin
Cassava
Sweet potato
Sugar cane
Jicama
Read some of David the Goods books about Florida Survival Gardening, great reads with tons of information on our climate zone.
Dont forget Coconuts are a staple food all around the tropical zones of Earth, grow em!
« Last Edit: September 06, 2022, 12:25:27 PM by TylerTheTrout »

pagnr

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #17 on: September 06, 2022, 07:16:30 PM »
From Papua New Guinea
Pit Pit
 https://yandinacommunitygardens.com.au/pit-pit/
Rungia
https://www.hishtil.com/our-products/herbs/vegetative-herbs/rungia-klossii/

Also Sweet Leaf plant
https://yandinacommunitygardens.com.au/sweet-leaf-sauropus-androgynous/

Heat free " Habanero" type Capsicum chinense varieties can be very productive. Anybody growing these ?
There was a large red one like a tropical capsicum. Called Choco maybe ??

To TheVeggieProfessor, thanks for this topic.

pineislander

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #18 on: September 07, 2022, 08:19:38 AM »

Heat free " Habanero" type Capsicum chinense varieties can be very productive. Anybody growing these ?
There was a large red one like a tropical capsicum. Called Choco maybe ??
This one is commercially grown across the Caribbean islands and central america. I have found it to be very good bears right through rains and droughts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuMWC7P2Tn8&t

TheVeggieProfessor

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #19 on: September 07, 2022, 11:54:31 AM »
I appreciate the great discussion on this thread. I wonder how well rollinia fits the bill as a staple food? I hear it's very filling.

Jamaican strawberry came up as an option for a berry that - although not very filling - produces most of the year. Has anyone tried to dehydrate these? I wonder how they would work for an on-the-go snack. Mulberries are also a good choice as far as I can tell for an easy to produce berry. Berries won't fill you up, but they pack a lot of nutrition.


pagnr

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #20 on: September 07, 2022, 06:32:17 PM »
I wonder how well rollinia fits the bill as a staple food? I hear it's very filling.

I never found the desert Tropical fruits very filling.
Some other people probably didn't either, as they could eat quite a few at a sitting.
Exception is probably Pouteria campechiana, Canistel, Yellow Sapote, because of its dense texture.
Maybe Diospyros, Black Sapote too, not overly sweet.
Avocado yes because of its oil content. Durian is a yes.
( watery light flesh tropical Avocados not as filling as Hass type varieties )
Dabai, Canarium odontophyllum which is something like a cross of Avocado and olive was very filling.


Pine islander, thanks for the link for Capsicum chinense, Ají Dulce en el Huerto, I knew about Aji Dulce, but that's a new one.
« Last Edit: September 07, 2022, 07:37:24 PM by pagnr »

Satya

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #21 on: September 07, 2022, 06:44:29 PM »
Katuk? Don't you have to boil that stuff and pour off the water because of some cyanide compound? I not sure about them greens.
you're mixing it up with bamboo shoots. Katuk has no cyanide but has some papaverine-like compound that could be bad for the lungs in high concentrated volumes. [size=78%]https://www.eattheweeds.com/edible-katuk-sauropus-androgynus-2/[/size] but in small amounts is safe to eat even raw and has lots of nutritional benefits.


Add cowpea to the list; it's not perennial but grows so well here for me - I got Red Ripper variety a long time ago in a bulk swap, planted seeds in the poorest location just to empty my drawer, and it surprised me with fast and generous crop. I've been growing it every summer with great results. It flourishes and produces in summer, which is one of very few veggies/beans that does so here in the 10b summer heat.

I was also able to perennialize Italian vegetable dandelions here in my raised beds. Some die after a season, but some grow a huge taproot that survives in well-draining soil. They are one of my favorite salad greens.
« Last Edit: September 07, 2022, 06:48:58 PM by Satya »

David H

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #22 on: September 07, 2022, 10:39:27 PM »
Achira. (Canna edulis )

Jordan321

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #23 on: September 08, 2022, 08:25:00 AM »
I've been lurking a while, but feel I have to should say thanks to Veggie Prof for this thread.  I'm in Melbourne, Florida trying to get exactly this kind of thing going in my little yard.  Ya'll are adding lots to my lists.
Somebody already mentioned D the G so thought I'd share something he would likely add.
Whatever you do, stay away from true yams (Dioscorea family).  They grow so easily that they are horribly invasive.  If you aren't careful, everywhere you look there will be a vine with a big edible root under it.  It would be terrible.

TheVeggieProfessor

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Re: 10b (south florida) perennial staple foods
« Reply #24 on: September 08, 2022, 10:38:57 AM »

Whatever you do, stay away from true yams (Dioscorea family).  They grow so easily that they are horribly invasive.  If you aren't careful, everywhere you look there will be a vine with a big edible root under it.  It would be terrible.

Good point. You have to stay on top of collecting the bulbils. There are varities (I've seen for sale on cody cove farms) that do not produce bulbils - so that would be the way if growing yams.

Cody cove also sells a variety of chayote that is thorny and tastes like a potato - not sure if it's just the flavor or if it in fact has higher calories.

I posted about this initially, but based on my research, it seems like oyster nuts are underrated as a staple crop for tropical/subtropical climates. A vining species that produces an abundance of easily stored and nutritious nuts. Cuttings would be preferred over seeds since you need a male and a female and won't know which is which for I think a year and a half, but I haven't been able to track them down. Going to figure out a trellising system and start from seed. Excited to give it a try. They produce for 20 years I think. The nuts are encased within a pumpkin looking thing, so my hope is the squirrels don't give too much trouble (especially if I plant them in the front yard making it difficult to add the squirrels as a sustainable protein source to my diet).