i'm -thanks god!!!- back in the tropics now(top end of OZ) and as we have wet season right now the bamboo(both the one native species and the introduced ones in t he gardens) have lots of young shoots. as my search was without result: can anybody tell me how to prepare them for eating and if you can eat all species or only certain ones (and how do you know which one?)? thanks!
questions about bamboo shoots
- Thread starter forrestdweller
- Start date
BOD
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
As far as I know, all bamboo is edible as it is a grass.
Some will be sweeter other bitter. Some are avoided by natives simply because of the bitterness. Dendrocalamus is popular here.
Depending on size the growing tip should be nice and tender for about a foot from the tip. Experiment. Cut one off, peel it and test the consistency - that will give you an idea. No harm if you include harder material when you cook it.
Once you know roughly, peel wash and chop and add to your soups.
Try the various species and let us know which are bitter and which are not
Some will be sweeter other bitter. Some are avoided by natives simply because of the bitterness. Dendrocalamus is popular here.
Depending on size the growing tip should be nice and tender for about a foot from the tip. Experiment. Cut one off, peel it and test the consistency - that will give you an idea. No harm if you include harder material when you cook it.
Once you know roughly, peel wash and chop and add to your soups.
Try the various species and let us know which are bitter and which are not
thanks for the answers; will do some testing and hopefully soon (depending when i get internet access) let you folks know about my results
Been thinking of this one as I cleared out round one of the little ponds in my garden. I plonked a root of Greater Reedmace in there a couple of years ago to keep it in good order til I got around to eating it, and it thrived 
Anyone know if the growing new shoots of it can be sliced and cooked like bamboo ? The root and the pollen are certainly edible
cheers,
Toddy
Anyone know if the growing new shoots of it can be sliced and cooked like bamboo ? The root and the pollen are certainly edible
cheers,
Toddy
If you mean the "sausage-onna-stick" one (Cattail,bulrush,reed mace) then the following is taken from "Wild food for Free" by Jonathan HiltonBeen thinking of this one as I cleared out round one of the little ponds in my garden. I plonked a root of Greater Reedmace in there a couple of years ago to keep it in good order til I got around to eating it, and it thrived
Anyone know if the growing new shoots of it can be sliced and cooked like bamboo ? The root and the pollen are certainly edible
I'm surprised reed mace doesn't seem to get mentioned in "Food for Free" by Richard Maybe (at least not in the Collins gem edition)
HTH
Thanks for the infomation That's a lot of food Why doesn't Britain make more of our Wetland foodstuffs ?
They're native, they grow easily, they're very good food.
cheers,
M
Why doesn't Britain make more of our Wetland foodstuffs ?
They're native, they grow easily, they're very good food.
cheers,
M
Some more ideas from PFAF: http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/edibpond.php
Personally I'd stick to native British plants and perhaps common escapees.
And they're wet, muddy and labour intensive to harvest...Why doesn't Britain make more of our Wetland foodstuffs ?
They're native, they grow easily, they're very good food.
McCattail burger anyone?
But, well, so's rice
or is it just cheap labour that makes it easily available to us here ?
No reason that Reed mace couldn't be planted in rows like huge rice plants in paddys.
cheers,
M
or is it just cheap labour that makes it easily available to us here ?
No reason that Reed mace couldn't be planted in rows like huge rice plants in paddys.
cheers,
M
o.k. here's the result of my experiments(so far): i used the shoots of bamboosa arnhemica(the native bamboo of northern australia) which has ca. half-inch-thick shoots and of a unknown variety from my friends garden which is thicker and also has some fine itchy hairs on the new growth(i burned them of over the fire before cooking)
i chopped them in short sections which placed in my billy and boiled them for ca. 15min.; the water was strained away and the result tasted a bit like asparagus(the lower ends were rather chewey and required stong jaw muscles...)
i chopped them in short sections which placed in my billy and boiled them for ca. 15min.; the water was strained away and the result tasted a bit like asparagus(the lower ends were rather chewey and required stong jaw muscles...)
I noticed this video the other day, how to pick and prep bamboo shoots about 2.10 mins in.
http://www.youtube.com/v/9Ggwa5irxmg&hl=en&fs=1
http://www.youtube.com/v/9Ggwa5irxmg&hl=en&fs=1
