(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Climate Crisis: Heat-tolerant food crops [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-17 As the Climate Crisis unfolds around us, we need to be thinking about what we might eat in the future. I expect my region, Central Texas, to transition from a warm/hot temperate climate to a dry subtropical climate, possibly even during my lifetime. It already gets too hot and dry here for a lot of normal food crops to grow easily. I’m looking at various subtropical and heat-tolerant food crops to see if I can learn to grow them here and incorporate them into our diet. The Plants Opuntia ficus-indica “Burbank Spineless” Prickly Pear Cactus, Nopal This has been by far the most successful subtropical food plant I’m growing. I got my starts from a planting beside the road over a decade ago. Extremely easy to grow from cuttings in well-drained soil. It won’t produce tender pads unless irrigated in this climate but it doesn’t need much water. At this latitude it enjoys a little shade and will even grow in dense shade even though information claims it to be “shade intolerant.” It can survive hard freezes if somewhat protected. Flavor is like a slightly sour green bean, but extremely slimy like okra. I’ve been using it as a substitute for green bell pepper in various recipes. Blanch to destroy the tiny spine-like hairs called glochids, chop into half inch chunks, and saute’ to decrease the slime. Brazilian Spinach Alternanthera sissoo Brazilian Spinach, Sissoo This plant also grows easily and abundantly but does require water. It is a mild-tasting green that can be eaten raw or cooked. It is not frost-hardy but may survive a warm winter by going dormant. I lost all of mine in last winter’s hard freeze, so had to repurchase. This fall I will pot some up and bring them inside. Edible Canna Canna edulis Edible Canna, Achira, Queensland Arrowroot I’ve been growing this for years but not actually eaten it yet. My garden soil is a little too heavy for it to develop large tubers but I’m hopeful that eventually I may do better with it. Can be used as a potato substitute. It is quite drought-tolerant but prefers more water. It freezes to the ground in winter. Taro Colocasia esculenta Taro, Dasheen, Eddo A staple crop in many warm areas of the planet. Roots and leaves are edible but must be cooked thoroughly to denature toxic oxalic acid crystals in the plant tissues. I made traditional poi from it for my Dad, who was born in Hawaii, but we didn’t like it. I grow mine in tubs because it likes a lot of water. Moringa Moringa oleifera Moringa, Drumstick Tree A very fast-growing tree which makes edible leaves and seed-pods which smell and taste of horseradish. The flavor is not strong, and the leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Easy to grow from seed, does not require much water, and loves extremely hot weather. It will freeze to the ground in winter and the young trees must be protected. Papaya Carica papaya Papaya I’m excited to be growing several Papaya plants from seed. I don’t know if I can get them to bearing age before it freezes, and I don’t know if I will be able to protect them sufficiently to get them over the winter. They need some shade and extra water, but seem to love the hot temperatures. Garlic Chives Allium tuberosum Garlic Chives, Chinese Chives This onion relative is absolutely unkillable in my climate. Utterly drought tolerant, heat and cold tolerant. It is neither a chives nor a garlic substitute, but has its own unique flavor and odor. I should probably cook with it more often because we have loads of it. Cassava Manihot esculenta Cassava, Yuca I’ve been growing Cassava for a couple years. I think this plant has good potential in my climate. Our soil is a bit heavy for it, but with a little improvement we should be able to get decent harvests. This is another of those toxic staple plants that must be cooked to denature the toxic property, in this case cyanide. The roots contain tremendous amounts of calories but little other nutrients. A good potato substitute. Sweet Potato Ipomoea batatas Sweet Potato, Yam Easy to grow in fluffy rich soil with a little water. Drought tolerant once established. Both leaves and tubers are edible. My soil is heavy so we get more leaves than tubers. May survive a freezing winter and return when temperatures warm. So far my biggest challenge has been incorporating more of the easier to grow crops into our diet. I’m doing much better this year than previously. It’s just a matter of experimentation. Sources Green Dreams Florida nursery with an online store. Papaya, Cassava, Brazilian Spinach, and other fascinating subtropical and tropical plants Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Moringa seeds [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/17/2247098/-Climate-Crisis-Heat-tolerant-food-crops?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/