Edible Hosta Plants

HostasHosta Plants are often used for landscaping because of their large decorative leaves. They are perennials that re-emerge each year and require very little care. They prefer partial shade but can grow in lighter and darker environments as well. They are not native to North America but were introduced in the 1800s via Europe from the Orient and there are many varieties. I mention hostas as an edible because they can be a fall-back food source should food supply lines become interrupted, meanwhile they can grace your yard with beauty. They may be also known as Plantain Lilies because of their leaves are ribbed, similar to native plantain plants.

All parts of the plant are edible but the emerging shoots in Springtime are preferred. You can eat them raw or you can roast them by adding olive oil, salt, and pepper. You can determine the temp and time to your liking and fork test them for “doneness”. It should be noted that the composition of the plant may cause some children to have stomach cramps. They are not good for dogs, cats, and horses, but deer absolutely love them!

Foragers will suggest that it’s best to just do partial harvesting to ensure regrowth for the future. I like to suggest landscaping with edible plants, and hosta plants are a great mainstay for emergency situations.

Bookmark and Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Current ye@r *