Edible Bamboo Shoots Orlando

Malory and Tim had a wonderful day May 22nd when Beautiful Bamboo attended the Manatee Rare Fruit Council's 25th Annual Rare Fruit Tree Sale. We were invited by MRFC to enhance the variety of edible plants available with the addition of bamboo.  It was a day of tree-talk and kindred spirits - such a fun time investigating all of the tropical fruit trees for sale and talking with folks about the edibility of bamboo plants. We brought specimens of  Giant Timber (Bambusa oldhamii), Seabreeze (Bambusa Malingensis), Dwarf Buddha Belly (Bambusa vulgaris Wamin), Graceful (Bambusa textilis gracilis) and a few others.

Tim stands with beautiful, young Giant Timber bamboos.

Edible Bamboo Varieties

In the spring and summer, as the new shoots are emerging from the ground, they can be cut, processed and eaten. Traditional in many Asian cuisines like Chinese and Thai, young bamboo shoots are crunchy, fibrous, and starchy-tasting, similar to water chestnuts or potatoes.

While many bamboo species are edible, some varieties of bamboo are tastier than others. We have harvested and enjoyed eating the shoots of Vivax Timber (Phyllostachys vivax), Green Hedge (Bambusa multiplex Silverstripe), Giant Timber (Bambusa oldhamii) and Seabreeze (Bambusa Malingensis).

Emerging Vivax shoots (Phyllostachys vivax).  The small ones on left are ready to harvest.

We have also heard Dendrocalamus asper is a delicious bamboo variety commonly harvested for food in Asia. For a list of choice edible bamboo species, check out Guadua Bamboo's complete list.

Nutritional Value of Bamboo Shoots

As you might expect of a plant food, bamboo is very health-promoting and nutritious. It is low in saturated fat and sodium, and very low in cholesterol. Bamboo is also a good source of dietary fiber, protein, riboflavin and zinc, and a very good source of vitamin B6, potassium, copper and manganese. Despite the good nutrition found in bamboo shoots, one must be cautious of which varieties to eat. Some bamboo varieties contain cyanogenic glycosides, a toxic cyanide. See Preparing below to learn how to safely eat bamboo.

Harvesting Bamboo Shoots

Harvest new bamboo shoots when they are about four to six inches tall. As they grow taller they become more fibrous, so shoots greater than six or so inches tall might be too tough. At six-inches or less, they are still tender to eat. Try to find larger emerging shoots, about 2-3" in diameter, which will have more of the edible flesh inside. You can cut them with a saw or sawzall at or below the ground level.
  

Emerging dentrocalamus shoots Photo credit: digplanet.com/wiki/Dendrocalamus

Malory with freshly cut shoots of Bambusa oldhamii

Preparing Bamboo Shoots

Because some bamboo varieties contain toxic cyanogenic glycosides, it is best to know the species you are preparing. We recommend boiling the shoots for about an hour to 90 minutes, which will render most varieties safe to eat. However, the safest method is to figure out what variety of bamboo you are harvesting, and look it up for edibility.

After boiling, allow shoots to cool to the touch, remove the hard outer skin and cut the pointy top off. Cut shoots lengthwise to expose the soft inner flesh. Chop shoots into desired size and shape, and your bamboo shoots are ready to cook!

Many Thai recipes call for bamboo shoots in curry dishes; they are delicious stir fried with other vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms and carrots. For the Japanese method of preparing bamboo shoots, takenoko akunuki, check out this article from KyotoFoodie.com.

Check out this yummy recipe at A Little Bit Burnt

Not only people love bamboo...

It's true.  I do love bamboo!  I also love all the wildlife I see in and around our many bamboo-covered acres.  Below are a few of my favorite photos of animals - large and small - taking advantage of Beautiful Bamboo.

Blue dragonfly on emerging Vivax aureocaulis  

What to do when canes overhang a neighbor's yard

A customer who planted a hedge of Graceful Clumping Bamboo along his property line several years ago recently wrote with the following question:  

Our clumping bamboo is growing really well, but starting to hang into our neighbors yard,  should I cut the offending canes in the middle or at the ground level to prevent this in the future?

My response:
You can cut the overhanging canes anywhere but I usually like to cut them off at the base for aesthetic reasons.  However, trimming existing canes won't stop new shoots which come up around the base to grow tall and eventually do the same thing - overhanging the neighbor's yard.  The only way to prevent that is to knock over the new shoots coming up on your neighbor's side so they won't grow tall.  When bamboo gets to the stage your has, it needs maintenance once a year.  Remember that the growing season continues through November so new canes will keep coming up.  We suggest doing a pruning once in the late winter before the growing season begins and then knocking over unwanted new shoots as they appear during the spring-summer-fall.

Creating a beautiful bamboo hedge

Two lovely hedges of clumping bamboos

Some of the best bamboos for creating dense living walls of green are in the Bambusa multiplex family of clumping bamboos.  Bambusa multiplex alphonse karr (Golden Hedge), Bambusa multiplex golden goddess (Golden Goddess) and Bambusa multiplex silverstripe (Green Hedge) are all very hardy, broad growing bamboos that make wonderful hedges.  If you wish to create a privacy barrier, buffer sound or block the view to something objectionable, these three bamboos will quickly accomplish your goals. 

Of the three, Green Hedge will get the tallest (35'), Golden Hedge (25') and Golden Goddess tops out between 12' and 15'.  Golden Hedge has golden-yellow canes with green stripes while both Green Hedge and Golden Goddess have green canes. 

Attractive new shoots of Golden Hedge Clumping Bamboo

For variety and attractiveness, we like to mix up the different Multiplex bamboos when creating hedges.  For instance, Golden and Green Hedge look lovely together since both grow to similar heights and have identical shapes.

Green Hedge and Golden Hedge bamboos blend together nicely

The end three bamboos are Golden Goddess next to a line of Golden Hedge bamboo to add variety and interest to the hedge.

Similarly, Golden Goddess, which is shorter than Green or Golden Hedge, works well when placed at the ends of a hedge of either or both of the larger bamboos.  Doing so creates an interesting visual arc when mature without sacrificing privacy.

No matter what types of bamboo you purchase, it is important to include soil amendments and irrigation in your plans.  Bamboo grows best in a rich but light soil (we suggest our custom mix called Bamboo Booster) and likes a high-nitrogen  fertilizer.  Water daily after planting and as often as possible during the first growing season.  

A bamboo teacup

What can you do with bamboo?  How about making teacups?  Here's a photo sent by one of our customer who not only made a set of teacups out of bamboo poles but used a wood burning tool to etch a design into the wood.