Gardening – What Are Perennial Foods?

Perennial foods, on the whole, are low maintenance sources of food once they’ve been established and their production can be improved with a little tender loving care. Many perennials will be in our backyard trees and/or landscaping. Their form can be very ranging from bulbs to berries, it’s to trees and bushes.  When thinking of perennial foods, we must keep an open mind. Many edible foods are ignored by commercial markets, even though, many if not all were eaten by media and/or ancient peoples throughout history.

Please keep in mind that what is a perennial in your area is dictated by your area USDA Plant Hardiness Zone and the hardiness range of the plant itself.

Here is a starter list, which I will update as I have more time.

Alliums

• Bunching onions
• Chinese leeks
• Chives
• Elephant Garlic
• Egyptian Walking Onions
• Common Garlic
• Garlic Chives
• Potato Onions
• Shallot

Berries

• Cranberry
• Grapes
• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Elderberry
• Gooseberry
• Huckleberry
• Musk Strawberry
• Raspberry
• Salmonberry
• Strawberry
• Turkscap

Bushes & Shrub

• Autumn Olive
• Blueberry
• Cherry
• Gooseberries
• Lingonberry
• Nanking Cherry
• Sea Buckthorns

Cactus

• Prickly Pear Cactus

Cereals

• Perennial Buckwheat
• Pearl Millet
• Indian Ricegrass

Herbs

• Angelica
• Anise Hyssop
• Balm (Lemon Balm)
• Basil (Holy Basil, African Blue)
• Bunching onions
• Burnet
• Chicory
• Common Oregano ( aka wild marjoram)
• Egyptian Walking Onions
• French Tarragon
• Ginger
• Horseradish
• Lavender
• Lovage
• Marsh Mello
• Mexican Oregano
• Mint
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Sorrel
• Tarragon
• Thyme
• Winter Savory
• Yarrow

Edible Flowers

• Bee Balm
• Elderberry Flower
• Hibiscus
• Mint
• Purple Coneflower
• Rose Hips and Flowers
• Saffron Crocus
• Turkscap

Fruit Trees

• Apricot
• Apple
• Mulberry
• Cherry
• Fig
• Loquat
• Nectarine
• Pawpaw
• Peach
• Pear (Asian)
• Pear (European)
• Persimmon
• Plum
• Pomegranate
• Quince
• Sour Cherry

Grasses

• Bamboo
• lemongrass

Legumes

• Kudzu Bean
• Winged Bean
• Honey locust Tree
• Mesquite Tree
• Pigeon Pea
• Scarlet Runner

Nut Trees

• Almond
• Black Walnut
• English Walnut
• Hazelnut
• Pecan

Vegetables and Greens

• Angelica
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Cardoon
• Fennel
• Rhubarb
• Seakale

Vines

• Chayote (Squash)
• Common Grape (European)
• Fox Grape
• Muscadine Grape

Many perennial Forage Foods sources are available, also.