Have you ever taken a college botany course? If not, it’s typical to be expected to learn 100 plants in a semester. How many of those do you think you would remember? Maybe 6, if youʻre lucky? Basically, people always want more but don’t have the bandwidth to remember much. It speaks to the way …
Strawberry Guava originates from southeastern Brazil and northeastern Uruguay. It is labeled as the most problematic invasive species in Hawai’i, with over 350,000 acres occupied. Known as waiawī in Hawaiian, the fruits are prized for their taste and powerful antioxidants. The leaves are also rich in aromatic compounds, making this plant potent as an anti-inflammatory …
Now growing from 30°N to 30°S around the globe, Wild Amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus) originates from the lowland parts of tropical Central and South America. It is a highly valued food, and some of its medicinal benefits are as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain relief). Due to its invasiveness our focus is on Spiny Amaranth, but …
Haole Koa is native to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It is an aggressive colonizer and nearly everyone living in Hawaiʻi has Haole Koa growing nearby, as well as many people living in tropical and subtropical locations around the globe. Leucaena leucocephala is its scientific name, and it is also known as …
Butterfly Ginger originates from the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. Here at Savage Kitchen we use one name “Butterfly Ginger” to describe 3 different plants: Kāhili Ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum), White Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium), and Yellow Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium flavescens). All 3 are very closely related and can be used interchangeably. As the name suggests, …
Spanish Needles is native to the tropical and subtropical Americas. It can now be found in tropical and subtropical locations around the globe, even extending into temperate regions. Botanists go back and forth on how to classify Spanish Needles, as Bidens pilosa and Bidens alba are so similarly related that they can be used interchangeably …
Java Plum originates from the Indian subcontinent and South Asia. Known as the “Fruit of the Gods” to Buddhists, Hindus and Jains, they are prized for their rich purple magenta color and considered a sacred tree. Syzygium cumini is its scientific botanical name, and it can now be found in tropical and subtropical locations …
Pickleweed (Batis maritima), also called ʻākulikuli kai in Hawai’i, is a succulent creeping shrub within the Bataceae family. It is native to tropical and subtropical America as well as the Galapagos Islands, and is commonly known as saltwort or pickleweed. B. maritima was accidentally introduced, and first collected on Sand Island in Hawai’i in 1859. …
Aloha! Did you know that there is an abundance of pickleweed (Batis maritima) at all times of the year in Hawai’i that is begging you (or at least I am LOL) to forage. You can add to many of your staple meals for a nice salty punch! The leaves, stems, seeds and roots are edible …
The Haole Koa Hui formed during the past month, with weekly foraging and processing of Leucaena leucocephala, in preparation for the addition of Haole Koa in the Savage Kitchen App coming to July!! It takes moments to forage something, but hours to process in quantity. This work, of reclaiming responsibility for feeding ourselves, is so …
