Wild Tater

One of the few leafy greens (not to mention the massive root, obviously) in the cabbage family that is truly perennial. Spicy, healthy, and one of the easiest herbs to grow!

It looks like something from the rainforest, but provides a popular tart Mediterranean spice. And let’s not forget to mention that when they’re green, they’re totally gorgeous!

They’re cute, they’re tasty, and they can grow almost anywhere! Why wouldn’t you want this food forest pioneer? Just don’t get poked…

The grape of the high desert mountains! If you struggle to grow other berries, you’ve got to at least try this one… they’re hardy, tasty, and lushly abundant producers.

So beautiful! So versatile! So tasty… and yes, it has that wonderful anise “licorice” flavor that we all love—or should, if we don’t.

Good for more than Nutella (which, by the way, you can make at home with roasted hazelnuts!), hazelnuts are one of the best nuts for the food forest.

Like yams, but too cold to grow them? Love yams but hate to have to kill your plant to harvest them? You’ve come to the right place, my friend! Possibly the best crop to qualify as a wild potato—or wild tater!

For those unfamiliar with Asian pears, picture a fruit with the shape of an apple, the color and texture of a pear, but the flavor of an extra-juicy spiced pear. Plus they sell for top dollar at the grocery store and farmer’s market.

A true perennial among onions, and let’s face it, they just look cool!

Also known as Mexican elderberry or tapiro, this is possibly the tastiest of the elderberries.