Two weeks ago, I talked about why I thought Cotoneaster was a staple-to-be. This week, I talk about how I actually plan to lead the Cotoneaster to its full potential: Diamond in the Rough - by A. Potentilla - Urban Food Forest
1 Like
I’ve never tried it, how is it? It can function similar to a potato?
I would say it’s mostly bland in flavour, but I have C. nummularius seeds in a pot outside, which I’m hoping will germinate. Those ones are traditionally eaten by a culture in Pakistan so I’m guessing they’ll be nicer.
Cotoneaster as a whole is similar in caloric content as a potato, and is more nutritious in some ways. The blandness works in its favour if you treat it like a staple crop, like I’ve been describing on my articles.
Hard to imagine a cotoneaster fruit the size of an apple. Great project. We’ve sown lots of chestnuts as a potential perennial staple but they’re a pain to process. Still, if you’re hungry …
1 Like
The beauty of Cotoneaster as a staple is the lack of shell, but then you trade off with the cyanogenic glycosides which need to be processed away (cooking, fermented etc).