Anyone want to start a GTS Hollyhock landrace (Alcea rosea & + other interspecies crosses)?
We domesticate Hollyhocks not just for beauty for the edibility too!
Apparently different flowers colors have different flavors (More noticeable when dried) with the black color having the best tasting sweet marshmallow flavor!
The seeds are also edible and can be used like a pseudo grain. Maybe we can select for bigger seeds? the husk doesn’t seem to get in the way too much.
The tender leaves are edible but the mature ones have a rough sand-paper texture, Common Weedy Mallows like that of Malva neglecta seem to be better suited for edible leaves. However I think it’s totally possible to landrace hollyhocks for better leaf texture. The youngest Hollyhock leaves are nice without a texture issue. Flavor is nice typical mucilaginous mallow flavor.
The Flower & Fruit buds are similar to Okra or like a bigger version of Mallow Cheese wheels (A fun little wild edible foraging treat, but just bigger). Makes me wonder how big we can domesticate these little cheese wheels (In shape not cheese-like flavor).
The roots are also apparently edible, relatively big, easy to dig out and have a similar flavor to carrots but more spongey & easier to cook. This makes sense because Hollyhocks are very closely related to True Marshmallows (Althea officinalis). In fact, Alcea and Marshmallow are sister genera. Check this Phylogenic tree.
This makes me think, are hollyhocks pretty much a bigger more beautiful version of the marshmallow plant? It would interesting to explore crossing & grafting both of them.
Anyone growing Hollyhocks or Marshmallows? maybe we can generate enough excitment to jump start a community landrace! The Potential for hollyhocks are HUGE! Sadly so much of it is overlooked, like a crop everyone just sleeps on.
Yes, I plan to continue to grow both. Marshmallow grew so big last time I had to take it out of the raised bed. I didn’t expect it to be so big. Starting over now. Hollyhock comes up on its own but is very short compared to the original seed I had. I haven’t thought to graft them. I I grow the hollyhock for the edible flower. I’ll get seed from out group to get more colors. The black seed I had didn’t come up. I’ll look for more.
I’d be interested, but I haven’t had any success with growing marshmallow. Hollyhocks yes, they are tall and handsome. Moringa Mama, do you have any growing tips for me for the marshmallow?
I have a neighbor who grows marshmallow. I believe she keeps it in a shady spot and waters it every day. I don’t know if she ever gets seeds out of it; I suspect not, because she harvests the roots for medicinal purposes regularly.
I’ve found that the darker the color, the stronger the marshmallow flavor of hollyhock flowers tends to be. White flowers have no flavor at all; light pink has a tiny bit; dark pink has a fair amount; black has the most. They all taste like marshmallow; it’s just a question of how much flavor they have. This is based on my personal experience in my neighborhood, so it’s possible other ecotypes may exhibit different flavors.
However, white rose of sharon flowers seem to have a decent marshmallow taste, despite their color. So that’s interesting! Rose of sharon is another edible mallow, a very cold-hardy bush in the Hibiscus genus. It’s very popular as an ornamental in xeriscaped areas here, so it’s probably very drought tolerant. It has all kinds of potential, too.
Common mallow is delicious as it is. I’d probably select for flowers that are sweeter (presumably meaning more nectar in them?) if I noticed that trait available. And higher vigor and productivity are always desirable. But they’re already very vigorous and productive, so I think they’re already great as a crop. It will grow anywhere. It tastes best in winter, when the leaves are soft and sweet. In summer, the leaves tend to get rougher and almost flavorless. (In my climate. Most species’ leaves do that here.) It behaves like an evergreen perennial here, just like hollyhocks.
Linden leaves are nice. I haven’t tried the roasting and grinding the seeds to make “chocolate” yet. But since that’s supposed to be possible, selecting linden based on seed size and flavor seems good.
Scarlet globemallow is tasty. The flowers are a bit sweeter than common mallow, and it’s extremely drought tolerant. It’s happy in full sun with very little water.
Turk’s cap mallow has very nice tasting, smooth leaves with no sandpapery texture. I haven’t tried the fruits yet, but they’re supposed to taste a bit like a mild apple. It is said to like dry shade.
Hmm… are Hollyhocks just more adaptable than marshmallow? If so crossing both can bridge the adaptability gap and bring much needed adaptability genes into Marshmallow.
I hope you or someone else gives it a try, I feel it has Big potential (Especially seedling grafts for maximum Horizontal Gene Flow mentor effect)!
Interesting… like even bigger than Hollyhocks?
Wouldn’t she run out eventually?
Rose of Sharon is another Hibiscus, different section from the typical super flavorful sour cranberry or rossel hibiscus (The genus is like a tribe of it’s own, similar to the mega huge Solanum genus). Rosemallows are also a Hibiscus, including Okra! SAltho I’ve eaten Rose of Sharon flowers, they are no more flavorful than Swamp Rosemallow flowers. Granted I ate fresh ones off the plant, maybe a different story when dried?
Have you also tried nibbling the unfolding buds? Very delicious too!
Linden trees are litterally the “vegans will just eat grass & trees” meme in real life! It’s an epic Salad tree!
Now that’s surprising! Sweeter than Common Mallow? More nectar? Or maybe the orange flower petals offer a unique flavor not found elsewhere?
Interesting, that one is also another Hibiscus (Phylogenically should be, taxonomy is slow)!
I think marshmallow is perennial, so she probably isn’t worried about running out. She also probably doesn’t mind buying seeds again to start again if she does.
The scarlet globemallow flowers I tasted were similar to common mallow flowers, just maybe 20% sweeter. It wasn’t a huge difference, but it was a pleasant one. Less moisture in the plant to dilute the sweetness, maybe? Scarlet globemallow is incredibly drought tolerant, and it was growing in a place with poor soil. I’ll have to see what they’re like when I grow the species in my own yard, which has nicer soil (but just as little irrigation as the wild field where I found a scarlet globemallow, ha ha ha).
I lived in a colder place when I planted the marshmallow, Ojai which is near Ventura but higher altitude. Now we are back in Vista, San Diego county where it is much warmer. I just planted seeds and they grew. No special care.I did get native soil from the yard to fill the raised bed but now store bought soil.
Thanks, Moringa. I was wondering if there was a certain soil type or other very specific conditions it would need, but it looks like it should be quite straight forward. I’ve tried sowing marshmallow twice, 2x no luck… but I’ll definitely try again in the future.
But if the roots are harvested, won’t it stop being perennial? I assume not all roots are harvested right?
I don’t know how marshmallow roots multiple underground.
Maybe… but if it’s able to flower well in dry conditions, it’s a keeper!
Other than slightly sweeter flowers, do other parts taste better too?
You can harvest a few side roots from a hollyhock plant without digging up the whole thing (and the same thing is true of many root vegetables), so I assume you can do the same thing with marshmallow.
I seem to recall I thought the leaves of the scarlet globemallow I found had a pleasant flavor; I don’t remember if they were better or worse (or about the same) as common mallow, though. I bought seeds, so hopefully I’ll be able to report more about the species next year.
Less moisture in the plant to dilute the sweetness, maybe? Scarlet globemallow is incredibly drought tolerant, and it was growing in a place with poor soil. I’ll have to see what they’re like when I grow the species in my own yard, which has nicer soil (but just as little irrigation as the wild field where I found a scarlet globemallow, ha ha ha).