You know the saying: “Waste not, want not.” I’m passionate about not wasting things, and edible leaves are a part of that. I’m not sure what started my interest except that I’m passionate about making the most of everything. It seems to be a life theme.

So as I began discovering that there are foods all around us, many of which are edible and medicinal, and yet so often go unnoticed, trod and trampled, I was hooked!

Now it seems I can’t go anywhere in the yard or on a hike without wondering and asking about virtually every leaf in the yard and garden, “I wonder if this is edible?”. 

What leaves do you eat that aren’t a part of the usual usage for that plant? Let us know and we’re glad to add it here.

The foods in nature vastly exceed those in the produce section.

A Passion for Salvaging – AKA “Dumpster Dive” Trauma

Perhaps my passion for not wasting can be traced back to my one “dumpster diving” experience at around age five.

Well… it wasn’t actually a dumpster. Rather, it was the kitchen trash can at my grandfather’s house… my mom’s dad. At that time, there were three residents: my grandfather, his mother—my great grandmother, granny—and my young adult cousin. 

As I entered the kitchen from the dining room side as my cousin exited through the other door to the hallway, I spotted the kitchen trash can with a treasure in it. It was a perfectly good mustard and mayonnaise sandwich… without even a bit taken from it. While I’d never yet had a mustard mayo sandwich, I knew I like all three of those: bread, mustard and mayonnaise. 

What was he thinking?!? Why would anyone throw away a perfectly good sandwich?!? It made no sense to me so I reached to salvage that sandwich and was standing there by the trash can taking a bite when my Granny entered the room.

That was the end of my “dumpster diving” career… stopped before it started. 

Can You Eat Vegetable Leaves?

There are many vegetable from other than the popular leafy plants like lettuce, chard, garlic and onions, that have edible leaves.

The first year we returned to gardening, reignited my passion for discovering all the edible leaves and things in our yard and garden. Seeing broccoli growing with those big beautiful green leaves, I wondered:

Why don’t more people eat broccoli greens? We only see broccoli flowers in the store yet broccoli greens taste great cooked or raw in slaw and salads. Cruciferous greens like cauliflower and broccoli leaves, could withstand the stress of shipping and extra time from harvest to consumption. Why do we eat collards, and see those in the stores, but seldom see broccoli, cauliflower or kohlrabi greens?

Well the answer in the case of cruciferous greens like those from broccoli and cauliflower, likely has to do with the fact that you don’t want to overharvest them or you’ll interfere with the broccoli vegetable from becoming all that it can be. So from that perspective, it makes sense to mostly harvest the leaves of leafy plants like lettuce, spinach, collards and kale for commercial crops and sales.

However, home gardeners can regularly but sparsely harvest vegetable leaves for additional food and nutrients to add to soups, salads, sandwiches, and stir fry. These greens can be used in pretty much the same way that you’d use spinach, collards, chard and kale.

Gardeners can harvest approximately ~20% of the leaves of non-leafy vegetable plants for additional food and nutrients.

NOTE: This is an article-in-progress. We’ll be adding lots more to it over the next few days. We’d love to hear how your using some of the less common edible leaves.

Flowers With Edible Leaves

• Amaranth, (Amaranthus caudatus) – Also stems, flowers and seeds eaten as a grain or cereal like buckwheat
• Angelica leaves, (flowers, stems, and seeds are also edible and medicinal)
• Anise hyssop leaves, (Agastache foeniculum) – flowers are also edible
• Begonias –
  • Tuberous Begonias, (Begonia X tuberosa) – flowers and stems are also edible
  • Wax Begonias, (Begonia cucullata) – flowers are also edible raw or cooked
• Borage, (Borago officinalis leaves) – also flowers and stalks
• Calico Aster – edible and medicinal wildflower weed
• Chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla – and edible flowers most often dried for tea
• Cornflower (Centaurea cynaus), edible leaves and blossoms, fresh or dried
• Daisy, (Bellis perennis) – flowers are also edible and used in salads, sandwiches and tea
• Daisy Fleabane, edible and medicinal weed and wildflower
• Daylily, (Hemerocallis) – in addition to leaves, the flowers and tubers are also edible
• Hibiscus, (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) – flowers are also edible
• Honeysuckle, (Lonicera) – leaves and edible flowers also
• Nasturtium, (Tropaeolum) – leaves and flowers are edible and deliciously peppery
• Purslane, (Portulaca oleracea) – leaves, stems and flowers are all edible
• Rose leaves, (Rosa spp.) – Red young leaves of rose bushes are edible raw or cooked.

Many of the flowers with edible leaves also have other edible parts. Here’s a long list of edible flowers.

Fruit and Nuts With Edible Leaves

• Apple, (Malus domestica) – leaves and blossoms are edible in small quantities and are high in antioxidants and minerals^[1]https://coldhardyfruits.com/apple-trees/are-apple-blossoms-and-leaves-edible/#
• Avocado leaves – as an herb or food wrap, similar to bay leaf and in the same family; also great as a healthy tea with benefits^[2]https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Avocado_Leaves_11454.php
• Banana leaves – young tender leaves eaten; more mature tough leaves good for wraps for cooking food in, dehydrating for tea, and used raw, cosmetically.
• Blueberry leaves (especially for tea and powders)
• Cashew leaves – young leaves in moderation due to astringency; avoid poisonous outer nut shells
• Elderflowers, (Sambucus) –
• Grape leaves – favored for wraps such as traditional Greek stuffed grape leaves called dolmades
• Mango leaves – fresh young growth
• Moringa – seeds, roots, stems, leaves are all edible and the seeds help to purify water
• Strawberry leaves – fresh like spinach, or dried for tea and powders

Vegetables With Edible Leaves

As with any new food, test a small amount to be sure it agrees with you and avoid it altogether if you’re allergic to any of its family members.

Most of these greens can be used in much the way you’d use similar familiar greens, like in this Tuscan kale and white beans soup, or this sauteed okra greens. Those leaves with less desirable texture can be dried and ground to powder for adding to soups, salad dressings, green juice and smoothies.

• Beans – leaves from all types of beans are edible and can be used raw but most prefer them cooked such as chopped and into stir fry, or soups, such as Tuscan kale soup.
• Beet greens – best fresh in salads
• Broccoli leaves – use like cabbage in salads and slaw, in stir fry and soups and steamed or boiled like collards
• Cabbage leaves – salads and slaw, stir fry, stuffed cabbage leaves, soups
• Carrot tops – carrot greens are great added to salads and soups and as garnish
• Cauliflower leaves – reminiscent of cabbage, these can be shredded for slaw or added to salads, soups and stir fry
• Celery leaves – pungent and sometimes bitter, these can be chopped and sprinkled into salad, soups and stir fry
• Corn Leaves/husks – food wraps for cooking and flavoring meats and fish
• Cucumber leaves – added to salads and sandwiches
• Eggplant leaves – soup and salads
• Fava leaves – salad and soup
• Fig leaves – teas, cooking, wraps; this is one of our favorites for teas.
• Garlic Leaves – used for seasoning and anywhere you’d use garlic
• Green Bean leaves – as you would use spinach
• Kohlrabi leaves – similar to cabbage
• Lima bean leaves – like any leafy greens
• Okra greens – sauteed of chopped into soups
• Onion leaves – as you would use spring onions
• Pea leaves – leaves and stems are edible and good raw in salads with balsamic dressing, or lightly steamed or sauteed^[3]https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/10675-what-to-do-with-pea-greens
• Pepper plant leaves – salads, soups stir fry
• Pumpkin leaves – salads, soups stir fry
• Radish leaves – these are a little fuzzy, so best cooked, added to soups or stir fry, juiced or powdered for homemade greens powder.
• Squash leaves – we prefer to dry and powder the larger leaves tougher leaves, and “ribbon” the fresh healthy leaves into salads, stir fry and soup. See one of our favorites: Tromboncino squash
• Tomato leaves – as an herb and in moderation, chopped into salads or soups
• Turnip greens – steamed or boiled

Please Let us know what non-traditional leaves and uses you enjoy.

Edible leaves expand food choices, such as these delicious broccoli leaves.

Contributions from the Community

We’ve been stir frying pepper leaves forever. We use citrus leaves in curries, stir fries, jams, etc.
~Debie Baugher, gardener, Manassas, VA