- (Abelmoschus manihot) – highly nutritious and grows in nearly any soil – Kevin likes the stems as a bean substitute as well as cooking the greens. It’s also super easy to propagate.
- – a South American, cold-tolerant relative of papaya, with soft fruit that is yellow and slightly sparkling to taste when ripe.
- (Piper sarmentosum) – “It’s like an edible garnish,” says Kevin; he uses it to serve canapes on. Its shiny leaves are quite tasty and not related to the narcotic betel plant.
- (Curcuma longa) – a member of the ginger family grown for its aromatic roots, the plant is ready to harvest when its leaves start to turn yellow. Keven pulls his up quite easily and just a small clump reveals kilos and kilos of swollen rhizomes under the soil – the source of the tasty spice turmeric, which can be used fresh or dried then ground up.
- (Saccharum sp.). Many people grow it but few know what to do with it, says Costa. Kevin has built a pedal powered crusher that squeezes the juice out of it and tastes amazing served with some ice.