Superfoods are foods that have well above average nutritional or health promoting properties, and you can’t beat’em in terms of how easy and low energy they are to grow for what you get back in nutrition. Because of this, to me they are one of the most important crops we can grow to support local food security. I have been studying, harvesting from, and growing many of these plants for many years, and here is a small sample of my favourites:
Serviceberries / Juneberries
This Canadian-native shrub or small tree contains significant amounts of manganese, vitamin E, biotin, riboflavin and iron, along with high antioxidant levels, and a nice dose of fiber. I found a type I’m planting this year called apple serviceberry that apparently rivals blueberries in flavour.
Nettles
High in protein, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron, nettles are a nutritional powerhouse. After they are cooked or dried nettles lose their sting and are completely harmless. Just make sure to harvest using a good set of gloves!
Goji Berries
A health fad that’s seemingly here to stay, these berries are known for their exceptionally high levels of vitamins C and A, along with high levels of selenium, iron, calcium, and unique antioxidants. They come on canes that sucker like raspberries, are drought tolerant, and need good, well drained soil, preferring a protected position in full sun to set good fruit.
Moringa
The leaves of the Moringa, or Miracle Tree, are one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet, and various parts of it are highly medicinal. I won’t even go into all the nutrients the moringa contains because it would take up too many words in this article, so I will just sum it up like this: it has pretty much everything you need, and more, short of straight up calories. Although it is a tropical tree, it can grow from seed to 20 feet in one year in optimal conditions, and this makes it one bodacious and veracious annual salad green in Canada.
Schisandra
This gorgeous vine’s berry is important in Chinese medicine, and within that context are known as the “five flavoured fruit”, somehow pulling off salty, sour, sweet, spicy, and bitter all at once. It is known in Asia as a powerful adaptogen, capable of increasing the body’s resistance to fatigue, disease and stress. The U.S. PubMed medical database lists many studies giving evidence to this reputation. Schisandra prefers partial shade and needs moist but well-drained soil. Make sure the soil is high in organic matter (e.g. compost), mulch well, and water if needed in droughts (if it looks sad!).
Black Chokeberry
Another native plant, this shrub produces a fruit with one of the highest antioxidant ratings of any berry. Not only are they packed with special classes of powerful antioxidants, they also contain high levels of vitamins C, A, E, beta-carotene and folate and minerals like potassium, iron and manganese. If that isn’t enough, they also contain Zea-xanthin, a flavanoid that protects eyes from age-related sight loss. It prefers to grow in moist, well drained soils and can tolerate a bit of shade.
Perennial Kale
Many people in North America have recently awoken to the kale craze. Since the perennial varieties’ roots will grow bigger and deeper, I suspect that the remarkably high levels of vitamin C and A, and significant amounts of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron found in regular kale may be even higher in the perennial version.
This is just a small sample of the many dozens of superfoods that you can grow on yours or someone else’s land (join a community garden, strike a deal with a neighbour, there’s almost always somewhere to grow!). Please remember not to use any plant medicine, like Schisandra, or parts of Moringa, without guidance from a qualified herbal medicine practitioner.
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