Let’s Raise Bamboo Sprouts

| Posted by: Plant Pro

If there’s one commodity we won’t be short on, it’s bamboo sprouts. Some years ago, we received it from Beltsville. 

Maryland station of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some roots of yellow-groove bamboo, Phyllostachys aureosulcata. They grew and grew, and they spread and spread! 

Raising Bamboo SproutsPin

In fact, they would still be spreading, except that we cut shoots every spring to eat and often dig roots for friends who want to start a bamboo hedge or grove of their own.

Table Of Contents
  1. Jack's Beanstalk
  2. Fishing Poles
  3. Bamboo Stakes
  4. Chinese Bamboo
  5. Edibility Of The Succulent Bamboo Sprouts

Jack’s Beanstalk

Jack’s beanstalk is hardly more of a wonder than the bamboo’s rapid climb from earth to sky. 

One of our taller plants measured 33’ feet, and that height was attained in little more than a month! 

The diameter of the canes was often 2” inches. Our lowest temperature, 3° degrees Fahrenheit below zero, only frosted foliage on plants at the edges of our bamboo grove.

Fishing Poles

We have furnished innumerable fishing poles for the staking. In addition, vaulting poles for playgrounds have been cut from the larger canes. 

No stalk is cut until its third season, when it has attained its full strength. Another use that is dear to our hearts is making canes for the weak and the old. 

With a rubber tip at one end, a length of bamboo makes an excellent lightweight cane, providing an invaluable aid to those who need support without any added weight to carry. 

Bamboo Stakes

Bamboo stakes for vegetables and flowers that require support are attractive and effective in the garden.

California engineers have recently perfected a new, practical method of joining bamboo sections which promise to increase its economic value, especially in furniture making greatly.

A nurseryman from a nearby town stopped one day to ask for some roots to create a jungle in the children’s fairyland section of the town park. 

Chinese Bamboo

One of our problems in raising Chinese bamboo has been to protect it from the trampling of small feet. 

Children exploring the wilds of strange and wonderful growth sometimes accidentally kick the tender new shoots.

One city friend’s yard backed up against an ugly red factory. Bamboo kept in line made a lovely screen of feathery foliage in summer and winter. 

But he had no .success at all with bamboo on his country property. When they saw it, his cattle and other livestock knew a tasty dish, and somehow they always managed to see it!

Edibility Of The Succulent Bamboo Sprouts

Once, we wrote the Department of Agriculture for information on the edibility of the succulent bamboo sprouts. We were asked to send some culm sheath specimens, which we did. 

Back came the good news: our sprouts were the same delicacy found in Chinese restaurants and available in cans from groceries with exotic foods.

A recent letter from the Department included several recipes for cooking bamboo shoots. 

In every case, they must be parboiled for 15 minutes, and salt must be added near the end of the boiling period. 

Here are a few sample recipes:

Sauteed Bamboo

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 cups sliced parboiled bamboo
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pepper

Melt butter in a frying pan, add bamboo, and saute for about five minutes until slightly brown. Stir occasionally. 

Add seasoning and serve on hot cooked rice with a cheese sauce.

Scalloped Bamboo

  • 3 cups sliced parboiled bamboo
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons grated cheese paprika

Place bamboo in a greased shallow baking dish. Prepare a sauce with butter, flour, milk, and salt, and blend in with the cheese. 

Pour this over bamboo and bake in a 350° degrees Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes. Serve with paprika sprinkled over the top.

Bamboo In Creole

  • 2 lbs. beefsteak about 1 ½” inches thick
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons fat
  • 2 small onions, shredded
  • 2 cups tomato
  • 2 cups sliced parboiled bamboo
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • parsley

Here’s how to make it:

  • Cut steak into 1/2-inch cubes and roll in flour. 
  • Heat fat in the frying pan, add steak and onions, and occasionally cook until brown. 
  • Add tomato, bamboo, and seasoning, and pour into casserole.
  • Cover and cook at 350° degrees Fahrenheit. Oven for about an hour. 
  • Sprinkle finely chopped parsley over the top and serve at once. 
  • Boiled rice makes an excellent companion dish.

44659 by Vera Thomas