You might already have bamboo cookware in your home, or you may even own a toothbrush made of bamboo to check out the buzz. Did you know that you can eat bamboo for survival?
Bamboo shoots are edible and can be consumed for survival. Bamboo is edible but contains natural toxins which can be harmful if consumed in high quantities.
Eating bamboo can keep you healthy.This plant could be a lifesaver if you’re in Florida on vacation or camping when the SHTF.
What are bamboo shoots?
Bamboo is a familiar plant, but it’s not always easy to tell what its shoot looks like.You need to be able to identify the species of bamboo as well as what it looks like.Bamboo is a plant that has over 1500 different species, but only 110 are edible.
The most common bamboo varieties are all edible. You can enjoy eating the following popular varieties of bamboo:
- Common Bamboo
- Incense Bamboo
- Golden Bamboo
- Yellow Groove Bamboo
- Slender Crookstem
- Black Bamboo
- Polymorph Bamboo
Wild Bamboo Shoots – How to Identify Them
You can almost imagine the right visual if you try to visualize asparagus that is abnormally big. The color of the shoots can range from a light green to a purple, depending on species and age.
Bamboo is a grass and not a plant. It belongs to the Poaceae Family.Bamboo will only grow where it is humid and warm.There will be many more growing in the same grove.
Bamboo shoots are harvested in the United States only during the spring. However, the closer you get to the equator, the longer your season will be.
Bamboo is found in most Asian countries such as Japan and China. You can also find bamboo in Latin America, and sometimes even Africa.
Harvesting Bamboo shoots
If you are 100% sure that you have located an edible bamboo forest, you should look for stalks 6-10 inches high. Remove dirt 1 inch below the base of the stalk and bend it at its base to snap the stalk.
Use a knife if you can’t snap the stalk. Only collect what you require from densely populated areas.
Remove the colored parts of the stalk and the sheath. You can use your knife and shave a layer off, just like you would with a potato.
Are Bamboo Shoots Better Eaten Raw or Cured?
Bamboo shoots are a quick way to gain nutrients.
Bamboo’s natural cyanide glycosides can cause nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting. In the worst cases, they may even induce a coma.
The compounds in the leaves are mildly toxic for us. Pick a soft shoot for a sweeter taste. But pick a hard stalk to be surprised by a bitter flavor.
By choosing cooked shoots, you can avoid potential health hazards or bitterness. You can remove the bitterness and harmful toxins by cooking them or boiling first.
Cooking the shoots and eating them before is a time consuming procedure that can result in nutrient losses.
How Can eating bamboo shoots benefit you?
Eating bamboo shoots will boost your mood and make you feel like you have food.
The excitement and adrenaline rush you get when you discover a bamboo forest can also be beneficial to your productivity and mental health.
The nutrients that the bamboo shoots have provided will inspire you to continue living.
You’ll find that you can work out a problem with ease if you have the energy.
Bamboo shoots are rich in nutrients.
Most nutritional lists include bamboo as a high-ranking food because it contains a lot of nutrients, including:
| Nutrient/Mineral Info | Bamboo shoots per cup – Price |
|---|---|
| Calories | 1,84 kcal |
| Protein | 1.84 g |
| Carbohydrates | The 2.3g |
| Thiamin | 0.024 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.06 mg |
| Iron | 0.029 mg |
| Zinc | 0.56 mg |
| Folate | Two mg of 2 mg |
| Magnesium | The 4 mg. |
| Sodium | 5 mg |
| Calcium | 14 mg |
| Phosphorus | 24 mg |
| Potassium | The 640mg sized sand is a great alternative to the 480 mg size. |
Eco-Farming Daily has compiled a seemingly endless list of all these things and more.
They are also very low in calories and fat. This makes them an excellent ingredient to use for healthy dishes.
Are Bamboo Shoots Sickening?
Even though the shoots themselves are healthy, they can still be a health risk if they’re processed or prepared incorrectly. This risk is more likely to occur in survival situations.
You’ll likely be in survival mode and have a rushed mentality, with distorted thoughts, concentrating on only one thing: eating. This is most likely because you are hungry.
Bamboo shoots that are raw, improperly processed, or unprocessed can cause adverse reactions, particularly if eaten on an empty stomach.
Cyanogenic Glycosides: Let’s talk about them
The plants have an inherent self-defense mechanism that is a phytotoxin, or chemical toxin called cyanogenic glycosides.
Taxiphyllin, the most common cyanogenic glycoside in bamboo, can be reduced by simply cutting up the bamboo into small pieces and boiling them in water for about 20 minutes.
There are many other cyanogenic plants that can be eaten, including almonds, chickpeas, and apples. These plants are safe for consumption if they have been properly processed.
Bamboo shoots: Tips for Preparation
What now? If you follow the calculation above, then you are only allowed to consume a small number of raw bamboo shoots. However, if you wish to consume a larger quantity without risking your health you will need to cook these.
Bamboo is safe to eat after it has been cooked.You can now boil the bamboo shoots for 20 minutes. They will remain bitter if you boil them in new water.
After boiling, you can eat the potatoes as is or mix them with a soup or roast them on a fire.
Bamboo Shoots FAQ
There are many questions we all need answered before we can feel confident about eating wild bamboo.
You may be wondering if you can eat bamboo shoots in the wild. Here’s some answers to the questions that are most commonly asked.
Bamboo shoots are healthy or not?
Bamboo shoots can be very healthy if they have been properly prepared to remove cyanide.
Bamboo shoots are easy to digest.
Raw bamboo shoots are fibrous, woody and more difficult to digest.
What is the calorie count of a bamboo stalk?
Raw bamboo shoots contain 27 calories per 100g. 100g of boiled Bamboo Shoots has 12 calories.
What can I do with bamboo shoots that I find growing in nature?
You can, provided you identify them correctly and properly prepare them.