Picked these Spectabilis shoots Friday morning. They cleaned down to 15 pounds. I have a few more 5 gal buckets to pick, but I can't eat or give away that many so they may just get kicked over. I need to find a local Asian market. Does anyone know what shoots sell for?

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

Nice bunch of shoots. I sell Dulcis and Vivax shoots at our local farmers market for $3 per pound, The larger vivax shoots at $4. I expect to harvest about 500 to 800 lbs. this year. The size shoots in your photo are excellent for pickling, and Spectabilis shoots are mild and don't even need to be cooked first.
When digging for sale I try to cut them at the neck but some get cut high or broken. these I keep for myself or give away to friends.

Hey tallgrass. Nice shoots. How do you get such a nice clean cut near the neck without damaging the rhizome? Did you plant your groves with selling shoots in mind? I was thinking $3/lb too, and as you stated more for larger shoots. Thanks for the info.

Regards,

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

David, I find that if the shoots are large enough, I can sort of wiggle them around a little and figure out what direction they are attached and then cut them off with a narrow spade. But that doesn't always work so I end up with lots of broken ones.
I didn't start out to grow shoots, it just sort of evolved because there were so many, especially the Dulcis. I had planned to start a whole new area in my adjacent pasture just for shoot production. My Wife however, keeps reminding me that I'm supposed to be retired.
If you were to put an add on Craigslist with a pic of the shoots, I'm pretty sure you could sell them.
My dulcis is still 2-3 weeks til shooting.

My wife and I are also retired, but we seem to be busy every day. The difference is that we are doing things for ourselves, family, and friends so it doesn't feel so much like work as it does fun.

We have a large Asian community here and I'm thinking it might be a good market for fresh shoots.

I have considered putting an acre into shoot production but I just have not followed through with the idea, and I'm not sure I really want to work that hard. I guess you could hire people to harvest, but that can be problematic as well.

I may try the farmers market.

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

$3 is a good deal for all parties involved. Pacific Northwest = as much as $8. Generally $5. (Farmers' Markets)

Good to know.

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

Do you guys know that to someone who has been working for a few years to establish a few groves, and is delighted to see a few shoots after each year of patience this just seems Wrong ?

Matt, I was thinking the same thing, I mean, they are spectabilis shoots, for crying out loud I do look forward to eating shoots from my own boos one day, though

David, I've been wondering: do different cultivars of the same species produce shoots with the same taste, for example yelowgroove vs spectabilis vs aureocaulis? I'm assuming they would be very similiar but haven't seen it discussed anywhere.

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God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Matthew, yeah, If I were to eat one at this point I'm sure it would be the most expensive thing I have ever eaten .

when i get that many shoots my wife will probably put out a missing persons report. Nah. she'll know where i am . hopefully half that in 4 years. btw, the black shoots I thought i had must be from last fall because they're doing nothing; they were hiding under all the mulch I removed. I guess it's still too early for shoots here

Me 2! Which reminds me: parvifolia is said to have some of the best-tasting shoots--I guess that one is the cavier of bamboo shoots!

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God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

All the phyllostachys shoots taste similar to me, with some minor differences. The aureaosulcata family taste the same to my buds- like green peanuts. The taste of all that I have tried is improved by parboiling a few minuets, and chilling in the frig for a while. One of the interesting things about bamboo shoots is that they stay crunchy even after parboiling.

I know guys, I would have cringed at the thought of kicking over shoots in the past, but as the groves have matured it actually seems to help the plant produce bigger shoots. Spectabilis aborts 1/3 of its shoots anyway, and I have noticed that removing surplus shoots results in fewer shoots aborting and bigger remaining growth.

BTW I took my 82yo dad 3lbs of shoots the other day, and he ate them all raw! He's still kicking so raw shoots of phyllostachys probably will not hurt you, but I would still parboil them.

I have not tried parvi shoots yet (for obvious reasons), but I'm expecting 2" shoots this year, and I might sacrifice one just to see how they taste. Now when you hear that I am kicking over prominens shoots then you will know that I have either completely lost it, or all the groves have reached bamboo Nirvana.

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

How long will they keep suitable for use after cutting?

I know for sure several days in the frig but maybe longer. I'd say the fresher the better- just like most vegetables.

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a