Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth, and it is notoriously challenging to contain. But if you master some simple harvesting techniques, it could be covering your plate instead of your yard. The young bamboo shoots popping up all across the Southern half of the country are edible and similar to those served in Asian restaurants and purchased in cans in supermarkets. Evocative of baby corn and water chestnuts, their creamy white flesh lacks the bitterness associated with the yellow shoots from a can, and they aren’t as fibrous as the frozen variety. Cooked immediately after harvest, fresh bamboo shoots are sweet and tender.  

Bamboo is an essential plant in most Asian cultures.  The durable yet lightweight plant is used to construct buildings, furniture, buckets for carrying water, and crafting utensils for cooking and eating. It is also an important food source that contains nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin C, and zinc. The shoots are valued for their crunchy texture, subtle nuttiness, and their ability to absorb flavors.

Bamboo shoots are easy to harvest and prepare for cooking. They taste best when harvested while less than a foot tall. Using a wide shovel, place it  as close as possible and parallel to the shoot. Push the shovel into the ground at an angle, getting underneath the shoot, and then push it up and out of the ground. Use a sharp knife to cut the shoot in half lengthwise, and then peel the green layers until you expose the white core.  Consider wearing gloves to protect yourself from the small bristles on the outside of the shoot that can irritate the skin.

Avoid the temptation to bite into the freshly cleaned bamboo. Most species require cooking to make them tender. Some shoots are sweet when raw, but most are jarringly bitter and leave a burning feeling in the mouth. They must be blanched to remove a toxin called hydrocyanic acid; all bamboo shoots should be blanched for at least five minutes as a precautionary measure. Some experts even recommend  boiling the shoots in water until a foam can be skimmed from the surface. After blanching, drain and rinse the shoots, and they are ready for use in soups, salads, or other recipes. Simple dishes like this bamboo shoot and shiitake salad highlight the plant’s fresh flavor.

“Bamboo Shoot and Shiitake Salad” by Corinne Trang from Essentials of Asian Cuisine 

Serves 4 to 6

• 12 fresh medium shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
• 4 medium whole bamboo shoots
• ¼ cup mirin
• ⅓ cup japanese dark soy sauce
• 1 tabelspoon Japanese rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon seasame oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 scallions, root and dark green ends trimmed, and 6-inch stalks thinly sliced on the diagonal

1. Bring 2 small pots of water to boil over high heat. Black the mushrooms in one pot for a minute or so, and blanch the whole bamboo shoots in the second pot for 3 to 5 minutes if canned, or 10 to 15 minutes if raw. Drain both ingredients  completely.

2. Halve the shoots lengthwise from the tip toward the wider part, then slice thinly lengthwise place in a sieve set over a bowl and drain for about 15 minutes. Finely julienne the shiitakes.

3. In a salad bowl, whisk together the mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and black pepper to taste. Add the bamboo shoots, shiitakes, and the half the scallions, and toss until well combined. Allow to marinate for 10 minutes and divide among individual plates. Garnish each serving with the remaining scallions and serve.

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Bamboo shoots can be stored, unpeeled, in the fridge, but they are at their peak quality just after harvest. They quickly deteriorate as the hydrocyanic acid reacts with the sugars and starches in the plant, making it increasingly bitter. Even sweet shoots will become bitter over time. They should be blanched as soon as possible after harvest because it removes the bitter taste and slows decay. Peeled and parboiled bamboo shoots will keep only 1 or 2 days in a plastic bag or up to five days in a container of salted water. Bamboo shoots can also be frozen, but they will become tougher. Blanching them before freezing greatly improves their texture.

You can also preserve a large harvest of bamboo shoots through fermentation. Unlike the canned variety, fresh shoots can be fermented for use in soups and salads. Frozen or canned shoots have been treated before preservation, so they won’t take on the desired sour flavor and just end up rotting in the water.  Like with any fermented product, if it turns a strange color or smells bad, throw it out to be safe.

“Fermented Bamboo Shoots” by David Thompson from Thai Food  

• 2 fresh bamboo shoots
• 2-3 tablespoons salt
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• 4 slices galangal
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 1 long red or green chili
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• pinch of salt
• water, to cover

Wearing gloves, use a sharp knife to cut deeply along the length og the shoots, then peel off the outer layers until the fleshy core is revealed- you should have about 12 oz. bamboo shoots. Slice lengthwise very finely. Rub with the salt and leave overnight in a colander set over a bowl, to draw out some of the bitterness.

Next day, rinse bamboo shoots thoroughly to remove excess salt, which would hinder fermentation. In a sterilised glass jar, combine with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, chili, palm sugar and pinch of salt (a little salt much be present to kill any bacteria).

Pour in rice-rinsing water, making sure that the bamboo shoots are completely immersed or the exposed part will rot and spoil the rest. Put on a tightly fitting lid and leave in a warm place for 7-15 days, until quite sour and fragrant. Check every few days, and refrigerate when the desired degree of sourness is reached.

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Eventually you will feel comfortable incorporating bamboo shoots into many different dishes. Traditional Asian recipes are useful guides to cooking bamboo, but the plant can be added to just about any dish because of its neutral flavor.  Feel free to experiment with different cooking techniques, and those invasive bamboo shoots will add a pleasant crunch to your meal.

Meredith Bethune is a native New Englander living in Austin, TX. She’s an adventurous home cook and gardener who loves getting her hands dirty. She blogs at Biscuits of Today.