Hostas are edible

No one quite believes me when I tell them hostas are edible! 

The best part to eat are the new shoots before they uncurl into leaves. Small ones can be fried and are nice dressed with soy sauce and sesame oil. Or you can add to a stir fry. Larger shoots are better briefly boiled or steamed. 

They are useful in a forest garden, or any garden for that matter, as they are happy in shade as long as they have relatively moist soil. Plant with the crown slightly above ground so the shoots can be snapped off at the base. I had wondered about whether you are left with not many leaves if you eat the shoots but a bit of research tells me that they will grow more leaves and hosta growers cut back leaves to get a second crop of fresh attractive leaves. That is also a trick I will try next time I come across a hosta that has been munched by slugs….