7. Watercress
If you have a hydroponic or aquaponic system at home, or an area on your property that’s very rich and damp, consider growing watercress (Nasturtium officinale) as a tasty perennial green. It has a unique, meaty, spicy bite that works well in soups and sandwiches….

8. Good King Henry

Known also as Lincolnshire spinach and poor man’s goosefoot,…this is one perennial vegetable that should be in everyone’s garden: not only is it valued for its ability to grow well in shady areas, but nearly every part of the plant is edible. The leaves can be steamed or braised and eaten like spinach, you can steam the shoots and use them like asparagus, the flower buds are similar to broccoli in both flavor and use, and you can even use its seeds like an edible grain….

9. Jerusalem Artichokes

Also called sunchokes, these tasty tubers (Helianthus tuberosus) are starchy and delicious, and can be eaten raw or cooked. They’re considered a healthy food choice for diabetics, and are spectacular in soups and stews. Just keep in mind that they spread like crazy, and are considered invasive by many gardeners: if you plan to grow them, it’s good to keep them in a dedicated patch that you till diligently.

10. Sea Kale

If you imagine collard greens mating with kale, you’d end up with something very close to this perennial veggie…. Young leaves can be eaten like collards or spinach, and the leaf stalks can be blanched until semi-soft: they taste a bit like asparagus.

11. Lovage

Very similar to celery, lovage (Levisticum officinale) is commonly eaten as a vegetable in Europe and Asia, with raw leaves used in salads, and the roots cooked like turnips or parsnips. Seeds can also be used as seasoning, and have a flavor profile somewhere between celery seed and fennel.
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12. Garlic Chives

You may know them as Chinese chives or Chinese leeks, but whatever you call them, garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are amazing. …Great fried, added to soups, or used in just about any recipe in which you’d use garlic or green onions. The flowers are edible too, and make a spicy addition to salads.

This plant is very hardy, and does well in all manner of climates: it can even thrive in hardiness zone 3, and will easily bounce back after cold, snowy winters.

13. Rhubarb

Some people think rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a fruit—likely because it’s so often paired with strawberries in preserves, pies and such—but it’s actually a perennial vegetable…. It’s a hardy plant that can thrive in even fairly poor soils, and one small patch can provide you with enough stalks to create plenty of jams, preserves, cordials, and pies throughout the summer and early autumn.
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14. Salad Burnet

If you’ve ever walked through a grassy field, you may have tromped on patches of this lovely plant without giving it a second thought…. Salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is also known as garden burnet, and is one of the best perennial greens for dry, patchy soil. It basically thrives on neglect, and will reward your inattention with bright green leaves that taste mildly like cucumber.
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15. Chicory

The bitter leaves of common chicory (Cichorium intybus) are prized in Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Albanian cuisine, where they’re either used as a raw salad green, or sauteed with garlic and oil. Blanching or boiling them before sauteeing reduces their bitterness, and you can dry out the root and then grind it as an “interesting” coffee substitute.

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16. Globe Artichokes

…Globe artichokes are delicacies to be reveled in.

Although native to the Mediterranean, this thistle relative is cultivated all over Europe and North America…. For this to be a perennial crop, however, you have to live in hardiness zone 6 or higher: it doesn’t do well in cold climates.

17. Malabar Spinach

Some call this climbing vine Ceylon spinach or buffalo spinach, but whatever title you give it, this green (Basella alba) is a staple food throughout tropical Asia and Africa…. The leaves are used in many Southeast Asian cuisines, and the shoot is more popular in many African dishes as well.

As it’s extremely sensitive to cold temperatures, you can only grow this beauty if you live in hardiness zone 7 or warmer….

18. Perennial Beans

Although most beans are annuals, there are a few that will re-sprout every year so you can feast upon their deliciousness. Scarlet Runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are as stunning as they are delicious, and each plant can yield a startling amount of edibles. This bean is best suited to a slightly more temperate climate, as super-cold winters…can kill it. Those in colder areas can enjoy it as an annual, but if you’re in planting zone 6 and upwards, just mulch over it a bit during the winter months and it should come back again in springtime.

You can cook the pods as delicious green beans, or you can let the inner beans mature and ripen…. These are also great for small spaces, as they’re eager climbers and can be trained up just about any vertical surface that gets decent sunlight.

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Read more: Rediscovering Perennial Vegetables | Inhabitat…