eddoes and alocasia

Lori:

Those leaves look yummy! : > )

The young tender leaves taste the best...just like spinach.

When you have time you'll have check out the gigantic Xanthosoma I've posted a week or so ago.

Imagine that! WOW.... just had a look at that Xanthosoma. I've got high hopes, aye? lol...

Lori:

Have you cooked the taro leaves before?

No I have not tried to cook the leaves...I was just happy to see them sprouting! lol...didn't realize that they could be part of dinner! Do you have any taro recipes you could share, D1?

Lori:

I usually just steam them like spinach. It is commonly used in Laulau which is a delicious, traditional Hawaiian dish.

Will have to google that....thanks D1.

Lori:

: > )

Salted butterfish, pork, chicken and ti and taro! Can you eat the ti leaves too?

Lori:

It's usually wrapped in banana leaves also. No you can't eat the ti leaves or banana leaves. : > )

they say it's steamed...by the moisture in the leaves I would presume?...this is in a traditional cooking pit? would love to experience a traditional luau... must be fantastic.

Lori:

It's traditionally steamed in the leaves. It's steamed in a big pot.

The traditional cooking pit is where Kalua pig is cooked.

I'm wondering about Hawaiian agriculture... specifically the plantations of pineapple. Pineapple Ananas comosus isn't native there, I'm guessing. So what would be traditional polynesian food? Is taro native to Hawaii?

Lori:

I think it's native to most of the South Sea Islands.

Of course, Ananas comosus is native to Brazil...like most Bromeliads.

Once again this conversation leads to some interesting research...I thought that pineapple came from the east...so many of our food crops (staples) originated in South America...potato, tomato, pineapple, avocadoes ...what else?

Lori:

Yes, it's always an interesting conversation. : > )

Avocados are native to southern Mexico and Central America. I know this because San Diego County is the biggest producer of avocados in the U.S.
Virtually every variety grows here...and avocados are harvested all year.

Lucky you! I love the small, late, almost black avocados! they're scrumptious! with shrimp or crab salad they are to die for!
One of the first plants that I grew for free, in my impoverished youth, was an avocado. A friend showed me how to suspend the pit in a jar of water... It grew to about 4 feet tall until my room mate left the window open in the middle of winter and it died from exposure!

Lori:

You like the Mexicola variety...it's very creamy. There's a Mexican purple-skinned variety which is super buttery, creamy also.

When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area I had a huge 40 foot/ 12 meters tall avocado tree. It had terrific avocados. It was always a challenge to get to the avocados before the squirrels got them first.

Did they take the whole fruit off the tree...or did they just sample as they went?
I have a squirrel (I think I mentioned him before...his name's Erasmus...and Erasmus really likes the sour grapes on my arbour...he's been back and forth collecting, I guess...but discovered that he also likes my epiphyllum cactus...he's taken a nibble or two...but the worst discovery was that there is a larva (I'm thinking) of something or other that taking huge bites out of my orchids!!!

Lori:

The squirrels would just take a few bites out the avocados. It was very irritating!