Anyone growing taro?
The following thread was started by Merbert on May 13, 2008 at 6:40 pm PST
I wonder if taro could take our water?
Is taro salt sensitive like some of the other tropicals?
The above followup was added by Richard Primbs on May 13, 2008 at 6:56 pm PST.
We have local water that does not have a high saline content. I've seen it growing like crazy in San Jose but know nothing of its home culture.
The above followup was added by Merbert on May 13, 2008 at 7:02 pm PST.
My dad has grown them for many years and so has an uncle and many Portuguese people in the area. They were a staple of my ancestors and relatives of Madeira, Portugal. I don't care for eating it but dad has brought some over a few times (already cooked) in recent months and I eat it only to make him feel better! Jeff has mentioned to me that he has grown it as an ornamental only.
It is easy to grow. It will get burnt back in cold winters but recovers well.
The above followup was added by HarveyC on May 13, 2008 at 8:31 pm PST.
We cook them a lot and I am excited that there's a possibility of having home-grown ones. I had no idea that they are part of Portuguese cuisine and will have to learn about it. We use them in Chinese and Vietnamese savory and sweet dishes. They are terrific in stews, in dim sum as taro cake, and an unusual but very tasty dessert where the puree is sweetened and beaten and beaten with sesame oil. Yummy!
The above followup was added by Merbert on May 13, 2008 at 10:07 pm PST.
in Fresno. The stalks die every winter, but they return every spring, and sprout earlier than my cold hardy bananas. They can take alkaline water too. Could be cultivar difference, but I have Taro and several colocasia plants.
The above followup was added by vino101 on May 13, 2008 at 10:07 pm PST.
It shouldn't be any problem to grow this, as long as you can give it the water it wants. Plenty of successful plantings to be seen all over Contra Costa County, where it is a die-back winter perennial. Only evergreen locally in SS zones 16, 17.
The above followup was added by bahia on May 14, 2008 at 9:13 am PST.
The only problem I have, when it gets hot in summer, spider mites take over. I have thought about getting predator mites, but never have.
David
The above followup was added by DavidLJ48, Waterford CA, zone14 on May 14, 2008 at 2:01 pm PST.
How can I tell from the tubers that I buy in the grocery store, whether I am getting a highland or wetland variety? Considering our newly-imposed water rationing, it would be prudent to stick with highland varieties.
Thanks to all you smart Cloudforesters. I can always rely upon you to have lots of great advice.
The above followup was added by Merbert on May 14, 2008 at 2:23 pm PST.
I have taro in my yard as an ornamental.
It dosent even blink at my horible salt and borate laden water...no salt burn at all.
Frost knocks it to the ground in winter, and it pops back up in the spring.
The above followup was added by Jeff_Woodland (sunset 8.5) on May 14, 2008 at 2:41 pm PST.
In Hawaii, we refer to is as wetland and dryland taro. I think you could purchase tubers in some ethnic stores (Japanese or Hawaiian). In California, I would think that nearly all would be dryland type. Dryland means that the fields aren't flooded.--wetland the opposite. It grows very easily. I would recommend the Japanese varieties of araimo dasheen. They grow quickly and the small 'keikis' are used in some Japanese dishes like nishime (sp?). Try the Japanese store nearest you!
The above followup was added by gino45 on May 14, 2008 at 3:09 pm PST.
I've just planted a couple of 'keikis' and will keep y'all posted.
Thanks to everyone for the great info.
The above followup was added by Merbert on May 14, 2008 at 5:49 pm PST.
I had blk. taro for about 4years in my pond at the base of small water fall. Then after that 19 low winter it was gone. After hearing where ya all are grow it I think rockey racoon must of got mine.
The above followup was added by scotty in Arroyo Grande on May 14, 2008 at 9:13 pm PST.
Where the soil is always covered with mulch and damp. Except last year, too much sun, no banana to shade it part of the day, so it didn't get nearly as tall, and got mites really early in the season.
David
The above followup was added by DavidLJ48, Waterford CA, zone14 on May 15, 2008 at 0:43 am PST.
Plain C.esculanta is just a matter of how well you want it to grow..more water and fertilizer will get you big 5' plants. Treat with average water or less..2' plants.
I have tried some of the Asian tubers..I'm not sure of the name after all these years..it wasn't neary as hardy as Taro.
The above followup was added by Stan on May 15, 2008 at 6:25 am PST.
I agree with Gino45 in Hawai’i the easiest to grow ‘taro’ varieties are the smaller types: araimo popular with Japanese; and dasheen (de china, from china) common with Caribbean people. These form many side shoots and small corms and seem most cold hardy. These varieties are not grown in flooded fields.
Another popular, very large main corm variety is the Chinese ‘Bun Long.’ I believe this is the variety I see at Prush Park community gardens in San Jose. Both araimo and Bun Long are known for their potato like texture. Bun long is sliced thin and fried into taro chips. I used to slice them very thin and bake them with great results. Dasheen corms may be small, so rather than peeling before cooking, I have found it easier to cook unpeeled and run cold water over the still hot corms slip and off the skin.
On the other hand there are the traditional Kalo (taro) varieties from Hawai’i (now the center of diversity for the species Colocasia esculenta, with over 200 named varieties-see link below) These types are mostly favored for their gelatinous texture, so well suited to ‘pounding’ (mashing) into sticky ‘poi’- the soul food of the Native Hawaiians. Allowed to ferment for a day or three, it gets sour and increases in beneficial bacteria and nutritional value. Although many Hawaiian types are grown in flooded paddies (lo’i) they may be grown ‘dry land’ too. ’Dry land’ types don’t always work in flooded conditions.
Also traditional kalo varieties must be cooked for a very long time, they have much more of the oxalic acid spicules than the smaller ariamo, dasheen types. Bun Long has a bit more than them but not as much as Hawaiian types. You do not want to eat any aroid raw - except perhaps the stems of Zuiki taro.
I would use caution with any of the cultivated ornamental types of taro and stick with varieties grown by farmers and neighbors for food only- though many of these are very ornamental. Many species of aroids are called ‘taro’. See:
http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/botany/taro/key/HawaiianKalo/Media/Html/whatistaros.html
Once cooked well, every part of the taro plant is edible and very nutritious: corm, stem and leaf. Taro has been found to have the smallest starch granules of any food and is the most easily digested starch known. This makes it one of the best hypoallergenic foods great for people with wheat allergies (common) but also more difficult corn and rice sensitivities. It is a traditional baby food, and has even been researched for use a efficient soldier food by the US military.
Great web site for traditional Hawaiian Canoe plants:
http://www.canoeplants.com/kalo.html
The above followup was added by John Valenzuela Novato, CA SunsetZ16-17 on May 15, 2008 at 10:46 am PST.
I use the kalo variety to make a dessert which is sweetened, mashed, then whipped by hand until one's arm nearly falls off. This give the smooth, sticky gelatinous texture that makes the dessert so special. Addition of toasted sesame oil completes the textural delight (or disgust to some people!)
Bun Long is perfect cut up into beef stew and used for steamed rice cake. I had no idea that those were the beauties that I see when I drive past Prusch Park. They always look so lush and vibrant.
The above followup was added by Merbert on May 15, 2008 at 11:23 am PST.
Those are great places to see what some experts claim wont grow in the bay area. Hayward has at least one. Some exotics i never heard of from immigrants with other ideas..
The above followup was added by Stan on May 15, 2008 at 5:12 pm PST.