Yandina Community Gardens

41 Farrell street, Yandina

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Yam

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Yam (red and white, five-fingered yam, greater yam, lesser yam, aerial yam)Yam (Web)

Dioscorea family

Origin: hot, humid tropical Pacific Islands

Plant: mid-Sept to mid-Oct

Harvest: When all foliage has died down. Dig gently around the yam taking care not to damage it (cuts will reduce storage life).

Yams can be stored for several months in a cool ventilated area. Depending on the variety, yams can be baked, eaten with dark green leafy vegetables, fish, meat, peanuts and milk, used in curries, fried in oil, used to make a purple cake as well as purple yam wine, made into a dough, flour and African fufu.

 

Winged Bean

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Winged Bean (aka four-angled bean)

Winged Bean (Web)Psophocarpus tetragonolobus syn. Goa Bean

Origin: hot, humid tropical Madagascar and Asia

Plant: Sept – Oct – into pots initially

Harvest: April – May. Young 4-angled pods with wavy margins can be picked for eating at any stage. Do not disturb the lilac flowers, as they fall off quite easily. Allow some of the first beans to mature on the vine for seed saving. Tubers contain 20% protein and taste like early season potatoes. Can be eaten raw or cooked. Young pods, flowers, leaves, vine tips and mature seed are all edible. To improve germination, sandpaper seeds or soak in hot water until swollen.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

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Hardy clumping perennial from the ginger family.

Other Names: Indian Saffron, Yellow Ginger

Origin: SE Asia, India

Size: 1m high, 1m spread

Growing conditions: full sun

Propagation: Replant rhizomes in spring after autumn harvest.

Growing tips: Dig rhizomes up when the tops have died down. Can be left in ground during winter dry season or lifted and stored in dry sawdust or sand.

Use: Like ginger and galangal, turmeric is a spice and can be added to any cooked vegetable dish. Grate turmeric with some onions and saute in hot oil. Raw, it has a pungent bite and can lift a salad. Used to colour rice and curry dishes and curry powder.  Makes a great ‘turmeric, galangal and chilli paste’.

Availability in shop: late spring to summer

Taro (Colocasia esculenta)

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Clumping perennial with large tubers and green or purple stems. Note the cut in the leaves does not go through to the stem.

Other Names: Talo, Dalo, Dago

Origin: South-East Asia

Size: 1.5m high, 1.5m spread

Growing conditions: partial shade to full shade

Propagation: Separate pups from main plant.

Growing tips: Grows well in boggy or partially submerged conditions.

Use: Harvest in winter, when the leaves begin to look tatty. The corm is harvested 8-10 months after planting. Starchy corms are a good source of calcium and iron.  Wash the taro after harvesting and allow to dry.  Harvested taro corms can be stored in a dry airy place for 2 – 3 weeks at most. After this time they will rot.  Roast or cook whole to preserve nutrients. Poi is a lactic ferment made from boiled taro corms. The leaves can be picked 2-4 weeks after planting and take about 6 weeks to mature. They can be boiled, pulverised in a blender then added to soups, casseroles and stir-fries. They are traditionally used as food wraps and cooked in a mumu or cooking pit. Young leaves will take 5-10 minutes to cook while older ones 15-20 minutes before the oxalate crystals have been rendered neutral. Can be frozen.

Availability in shop: all year

Recipes: Taro Fries with Coriander Pesto

Tahitian Spinach (Xanthosoma brasiliense)

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Clumping perennial herb with large edible leaves leaves. Note the wavy edges to the leaves.

Other Names: Belembe, Tannier Spinach

Origin: hot, humid tropics

Size: 1.2m high, 1.2m spread

Growing conditions: full sun to full shade

Propagation: root division

Growing tips: Grows well in boggy or flooded conditions.

Use: The Tahitian spinach leaf is better than taro and cocoyam as a “tropical green” as it has the least amount of irritating crystals and does not need a long cooking time – ten minutes is adequate. Serving the leaves with coconut milk or cream will help the body to use the Vitamin A, which is a fat-soluble vitamin. Harvest the young leaves and cook in stews, casseroles and leaf wraps. This plant does not have an edible corm.

Availability in shop: all year, best in summer

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Acknowledgement of country

Yandina Community Gardens acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners of the land, the Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) people, past and present and emerging. We recognise and wish to learn from their spiritual and cultural connection to the land.