41 Farrell street, Yandina
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Chop Suey Greens (aka edible chrysanthemum; chrysanthemum greens)
Chrysanthemum coramarium
Origin: China and Asian countries
Plant: Sow seeds in Spring, Summer and Autumn
Harvest: after 30 days
A hardy annual that grows to 1m and prefers mild to slightly colder climates. Young leaves eaten raw or cooked give a distinctive Chinese flavour. Use the petals in salad, or as a refreshing tea. Add the leaves at the last minute, to avoid overcooking.
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Chilacayote (aka Alacyote, Zambo, Malabar gourd, Fig-leaved gourd)
Cucurbita ficifolia
Origin: Highlands – wet, cool South America
Plant: March – Sept
Harvest: July – Dec
Pick young squash before the seeds form, slice or grate into stir-fries or salads. Mature squash keep well and can be baked whole or halved. The seed can be eaten raw or roasted (high in oleic acid). Chilacyote are high in pectin for jam making. Flowers, stems and tips are also edible.
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Chinese Water Chestnut
Eleocharis dulcis
Origin: hot, humid tropics of China and Australasia
Plant: Sept – Nov
Harvest: July – Aug
Wait till sedge tops die down completely as the corms need to have the time to change to their final dark brown colour. Peel and slice to add to Asian stir-fries.
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Perennial shrub with edible tubers. 
Other Names: Manioc, Manihot, Tapioca, Yucca
Origin: South AMerica
Size: 2m high, 1m spread
Growing conditions: full sun
Propagation: Semi-hardwood cuttings planted directly into ground during spring to autumn.
Growing tips: Cassava will grow in any soil from sand to heavy clay (it’s often used to break up compacted clay soils). During extreme drought bushes may drop their leaves but spring to life again when rain returns. Avoid water-logged soils and plant in a raised mound if necessary. Can be grown as a hedge with 1 metre spacing. After 2-3 months of growth, mound up the soil around the base to encourage root growth. Tubers can grow 15-100cm long and weigh in excess of 5-6kg.
Use: Once tubers are harvested, they need to be processed (or cooked/frozen) within 2 days although they can be refrigerated for another 5 days or so. Variegated cassava can be eaten also but needs thorough washing and cooking to remove the bitter taste.
Tubers MUST be cooked with the lid off to deactivate the hydrocyonic acid after you have used a sharp knife to slice vertically to remove this thick outer skin which, when fresh, just peels away cleanly. Cassava can be boiled, baked, roasted, made into chips (our favourite), added to soups and casseroles, grated for cakes and many baked goods.
Availability in shop: all year, best in summer
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Bitter Melon (aka balsam pear or bitter gourd)
Momordica charantia
Origin: Hot, humid China and India
Plant: Sept – Dec
Harvest: Jan – April
Young fruit are harvested 8 – 10 days after the flowers open. Each fruit will be 100-150mm long, knobbly, light green with white flesh inside, 10 – 12 fruit per vine. Picked fruit stays firm and fresh for about 4 or 5 days in a plastic bag in the fridge. Scrape out seeds, they are bitter. Note: older, riper fruit is extremely bitter and toxic to man and animals.