Magnus has been steadily clearing and planting a boggy area on our land for the last few years. The ideal crop for this sunny, protected and wet location is a local favorite, Colocasia esculenta, or Taro.
This amazing plant has been cultivated by humans for over 28,000 years. Taro is the true Paleolithic Staple food.
The starchy root grows quickly and is an ideal permaculture plant.
Our wwoofers, Anjelika and Hannah, helped to weed the area and plant young corms into surrounding land that had been cleared earlier.
Renault took a break in the taro patch to enjoy cool spring water and bask in the shade that these majestic and ancient friends.
According to fitday, "Taro root is often used in a similar fashion to a potato, but in fact has better nutritional qualities than a potato. It has almost three times the dietary fiber, which is important for proper digestive health and regularity. Fiber can also fill you up and make you feel less hungry with fewer calories. Taro root has a low Glycemic Index, as opposed to potato which has a high Glycemic Index. A low GI means that taro effects blood sugar levels slowly, without the peaks and crashes of a high GI, which lead to increased hunger later on. Eating a diet of low GI foods can also help prevent diabetes. Taro is nutritious, and is an excellent source of potassium, which is an essential mineral for many bodily functions. Taro also contains some calcium, vitamin C, vitamin E and B vitamins, as well as magnesium, manganese and copper."
Mitra gave Daddy-Magnus a helping hand to harvest these giant corms....
....and lent a hand to clean the corms before processing.
After the outer skin is removed, the taro corms are cut into slices.
The corms are then steamed in our Hydro-Electric powered Slow Cooker for several hours to cook thoroughly.
After being steamed, they can be pan seared in home-rendered lard to make a tasty snack.
All the boys love taro. Daddy likes to wrap it in garden leaves, but the boys prefer to dip it in ketchup and mayonnaise.
The local Azorean milk adds the protein, along with grass fed Flores beef.
Eating locally is so much fun and tasty too!
Stay tuned for fermented taro (poi).
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