Callaloo

[djbrenton]

I hadn't intended to offer these as I didn't save all that many, however today the guy who gave me my plants last year asked me if I wanted any seeds. He then opened a full 5 litre tub and gave me an amount that would fill a sugar bag, so if anyone wants to try this wonderful crop PM me.

[djbrenton]

[Diana]

Yes please DJ. Will PM you

D

[kentishchloe]

OOh yes please - will pm you straightway,

Chloe

[GardnerJ]

hello there i would love some please only a bit though! just a few seedsw will do if you can spare them?
i will send you my address
jemma aka gardnerj

[grawrc]

What is Callaloo?

[MutantHobbit]

cal·la·loo

1. The edible spinachlike leaves of the dasheen.

da·sheen  n. Caribbean.

   1. A variety of taro having large yellowish tubers.
   2. The tuber of this plant.

It's a plant much beloved in the West Indian community and they can't get enough of the stuff. ;D
Hope this helps! ;)

Dave

[ipt8]

Ha
Now I know what it is it sounds interesting. Could I have just a pinch of seeds to try please. I will pm you.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Do you get tubers in the UK, or just the leaves?

[djbrenton]

Just the leaves, the tuber variety is known as poi in Hawaii and as far as I know can't be grown properly here. They have to bash the root on a rock to soften it and after a while swinging the root around became an art form which is why those balls on string you see at Glastonbury being swung around are called poi.

[amphibian]

cal·la·loo

1. The edible spinachlike leaves of the dasheen.

da·sheen  n. Caribbean.

   1. A variety of taro having large yellowish tubers.
   2. The tuber of this plant.

It's a plant much beloved in the West Indian community and they can't get enough of the stuff. ;D
Hope this helps! ;)

Dave

Callaloo is a non-specific caribbean term for leaf used like spinach (much like the hindi/urdu saag), it can refer either to the  leaf of Taro, Xanthosoma  or Amaranth or to a specific dish made from these leaves. Which it refers to varies throughout the caribbean.

[grawrc]

Thank you for the info. I googled for dasheen and came up with:
The dasheen has three main uses: (1) corms and tubers used as a potato; (2) leaves as greens, once they have been boiled 15 minutes in water with a pinch of baking soda, drained, and then rinsed with boiling water; and (3) the blanched young shoots, obtained by forcing corms in the dark, furnish a tender vegetable having a flavor somewhat like that of mushrooms. A stew dish called calalou is prepared from dasheen leaves. Poi is made from fermented taro starch.

I think I'm probably safer to stick with spinach. ;)