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Post by Hristo on Feb 20, 2010 14:22:12 GMT -5
This is a tropical tree, but after reading how good tasting are the leaves, bought some seeds to try it. Tasted only young leaves harvested of still small plants planted in pots. But I read that the older leaves are as good as the young ones. What can I say - this are probably the best tasting greens I have eaten. The taste is very nutty (more walnut like) with a touch of lets say... pea, no bitterness.
Obviously most of the forum members (including me) can not grow it outdoors, but I thought it could be of interest to some of you.
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Post by hiven on Feb 20, 2010 15:43:08 GMT -5
We eaten it often some years ago while still leaving in Singapore, very tasty young shoots. The plant can be propagated easily using cuttings. Hristo, please don't eat too much of it in raw form, it is better cooked such as blanched, stir fry or in vegetable soup. We usually ate the young tip and exclude the mature leaves, but presumably it is also edible. It has been years, I miss this vegetable  . |
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Post by Hristo on Feb 20, 2010 20:13:07 GMT -5
please don't eat too much of it in raw form,  I doubt I will be so lucky to be able to harvest large amounts of leaves. But why this precaution? I do not remember any warnings about it's safety. |
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Post by mickey on Feb 21, 2010 1:07:46 GMT -5
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Post by hiven on Feb 21, 2010 4:40:49 GMT -5
Hristo, as Mickey pointed out, it is the alkaloid that coused lung damaged! The alkaloid is damaged if the vegetable is cooked which means cooked orm is the only safe way of consuming this vegetables. Sauropus was sold in Taiwan some years ago as natural slimming agent, it works, BUT then they found out the other truth of it : www.taipeitimes.com/News/local/archives/2000/01/12/19289 |
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Post by stevil on Feb 21, 2010 5:50:42 GMT -5
Welcome back, Hristo - have missed your posts! Interesting plant that I've never had the chance to try - if you're ever successful with cuttings, you know where I am |
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Post by Hristo on Feb 21, 2010 11:00:36 GMT -5
WOW, what a miss by me. Now I change my previous (silly  statement to - I'm lucky to NOT been able to harvest large amounts of leaves. I'm sure I would have been eaten them raw instead cooked. Hmm, Papaverin, like opium poppy! Thanks a lot for the links! Sure, Stephen! |
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Post by hiven on Feb 21, 2010 13:07:25 GMT -5
You are welcome, Hristo . Katuk grows easily in tropic (seen it grows as short hedge in Malaysia). It is a perennial, but not sure how long would it grow. As far as I know, the older the plant the less young shoots you get, they do best at their first 2 years for shoots productions. Katuk seeds lost viability very soon, so it is best to keep it alive by propagating their cuttings. Happy munching, it is indeed a very tasty vegetable... too bad it won't do well here outdoor and winter will be the biggest chalenge (me think). Did your Katuk overwinter with a grow lamp or a south facing windowsill will do ? WOW, what a miss by me. Now I change my previous (silly statement to - I'm lucky to NOT been able to harvest large amounts of leavese. I'm sure I would have been eaten them raw instead cooked. Hmm, Papaverin, like opium poppy! Thanks a lot for the links! Sure, Stephen! |
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Post by Hristo on Feb 21, 2010 13:36:56 GMT -5
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Post by hiven on Feb 22, 2010 16:43:55 GMT -5
Thanks for the e bay address, Hristo, I have bookmarked it! If I got some space left in the green house next year, will reserved it for Katuk. I got too much heat loving vegetables this year and they all need a green house atmosphere to perform well. I keep thinking eating a type of vegetable that taste close to cooked Katuk leaves, for a while I can't recall a thing and while preparing some broad beans seeds for sowing, bingo, it was broad beans shoots ! The texture of cooked broadbean shoots are not as crunchy, but the taste is quite close... if you have a long row of broadbeans, do try their shoots . |
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Post by Hristo on Feb 23, 2010 16:54:22 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip, will try it. Since broad beans are not among my favourite vegs I do not think much for them. And certainly never thought their shoots could be as good! Thanks again!
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I doubt I will be so lucky to be able to harvest large amounts of leaves. But why this precaution? I do not remember any warnings about it's safety.
statement to - I'm lucky to NOT been able to harvest large amounts of leaves. I'm sure I would have been eaten them raw instead cooked. Hmm, Papaverin, like opium poppy!