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I certainly agree that if persons take a bite and it irritates their mouth and throat they'll stop eating long before they're in danger of croaking. But I'm concerned about the consequences of consuming a lot of oxalic acid over a long period of time; it makes formation of kidney stones more likely. My father got them several times and I know it's not fun. I found this really good artile that discusses taro and oxalates.
http://taro.wikispaces.com/
The article has some interesting recommendations on how to reduce the oxalic acid content. I do plan to grow upland taro for the corms because taro is too good of a thing for me to pass up. I'll be carefull with the preparation and be growing a lot of other things so it's not like I'll be living on taro.
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Thank you,kiosan.
Very valuable information.
I haven't tried taro and looks like I am not going to.
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After reading that link I gave over a few times I have some doubts about the accuracy of the information. And to me the article is confusing and I found out that it wasn't written my an authority but by a student. I really want to understand this subject so I'm going to do more digging and look for better sources of information.
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We've been doing "guerrilla gardening" with the little taros you can find in KTA. Look over near the potatoes. They grow well, multiply fast and taste just about like new potatoes when cooked. They will grow in areas that aren't usually gardens. We've been putting them around our neighborhood so when things get really tight there will be food for folks. We are hoping they will naturalize in the areas we put them and spread. When we harvest them, we leave a few to grow again, take some to eat and take some to plant somewhere else. Abundance!
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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Kalo corms and leaves have sustained my people for thousands of years. Any time you eat a laulaus or chicken luau, you are not eating spinach, you are eating Kalo leaves AKA Luau leaves.
The oxlate content of Kalo and its leaves is reduced by boiling and changing the water constantly. When my family makes laulaus, the leaves are scrubed to removed the tiny "hairs" on the leaves, then soaked in cool water for about an hour. The leaves are then rinsed again, and then used in preparing laulaus.
As a native Hawaiian who has lived on the mainland (15 of my 35 years) I find in curious when people "put down" things they know little of.
Oh!! and by the way, I do know what oxalates are, I am a chemist.
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welcome paukaamom! mm mm good to both you and damon. if we weren't having steak tonight for dinner, we'd be having laulau and lomi sardines with, you guessed it, poi.
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We grow two varieties of Taro in Hawaiian Acres at 1200 ft and managed to feed 100 Curried Taro at a Baby Lauau last November. I planted them in a low spot that would have drowned anything else and they are doing quite well.
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I would love to get the heirloom kalo that grows well on dry land in coastal puna. As someone said, if supply lines are cut, there is food. Everyone seems to think that is an impossibility but it really isnt. I also think the kalo should not be genetically modified as what grows naturally in the environment is what should be there and left without invasive species.
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