Taro Patch in Haiku Maui Hawaii - pictures and links

Georgina, What a lovely shot and some great information.  I'd never heard of these plants and enjoyed seeing and reading about them.

Georgina - great information here about poi and lau lau. The plants are beautiful as well.

Goergina,

Great photo!

I really never knew where Taro Cards came from - and now I know. :)

Georgina - Great photograph with some great information, thanks for the blog. Another thing, my wife Nu Nu has been bugging me to visit Hawaii. So I think I might just surprise her with a great Christmas present, if you know what I mean.

When would be the best time to come Jan or Feb?

I had never heard of the taro plant, but I thought they looked like elephant ears, so I went to Wikipedia and found that, indeed, they are related to caladiums and loosely called elephant ears. Here's some more information I found about the taro plant, though:

It's the root that is edible, but not it its raw form since it contains the toxin calcium oxalate. Calcium oxalate is destroyed by cooking or can by steeping the roots in cold water overnight.

Interesting.

By the way, there's a little "elephant ear" patch a couple of blocks from me in a public space along a sidewalk. It's always full of water, and I've reported the "leak" a couple of times. Now I'm wondering if it's not just a taro patch here in San Diego. I shall have to get a picture of it.

I also forgot to tell you that the picture is beautiful, but that house is a little too small for my tastes -- LOL.

Georgina, as it happens I grow taro at my own home. It is great accent plant, and I do harvest it. Russel pointed out the fact of the toxin in the root. You mentioned the leaves; I have been told that you should only harvest young leaves, since older ones can be too toxic even when cooked. Do not know if that fact is true, but I stick to the young leaves.

It is only what I have heard about the toxicity. I want the black variety (I have a non-edible variety that is black, and it is stunning), but I have some wonderful green ones. I need to try the recipes that you mention. I have used the leaf as a wrap around fish or other vegetables when baking (everything covered with parchment or foil so the leaf does not burn) or steaming (I have steamed rice in the leaf). I also fry it like I do with spinach. I just take what herbs or alium that looks best, so sometimes garlic, sometimes shallot, or sometimes spring onion, along with a lemony flavored herb.

Happy Thanksgiving Georgina. My famiily wishes you and yours the best. PS- my family grew by one this past Friday. Another little girl. Her brother gave her the name Sakura (Japanese for Cherry Blosson), and I gave her the middle name of Erika.

Looks like the taro patch is growing in nicely down in Honopou. When was that taken?