Growing and Cooking Tropical Vegetables: In a Food Forest Garden

By Elisabeth Fekonia

You can grow food all year round in a tropical and subtropical climate. Tropical vegetables from around the tropical belt have been adapted to suit food forest gardening to mimic the conditions as they are found in their original climatic zones. They are mostly perennials and establish themselves for low maintenance gardening pleasure and high productivity. Over a hundred tried and tested recipes are included to help discover the tropical tastes of these nutritious and delicious foods.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Nov 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669832201

Elisabeth Fekonia

Elisabeth Fekonia has been practicing self-sufficiency on their 6 acres at Black Mountain in southeast Queensland for thirty years. For the past eighteen years she has been teaching home food production to help others achieve the same skills on living of the land. www.permacultureproduce.com.au

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Copyright © 2022 by Elisabeth Fekonia. 827087

Edited by Kym Fullerton

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Xlibris

AU TFN: 1 800 844 927 (Toll Free inside Australia)

AU Local: 02 8310 8187 ([phone] from outside Australia)

www.xlibris.com.au

ISBN: 978-1-6698-3219-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6698-3221-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6698-3220-1 (e)

Rev. date: 10/31/2022

Foreword

Back in the 1990s Permaculture Noosa was very fortunate to be given seeds and planting material by Geoff Lawton. These plants were totally alien to us and all we knew is they were easy to grow in our subtropical climate in Queensland. But as for more details on planting conditions, how to harvest and how to cook with them, there was very little information to be gleaned. This was the beginning of a long journey into studying these unusual tropical vegetables. In those days we didn’t have a computer and many library books were consulted as well as print outs courtesy of the library. My father had also recently retired, and he was on dial up internet. I gave him lots of assignments and I need to acknowledge his input as well. He came up with lots of plant information from Christian aid organisations helping Islander people get off white man’s food and back on their traditional nourishing foods. This information was very useful not only to the indigenous people of the Pacific but also for my research. This is how I gleaned many of the recipes that are in this book. Most recipes have been tried and tested by people from Permaculture Noosa and me. That was a fun exercise, and a lot of these recipes were shared at our Permaculture working bees for everyone to sample.

Another very important lady I need to thank is Jenet Dorchimont Momake. Jenet is an indigenous lady from Papua New Guinea, and she taught me a lot on how to grow taro, cocoyam and other starchy tropical tubers. I also learned about short pitpit and of the many varieties of aibika she grew. Jenet was very generous with giving me planting materials and this also contributed to a large variety of tropical vegetables for my gardens.

The concept of growing these tropical vegetables in a food forest garden makes so much sense. These plants do not need intensive cultivation such as our European vegetables. ‘Stacking’ tropical vegetable plants is mimicking how they grow in the tropics; one gives shade to the other while another creates a mulch as a living ground cover.

I have learned that these tropical vegetables are indeed easy to grow, but a little more knowledge is needed to have productive yields. The information in this book is designed to give you what you need to get the most out of these ‘survival’ foods. It is my desire that you will learn to grow and enjoy these very tasty and nutritious tropical vegetables. Enjoy!

CONTENTS

Foreword

The Food Forest Garden

A food forest garden encourages the following:

Role of Support Plants

Some examples of support species are

Support plants

Cassia

Crotalaria

Leucaena

Pigeon Pea

Cowpea

Sword Bean

Jack Bean

Mucuna

Dogbane

Pinto Peanut

Planting times in Southeast Queensland and Northern NSW

Plants originating in the hot tropics

Cultivation requirements of tropical vegetables

Arrowroot

West Indian Arrowroot

Banana

Bitter Melon

Breadfruit and Jackfruit

Cassava

Chilacyote

Chinese Water Chestnut

Coconut

Galangal

Jerusalem Artichoke

New Guinea Bean

Pawpaw

Pepino

Pitpit

Sweet Potato

Taro Family

Winged Bean

Madagascar Bean

Hyacinth Bean

Rice Bean

Aibika

Amaranth

Brazilian Ground Cover Spinach

Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach

Chop Suey Greens, Edible Chrysanthemum

Curry Leaf Tree

Kangkong

Lebanese Cress

Malu Khia

Moringa Tree

Okinawa Spinach

Water Celery

Pumpkin Vine Tips

Sweet Potato Vine Tips

Mitsuba

Taro, Cocoyam and Tahitian Spinach Leaves and Stalks

Mukunu wenna

Mushroom Plant

Warrigal Greens, NZ Spinach

Turmeric

Yakon

Yam Bean

Yam

Five-fingered Yam

RECIPES

Arrowroot Delight

Arrowroot Patties

Lumpia Wrappers made with Arrowroot

Arrowroot Meatballs

Arrowroot Pancakes

Green Banana Patties

Spiced Green Bananas with Yam or Sweet Potato (1)

Spiced Green Bananas with Yam or Sweet Potato (2)

Banana Poke - this dish originated in the Cook Islands

Banana Poi

Caramelised Plantain

Banana Bellflower Soup

Philippine Vegetable Dish

Plantain Fritters

Baked Bananas with Miti Sauce

Coconut Cream Sauce (Miti)

Green Cavendish Bananas with Yam

Banana Flower Burger

Banana Core in White Sauce

Banana Core Stir-fry

Pinakbet with Bitter Melon

Winged Bean in Coconut Cream

Fresh Winged Bean Seed Marinade

Poor Man’s Bean in Tahini

Breadfruit Soup

Creamed Breadfruit

Breadfruit Pudding

Jackfruit Curry

Jackfruit Bake

Young Jackfruit in Coconut Milk

Sweet Little Cassava Balls

Cassava Pancakes

Cassava and Chicken

Cassava Patties

Cassava in Coconut Cream

Cassava Bread

Cassava Base for a Pie

Ubai

Enyucado

Beef and Cassava Stew

Cassava Cake

Cassava Pancakes

Cassava Patties

Cassava and Chicken

Bibinka Cassava

Cassava in Coconut Cream

Tapioca Coconut Meringue

Cassava Dessert

Manioke Tama- Steamed Cassava in Taro Leaves

Cassava Dessert with Tapioca Pearls

Coconut Crust

Coconut and Mashed Pumpkin

Coconut Ice cream

Boiled and Fried Cocoyam

Fried Savoury Cocoyam Balls

Cow Peas and Maize

Steamed Cow Pea Parcels

Cow Pea Fritters

Greens with Meat - West Africa

Chicken and Greens in Coconut Cream

Cooked Choko Vine Tips

Greens and Coconut Soup

Kangkong With Noodles

Coconut Dressing for Salad Greens

Greens in White Sauce

Soup with Greens

Green Leaf Parcel

New Zealand Spinach Soup

Greens Stir Fry

Moringa in Coconut Cream

Greens with Peanuts (A typical African dish)

Malu khia Soup

Kangkong with Beef

Moringa Leaf Dahl

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

Vai Lesi (A native pudding)

Fresh Pawpaw Chilli Sauce

Green Paw Paw Pickle

Sweet Pawpaw Bake

Pawpaw Sherbet

Baked Stuffed Pawpaw

Green Pawpaw Salad

Pawpaw Pickle

Pawpaw Topping

Stuffed Green Pawpaw

Cook Islands Fruit Pudding

Pawpaw Soup

Pawpaw Pie

Pawpaw in Coconut Cream

Pawpaw Soufflé

Pigeon Pea with Curry Leaves

Pitpit and Mixed Vegetable Salad

Tall Pitpit - Grilled

Pitpit in Coconut Cream

Sweet Potato Flour

Sweet Potato and Sour Cream Casserole

Sweet Potato and Peanut Patties

Sweet Potato Burgers

Sweet Potato Cake

Sweet Potato with Persimmon Bake

Sweet Potato and Pork Meat Balls

Spicy Sweet Potato Mash

Sweet Potato and Apple Bake

Fermented Sweet Potato Patties

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Sweet Potato Curry Fry

Sweet Potato Bake with Prunes

Sweet Potato and Banana Fritters

Sweet Potato Vine Tip Salad

Fermented Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato Pone

Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries

Candied Sweet Potato

Scalloped Taro with Coconut Cream

Malanga-Taro Fritters

Taro in Coconut Cream

Taro Patties

Taro and Chicken Casserole

Taro Puffs

One Pot Fish Dish with Taro

Fish Dish with Tahitian Spinach Leaves

Taro Biscuits

Taro Leaf au Gratin

Turmeric Paste

Turmeric Powder

Yakon Sauce

Yakon Wine

Yam and Tuna Savoury Cake

Yam Pie

Yam with Fish Rissoles in Grated Coconut

Yam in Coconut Cream and Cheese

Halaya Purple Yam Cake - Yum!

Yam with Spiced Green Bananas

Yam bean - Jicama Salad

The Food Forest Garden

Food forest gardening is a central practise of Permaculture

and is a design strategy for sustainable living.

Natural ecosystems such as rain forests have a huge number of relationships between their component parts. Trees, understory, ground cover, soil, fungi, insects and animals are a vital part of this system. Plants grow at different heights and habits, and this allows a diverse community of life to grow in a relatively small space. Food forest gardens can mimic the complexity of a mature ecosystem and can offer perennial polycultures and multipurpose plants in small-scale settings. We can apply the principles of a natural ecology to design our home gardens to grow our food, fodder, mulch, and fertilisers. We should learn how to apply natures’ principles to the design of our gardens and understand her complex laws.

Food forest gardening is also known as three-dimensional gardening. It is a food production and land management system based on replicating natural forests using small trees, large bushes, shrubs, herbs, vines, fruits, and vegetables which have yields useful to humans, livestock, and mulch. With the use of support plants, guilds and companion plants, these can be interplanted to grow on multiple levels in the same area amongst the tropical vegetables as plants in a forest. Based on the observation that the natural forest can be divided into distinct layers or ‘stacking,’ we use inter-cropping to develop a food forest garden.

A food forest garden encourages the following:

• Planting support species which provide soil fertility and mulch on site - grow mulch where you need it

• Maximising winter sunlight and summer shade by strategically planting deciduous and evergreen trees

• Replacing invasive grasses with non- invasive ground covers, preferably ones that improve soil fertility and offer some food value

• Integrating livestock in the system to help minimise work and maximise productivity

• Add ponds, bird baths, and habitat for frogs, lizards, and birds for built-in pest control

• Create swales, drains, bog gardens, and other moisture traps to passively harvest water in the landscape

• Create areas that are for your enjoyment such as strategically placed seating, or a swing hanging from a tree branch

Begin with planting the support species as these are the backbone of your garden. They are groundcovers, shrubs and trees used for mulch and weed barriers. Some can eventually be shaded out when the main crops grow to maturity.

Role of Support Plants

These help to improve the soil by adding organic matter

• Eliminate grass in the system

• These plants often have a deep-rooted system, and their foliage brings the minerals from the sub-soil onto the topsoil strata

• They are soil improvers by aerating the soil with their strong roots, they often fix nitrogen, and they help to create a micro-climate

• They offer protection from cold, harsh winds, excessive sun and heat and help to conserve soil moisture

• Support plants can also offer habitat for predator insects and wildlife

Some examples of support species are

• Living groundcovers such as sweet potato, pinto peanut, mukunu wenna, dogbane, nasturtiums, pepino, and pumpkin

• Shrubs such as pigeon pea, crotalaria, popcorn cassia, and cassia elata

• Clumping grasses such as lemon grass, vetiver grass, and Job’s tears

• Trees such as leucaena, black wattle, ice cream bean, and caliandra

• Herbaceous plants such as comfrey, arrowroot, and cardamom for nitrogen rich chop and drop

Support plants

In subtropical/tropical permaculture systems, where crops are grown in continuous succession, it is important to constantly add fertility to the soil. The soil’s fertility is increased by the addition of nitrogen in the form of green organic matter and intercropping with tropical legumes. This is the perfect solution for a permanent agricultural system.

Tropical legumes can be easily grown between the main crops and can also add to the total food harvest. Most legumes we have here in Australia are introduced species, and Australian soils do not have the right bacteria present for root nodulation. The roots on the legume plants consequently do not develop the nodules that harbour the bacteria to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. This can be remedied however, by adding the right strains of bacteria to the legume, by inoculating the right rhizobia into the soil. These bacteria can be bought at the local produce/nursery stores. Just let them know which legume you are wishing to purchase the bacteria strain for, and they will work out the correct rhizobia for you. These bacteria are kept in peat moss in the fridge and once the packet is opened it deteriorates quickly. The cost of the bacteria is minimal, and it certainly makes a difference to the resulting soil fertility.

When the seeds are ready to be broadcast onto the soil, simply add the inoculant to the seed with some milk, or flour and water, to enable adhesion to the seed. Alternatively, the bacteria can be watered into the soil if the plants are already established. It is best to water it in on an overcast and humid day so that the bacteria won’t be killed off by the hot, dry sun.

How can you tell if the right bacteria are already present in the soil? When pulling up an entire plant you should be able to observe small nodes on the roots. A seedling will show you whether the right bacteria are present or not and you will see the nodules with the naked eye. When these are present you will know that the correct rhizobia are present to enable the plants to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. It was interesting when someone once pointed out to me that when you see the Desmodium vine (Glycine javonica) growing, then the right bacteria are present for the pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. This proved to be correct, as when we pulled up a young pigeon pea, we saw many nodules on the root system.

A green manure crop that is systematically chopped and dropped will have the same effect as applying compost without the same amount of handling. A green manure crop will also put back much more nitrogen whereas compost will use up much more of its own nitrogen supply in the conversion process.

Additional benefits of inter-planting with legumes are forage for livestock and mulch. Also, in the case of pigeon pea, the peas can be harvested and used to make delicious dahl.

Cassia

Senna didymabotrya

Image15800.JPG

Cassia Elata, Candlestick Cassia, and Popcorn Cassia are commonly used in permaculture gardens as chop and drop mulch. These cassias are very attractive mulch sources and often aren’t coppiced as they should because of their visual appeal. They do however make very good mulch material and should be used for chopping and dropping. I have found the seed a bit difficult to germinate until I found seed in the pod germinating after very wet weather. Another time I had given up on them and threw the contents of the pots out onto the ground. You can guess the rest, lots of young cassia trees just where I didn’t want them. They were easy to dig out of the ground and pot back up again.

Crotalaria

Crotalaria anagyroides Kunth

Image15811.JPG

Rattlebox, Rattleweed and Crotalaria are the common names given to this small leguminous shrub. Crotalaria originated in tropical America but is seen growing in disturbed areas along roadsides and cultivated fields. The crotalaria is used as a small shrub for chop and drop mulch in a permaculture food forest. Most varieties of the crotalaria contain poisonous alkaloids therefore livestock won’t touch it. There is however one variety that is suitable for feeding to cattle and this is worthwhile trying to get a hold of. The crotalaria is a very hardy shrub and needs no irrigation. It can withstand regular pruning for mulch.

One interesting observation made, is that when the citrus trees are attacked by the caterpillars, they will favour the crotalaria instead, so this legume can be used as a decoy. It pays to plant crotalaria shrubs in between citrus trees to minimise leaf damage on the trees, as soon after the invasion the leaves grow back on this amazing hardy legume tree.

Leucaena

Leucaena leucocephala

Image15820.jpg

Leucaena originated in the midlands of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and southern Mexico. This ‘mimosoid’ tree is very useful fodder for livestock and for mulch. It is useful as a pioneer crop, is drought hardy and grows fast. Both the pigeon pea and leucaena are useful for restoring degraded areas as their nitrogen input plus their mulch material in the form of chop and drop will greatly help to assist in building up the soil again. The leucaena tree also has a deep tap root, and this will help break up compacted soil. It is in fact one of the true pioneers that will help restore denuded areas. This small tree has however been declared as a weed in Queensland, but it can be happily utilised as livestock fodder except for horses and donkeys. The leaves, pods, and seeds of leucaena all contain the toxic amino acid mimosine and when fed in excess to horses it can cause hypothyroidism and alopecia. Cattle need to be slowly introduced to leucaena to enable them to build up the right bacteria for breaking down these toxins.