Hi! I love watching this video of yours, I grow a veg called ‘Bac Ha’ which is an edible elephant ear variety.. it’s a perennial and dies back in the winter and comes back up in April/May. We only eat the stems (peel it like a celery), and you don’t have to dig it out unless you want to prick the baby seedlings from the mother plant. It’s such an amazing plant you definitely need to get one. I grow loads in my allotment ❤
I was looking forward to taro harvesting and im not disappointed. Ive bought a root to start grow initially as a house plant and see what becomes of it. Thank you for the enthusiasm!
Hi Laurie and Dan, I just found an illustrated guide called 'TaroPest' published by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR - 2008). Hope this information helps sort out some of the challenges growing various cultivars. 🌞💚🤝 Be Well
It's funny we have one of these kept as a houseplant, never knew it was a crop, but I mentioned it to a friend who grew up in an African country and he said yes, we used to grow something like this. Ok, I'll confess, every since I saw your first video on this I have really wanted to eat my houseplant!
🤣 Thats hilarious!! Made me smile. You do get some ornamentle varieties, that only have very small cormes... so prehaps your house plant might not be the best one to try 😉 Hope you are well 💚✌️🌿
The long anticipated Taro Video 😍 Yes, I will also grow Taro next year. It will probably be the smaller variety "eddo". That's the only one i found. Much Love 💖👨🌾✨
You can also sell those Taro roots to Fortune Tellers, they can make their own Organic 'Taro' Cards 😉 The naked mole rat of North Africa exists on root veg (and its own poop) and they often live into their 30s, while all other rodents who consume 'above ground' food only live a few years. Longevity/microbiome studies use the naked mole rat to figure out if the main reason is the diet of the rat, or something else. Fascinating stuff.
I think he was tired by then, was getting late in the arvo and he had been out with us all day ... he likes a slower start or an afternoon nap these days!!! 😃
Nice to experiment and try new products! If you have some unused space it is for sure good to plant it... but I wonder if it is worth in a smaller garden. It's something you would suggest in this case, or is it better to plant more productive potatoes for our latitudes?
Hi, Great questions 👍 space is something we are blessed with and grateful of here for sure, which does give us more opportunity to experiment (and then share our results). The main things though we feel, in any garden no matter the size, is diversity. If space is more of an issue, for sure maybe don't dedicate a whole bed to Taro, but you could dot it in with other crops, like potatoes, or like we did outdoors in the main bed, in with our sweet potatoes, which you may have seen in some of our previous vids. This way, if you get a crop failure from a main crop (like we did), you still have somethings that came out of that space. Interplanting is a lot of fun and can be very productive too. Appreciate you watching 💚✌️🌿
I’ve recently discovered your channel and subscribed! Love the content and the fact you’re living my dream! Can’t wait to escape the rat race of London and do something similar myself. Do you ever allow visitors? I’d love to learn from you and contribute with a days labour? 💪🏼
Hi, so glad you are enjoying our vids - really appreciate that 💚 We do hope to run a few garden tours a year at some stage in the future, so stay in touch for sure and keep taking steps where ever you can to make your dream happen for sure 🙏✌️🌿
You are growing the giant tropical Taro that grows slowly and needs 12 hour days and nights and solid years to mature. The subtropical smaller one is the one that will multiply and feed you well. They are not a novelty with large leaves and huge tubers but they will grow fast and feed you well farther from the equator. The eddoes are what some call the right ones. You will find eddoes in the shops because they produce in our temperate climate.
Thanks for your comment, the bigger one is a different variety to the 'giant' ones available here called jacks giant and thai giant..the guy i got it off gets very big corms each year outside in the UK, so quite exciting
i think ill have a go at these. Going back to the rat problems i watched weedy gardens latest and he is using some of his surplus hot peppers to mash down and make a drench for the soil. By all accounts the active ingredient only affects mammals and he uses it as a rodent deterrent. i have not tried it myself i am trying wood vinegar for pests though like you have on the leaves
Hey Sue, great to hear ... they are such a beautiful looking plant too 💚 Will keep an eye on Weedy and see if he updates about that - I've defo got a lot of chillies to pick before frost comes on tuesday, so they need a use 🤣 Will have to look up wood vinegar, not heard of that before 👍🙏 Appreciate you watching & sharing the info ✌️🌿
If it's a purple fleshed taro (purple pops when cooked), then we call that 'nduma' in Kenya. Would be amazing to find that in the UK, and I'd try to grow it if I were to find some.
Hi, thats great to know - thanks. I don't think we have found a purple fleshed one yet .... is it very strong purple? as I do think, last year, some had a slight hint of purple to them when I was cooking. Thanks for watching 💚✌️🌿
@@freedomforestlife Not a deep purple, but more than just a hint. It's gorgeous. And tastes so good - a realisation I've come to appreciate more now that I have no easy access to it. But because of you, I'll try grow some, regardless of variety.
@freedomforestlife You and Su may be correct,,, my initial reaction was it could be a SpiderMite infestation, too. Kindly check out an illustrated guide called TaroPest ( published by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research - 2008). 🌞💚🤝
But health is so so important I know I need to work on mine. I think eating what your grow also plays a big part in providing bacteria to your micro bio. Lots of the pre packaged food we eat is sterilised
Absolutely! The fact that is hasn;t been spray with goodness knows what, prob washed with anti bac... all of these things defo make homegrown better for our biome... and then connection with have with it and the freshness ... SO GOOD 💚 I think the Taro is extra good because it is a form of resistant starch, so it ferments in your large intestine and feeds good gut bacteria, unlike fast burning carbs which will digest fast in the small intestine. Appreciate you watching and your great comment 👍✌️🌿
Hi John, its more of a texture than a taste is how I would describe ... Its a bit like courgette, in that it takes on the flavour really well of whatever it is cooked with, from what I've found so far ... but havent been very adventurous just yet ... a cross between potato and coconut texture-wise . Thanks for watching, next time we make a vid, i'll try to remember to talk more about that 😃💚✌️🌿
I sometimes buy food from a Farm in Cheshire that uses ZERO chemicals or injections/'medicines' on their animals. It's a shame so many people have been conditioned to believe nothing is 'safe' without some form of toxic filth being injected into their meat food or sprayed over their plant food. I wonder why I very rarely ever get sick (I haven't had a cold since late 2019). Keep up the good work. I'll get a bigger house one day, and a much bigger garden to expand Scouse Farm 🦾
Hi! I love watching this video of yours, I grow a veg called ‘Bac Ha’ which is an edible elephant ear variety.. it’s a perennial and dies back in the winter and comes back up in April/May. We only eat the stems (peel it like a celery), and you don’t have to dig it out unless you want to prick the baby seedlings from the mother plant.
It’s such an amazing plant you definitely need to get one. I grow loads in my allotment ❤
Hi Kay, glad you enjoyed the vid 💚 Will get Dan to look into Bac Ha - sounds like something he would like. Appreciate you watching & messaging 🙏✌️🌿
I was looking forward to taro harvesting and im not disappointed. Ive bought a root to start grow initially as a house plant and see what becomes of it. Thank you for the enthusiasm!
🙏💚✌️🌿
Hi Laurie and Dan, I just found an illustrated guide called 'TaroPest' published by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR - 2008). Hope this information helps sort out some of the challenges growing various cultivars. 🌞💚🤝 Be Well
Thanks Sherri, I'll check it out! 🙏💚✌️🌿
It's funny we have one of these kept as a houseplant, never knew it was a crop, but I mentioned it to a friend who grew up in an African country and he said yes, we used to grow something like this. Ok, I'll confess, every since I saw your first video on this I have really wanted to eat my houseplant!
🤣 Thats hilarious!! Made me smile. You do get some ornamentle varieties, that only have very small cormes... so prehaps your house plant might not be the best one to try 😉 Hope you are well 💚✌️🌿
Taro is used as baby food when I’m little in China. It’s very delicious when steamed. Hopefully I can grow it here in Ireland in the future.
Hi Liz, thanks for the tip, we will try it steamed 💚 Happy growing ✌️🌿
The long anticipated Taro Video 😍 Yes, I will also grow Taro next year. It will probably be the smaller variety "eddo". That's the only one i found. Much Love 💖👨🌾✨
Hope it lived up to the anticipation 😉 I am excited for you gardening next year 🙌✌️🌿
Awesome vid
Glad you enjoyed it - appreciate you watching ✌️🌿
You can also sell those Taro roots to Fortune Tellers, they can make their own Organic 'Taro' Cards 😉 The naked mole rat of North Africa exists on root veg (and its own poop) and they often live into their 30s, while all other rodents who consume 'above ground' food only live a few years. Longevity/microbiome studies use the naked mole rat to figure out if the main reason is the diet of the rat, or something else. Fascinating stuff.
🤣🤣 Taro cards 🤣🤣 really interesting about the naked mole rat! 👍 💚✌️🌿
Probably lack of predators and UV rays?
Murphy looked like a sleepy 🐼 hiding behind Dan 😂
I think he was tired by then, was getting late in the arvo and he had been out with us all day ... he likes a slower start or an afternoon nap these days!!! 😃
Nice to experiment and try new products! If you have some unused space it is for sure good to plant it... but I wonder if it is worth in a smaller garden. It's something you would suggest in this case, or is it better to plant more productive potatoes for our latitudes?
Hi, Great questions 👍 space is something we are blessed with and grateful of here for sure, which does give us more opportunity to experiment (and then share our results). The main things though we feel, in any garden no matter the size, is diversity. If space is more of an issue, for sure maybe don't dedicate a whole bed to Taro, but you could dot it in with other crops, like potatoes, or like we did outdoors in the main bed, in with our sweet potatoes, which you may have seen in some of our previous vids. This way, if you get a crop failure from a main crop (like we did), you still have somethings that came out of that space. Interplanting is a lot of fun and can be very productive too. Appreciate you watching 💚✌️🌿
@@freedomforestlife Great answer! Thanks
In india taro leaves are also used in cooking ..we make a dish called "patreed"
Which is so delicious..
Thank you - I will look it up. I do need to get more adventurous with cooking Taro ... just learning 🙏 Thanks for watching 💚✌️🌿
I’ve recently discovered your channel and subscribed! Love the content and the fact you’re living my dream!
Can’t wait to escape the rat race of London and do something similar myself.
Do you ever allow visitors? I’d love to learn from you and contribute with a days labour? 💪🏼
Hi, so glad you are enjoying our vids - really appreciate that 💚 We do hope to run a few garden tours a year at some stage in the future, so stay in touch for sure and keep taking steps where ever you can to make your dream happen for sure 🙏✌️🌿
I will for sure grow tarro. This will mean a visit to Shepherds Bush Market on my next visit to England 🤗✌🏾🌱🪴
Love it Joan - good on you 🙌 and thanks for watching right to the end 😉💚✌️🌿
You are growing the giant tropical Taro that grows slowly and needs 12 hour days and nights and solid years to mature. The subtropical smaller one is the one that will multiply and feed you well. They are not a novelty with large leaves and huge tubers but they will grow fast and feed you well farther from the equator. The eddoes are what some call the right ones. You will find eddoes in the shops because they produce in our temperate climate.
Thanks for your comment, the bigger one is a different variety to the 'giant' ones available here called jacks giant and thai giant..the guy i got it off gets very big corms each year outside in the UK, so quite exciting
I think I am going to need my poly tunnel before I can grow those in Scotland.
Hey Paul, yep, I defo think you'd need a polytunnel up there for them! Thanks for watching 💚✌️🌿
i think ill have a go at these. Going back to the rat problems i watched weedy gardens latest and he is using some of his surplus hot peppers to mash down and make a drench for the soil. By all accounts the active ingredient only affects mammals and he uses it as a rodent deterrent. i have not tried it myself i am trying wood vinegar for pests though like you have on the leaves
Hey Sue, great to hear ... they are such a beautiful looking plant too 💚 Will keep an eye on Weedy and see if he updates about that - I've defo got a lot of chillies to pick before frost comes on tuesday, so they need a use 🤣 Will have to look up wood vinegar, not heard of that before 👍🙏 Appreciate you watching & sharing the info ✌️🌿
If it's a purple fleshed taro (purple pops when cooked), then we call that 'nduma' in Kenya. Would be amazing to find that in the UK, and I'd try to grow it if I were to find some.
Hi, thats great to know - thanks. I don't think we have found a purple fleshed one yet .... is it very strong purple? as I do think, last year, some had a slight hint of purple to them when I was cooking. Thanks for watching 💚✌️🌿
@@freedomforestlife Not a deep purple, but more than just a hint. It's gorgeous. And tastes so good - a realisation I've come to appreciate more now that I have no easy access to it. But because of you, I'll try grow some, regardless of variety.
Is it a kind of spider mite you had on the leaves this year? I haven't pulled my taro yet, but will do in the next couple of days.
We were thinking spidermite too Su, need to sit down and have a little research! Grateful for you advice, helps us to get on the right track 🙏💚✌️🌿
@freedomforestlife You and Su may be correct,,, my initial reaction was it could be a SpiderMite infestation, too. Kindly check out an illustrated guide called TaroPest ( published by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research - 2008). 🌞💚🤝
But health is so so important I know I need to work on mine. I think eating what your grow also plays a big part in providing bacteria to your micro bio. Lots of the pre packaged food we eat is sterilised
Absolutely! The fact that is hasn;t been spray with goodness knows what, prob washed with anti bac... all of these things defo make homegrown better for our biome... and then connection with have with it and the freshness ... SO GOOD 💚 I think the Taro is extra good because it is a form of resistant starch, so it ferments in your large intestine and feeds good gut bacteria, unlike fast burning carbs which will digest fast in the small intestine. Appreciate you watching and your great comment 👍✌️🌿
I reckon they are spider mites
👍 Thanks - will look in to this more 💚 Thanks for watching & messaging ✌️🌿
But what dose it taste like 🤔
Hi John, its more of a texture than a taste is how I would describe ... Its a bit like courgette, in that it takes on the flavour really well of whatever it is cooked with, from what I've found so far ... but havent been very adventurous just yet ... a cross between potato and coconut texture-wise . Thanks for watching, next time we make a vid, i'll try to remember to talk more about that 😃💚✌️🌿
@@freedomforestlife thanks for reply, 💕 your channel
I sometimes buy food from a Farm in Cheshire that uses ZERO chemicals or injections/'medicines' on their animals. It's a shame so many people have been conditioned to believe nothing is 'safe' without some form of toxic filth being injected into their meat food or sprayed over their plant food. I wonder why I very rarely ever get sick (I haven't had a cold since late 2019). Keep up the good work. I'll get a bigger house one day, and a much bigger garden to expand Scouse Farm 🦾
Good on you for finding and sorting a farm like that…. Hopefully in time more farms we offer this 💚 appreciate you watching and your comments ✌️🌿