Katuk, Sauropus androgynus 1/ Care and cooking thread. See comments for more details.
An easy edible perennial plant you can take for granted. Bring indoors in winter.
Taste: nutty, with a lightly green finish. High in protein and v&m.
Good fresh: salads, juiced, sauces, soups, curries
Good dried: sauces, soups, curries, powdered for flours in dough/batter.
2/ Care: needs 3/4 sun for optimum harvest and the least stress.
Doesn’t mind occasional wet feet. Defoliates if too dry.
It will defoliate when brought inside for the winter so give it a hard trim beforehand. It will recover once indoors but grows slower in lower light. Trim hard again in spring before putting out and gently harden it over a few weeks.
Use rich compost or nitrogen rich organic fert.
#plants #GrowYourOwn #gardening
4/ The katuk leaves and soft stems wilt fairly quickly but it dries readily. Drying does not negatively impact flavor. You can prolong freshness by keeping long stems in water before use. If you want to powder it and it’s not completely dry, you can set the leaves in a fry pan on low heat and stir. You will know that they are finished drying when they start to crumble. Take off heat and grind in clean coffee grinder or suribachi. #organic #cooking #vegan
3/ Katuk pests: keep away from bunnies! Fence it in or put it on a tall stool.
Will get nibbled on by katydids and occasionally leaf miners. Have not noticed any problems with aphids or spider mite.
#gardening #organic #IndoorGardening
@malterod it overwinters fine indoors. Needs lighting. It might get a few thrips but it never gets bad. Before bringing it inside, chop off most of the leaves/leaf stalks. The plant drops leaves with major environmental changes and will grow them back quickly. Do the same before taking it outside in spring.
@jblue
5/ Also don't eat it raw. Make sure it is well cooked before consuming.
Although its toxicity is controversial and people here have been eating it since forever, and I have not heard of any case of toxicity as we have been eating it cooked.
However, back in the 90s, there were people who use the juice blended from its fresh leaves for weight lost, and it caused a massive food poisoning case in Taiwan in 1995 involving 278 people and 9 of them died.