GREEN IS GOOD IN THE TROPICS
HERE ARE SOME VEGETABLES THAT THRIVE IN HOT HUMID WEATHER AND TASTE GREAT
THE heat is on in the vegetable garden and those Mediterranean vegetables do not like hot, humid weather.
It’s not the heat so much, as the heat combined with the humidity causes many vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage, to go straight to seed without forming a heart.
There are however, lots of green vegetables that thrive on hot humid weather and have even higher amounts of essential vitamins and nutrients than cold climate greens; it just takes a little time to learn how to cook and prepare them.
If you have travelled and eaten anywhere in South East Asia or tropical India then you would have already enjoyed eating tropical greens and no doubt found them delicious. Tropical greens can be eaten in salads or stir-fried quickly with a little coconut cream and served as a complete dish. Alternatively they can be added to all recipes that call for spinach or cabbage.
Malabar or Ceylon spinach is one of the most widely eaten tropical green vegetables in the Pacific region. This green climbing leaf-spinach can be grown on a fence in a sheltered area where it receives half a day’s sun or part shade all day. It’s a gross feeder and the leaves are best when fed regularly with the rakings from the chicken pen.
Few pests bother Malabar spinach, however, it will run to seed quickly if it is lacking nutrients or water. Pick the leaves daily, early in the morning and use single leaves to line wraps or sandwiches before adding other fillings. Alternatively, roll bundles of leaves tightly, slice finely, add to a bowl and dress with a honey vinaigrette; add tomatoes and feta cheese for a delicious salad.
Snake beans love the heat, dwarf snake beans can be grown in raised garden beds, but bending to harvest can be difficult for some. Climbing snake beans require a strong frame or tall fence to hold the vigorous vine.
Plant directly from seed in rows and cover with compost and dried egg shells to deter cut worm.
The seed should germinate within the week and will need to be hilled up around the plants as they are ready to climb. Side dress with compost every two weeks.
Water and harvest snake beans early in the cool of the morning. Snake beans can be pickled, stir-fried, boiled or roasted. This is a versatile vegetable that will grow and thrive throughout the hot summer months.
Kangkong, water spinach can be grown in water or in a damp corner of the garden. This tropical creeper produces sweet, tasty greens that can be used as a substitute for lettuce or added to stews and soups when spinach is required.
Few pests bother kangkong but it needs to be kept moist.
The young stem tips of kangkong can be cut, around 10cm long, stir-fried whole in garlic oil with a little fish sauce. Serve with boiled rice for a complete meal.
Aibika, tree spinach, is a member of the mallow family and produces large, lemon coloured flowers, the petals of which are edible. There are many varieties or this perennial plant, some with tough, divided, green leaves and others with extremely large soft, red veined, green leaves; all are nutritious and can be eaten raw or cooked as a spinach substitute.
Aibika grows as a tall shrub and does best when grown in a sunny position in deep, well composted, loamy soil and watered deeply twice a week. Every chewing insects loves the Aibika leaves and surrounding the plant with tall Thai chilli and Thai basil bushes provides some protection from grasshoppers and black beetle.
Chives, Chinese garlic have a much broader leaf than ordinary chives and a strong, garlic flavour. They will grow in large clumps throughout the year and the off-gassing of garlic odours are an excellent repellent for masking the smell of other green vegetables from moths and grasshoppers. The tops of Chinese garlic chives can be cut on a weekly basis and added to pasta and rice dishes to provide a nutritious, green addition to the plate. Few pests bother chives and they can be grown in full sun to part shade. They make an attractive potted plant for a kitchen window sill or front of house and produce pretty, ball flowers throughout summer; which are edible.
There are lots of tropical greens that can be grown in hot humid weather, but they are different and you may have to try the local markets to see what they are like and taste before growing them in your garden. You may be surprised to see how good they taste and how easy they are to grow.