Water Chestnuts

 

This winter I am going to grow water chestnuts in my garden, they are the ultimate permaculture plant, and have long been on my list of food plants to grow. They are an annual sedge growing in water margins and bogs with erect, narrow, tubular leaves half a metre to a metre tall. The plant spreads by a creeping rhizome which, through the summer months, produces additional sucker plants. They are a staple in Chinese cooking, have a crisp white flesh and a nutty flavour and are highly valued as a nutritious food.
Plant in early spring in Melbourne as they need a long frost free period of growth to produce corms. One corm, under favorable conditions can typically spread to become 1m2 of plants, yielding approximately 3 kgs! When planting, the soil needs to be free of sharp sticks and stones which can damage the delicate skin of the chestnut particularly during harvest. Once the stems are 20cm high the soil should be kept flooded with 10cm to 30cm of water throughout the growing period.
Later in autumn the leaves start to yellow and it is at this point that the chestnuts form at ends of the rhizomes. Over the following weeks the leaves die off completely and harvesting can begin at this time. The water is drained off, and the water chestnuts are carefully removed from the soil. I guess I will have to catch and relocate my mozzie grub eating fish during the harvest period! Wash the corms after harvest, and brush them when dry. They can then be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Water Chestnuts can be grown in any sufficiently large container that holds water e.g. bathtubs, wading pools, ponds or Styrofoam boxes. I am going to grow mine in a old claw foot bath tub.

Problems that commonly occur are rot and damage from birds. Or in our case I am predicting it will be from our marauding pony, as he likes eating my aquatic plants. Seed corms may die due to rot if they are planted in a soil that has been freshly fertilised with manure. This can be avoided by adding fertiliser to the soil in the container a few weeks prior to planting, giving the manure time to break down first.
Water chestnuts have a sweet coconut like flavour, and a crisp texture that is retained after cooking. They should be washed well, before peeling. They are great in stir fries and curry's or raw sliced in salads, They also contain antibiotic properties, and are a rich carbohydrate source.

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http://permaculture.org.au/2008/11/29/water-chestnuts/
 http://www.diggers.com.au/shop/product/PWACH/WATER%20CHESTNUT.aspx