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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 1, 2011 21:12:26 GMT -5
Anybody out there ever grow - or cook with - wild betel leaves...a.k.a. Piper Sermentosum?
I got a batch of these for the first time last week, from importfoods.com; since it was one of those Asian ingredients I had not yet had access to (except in very poor condition in local Asian markets) I had to try to get some, and it came in fairly good condition, considering the heat we had. I took the larger leaves and used them to make some Mieng Kam (a classic Thai dish using these as a wrap-around) over the weekend, and stuck the best 7 cuttings in my cloner, to try to root them. The leaves on some perked up very well in less than 48 hours, and in 4 days a few hints of roots appeared on a few cuttings. I have quite a few recipes calling for them, usually as a wrap-around, or at the very end, raw, as a garnish. Any suggestions in using them or growing them would be appreciated.
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Post by coppice on Aug 11, 2011 6:35:49 GMT -5
Hm, I'm wondering how cold hearty betel might be. Somewhere in the recess of the junk collection of what used to be called my memory, betel nut is-was used as a mild narcotic or stimulant.
I suspect the reason why seeds aren't all that available, could be to reduce recreational use. Please note I am not trying to moralize. Tomato was illegal for roughly the same reasons at one time.
My only stipulation that should be taken away from this post is: betel nut may not ever be that available. If you want to grow it, you may have to move it to a sheltered spot or green house to overwinter.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 21, 2011 16:02:10 GMT -5
Coppice, The betel leaves and nuts your are referring to are two different species from what I have. In fact, the betel nut is not even related, except that it is chewed up with that other betel leaf, as you noted, for the narcotic effect. The species I have is either Piper sermentosum, or Piper lolot - two species very similar, and used sort of interchangeably, the latter being found more in Vietnam, and the former in Thailand. They are used for medicinal purposes, as well as culinary, though I am not growing them for this purpose! And I think they are only hardy to zone 10, so I am far away from that. I got 6 out of 7 of my cuttings to root! There were some little white specks on the stems of most of them yesterday, which looked like spider mites, but it turns out they were little droplets of sap, or something like that, so that was a relief. Here is the best clone, with some new growth, and those little droplets showing in the flash: And here is the rooting on that clone: I am going to try one in my hydroponics, and the rest I will plant in soil pots. I'll keep you updated.
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