Easter is a bit late this year, but spring has just sprung and many folks all over the world have been celebrating with Mardi Gras or Carnival, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Lent. It is a time of party first, then reflection and prayer prior to Easter. No matter what your faith or religion may be, spring is a great time to celebrate the wonder of life.
Easter is a bit late this year, but spring has just sprung and many folks all over the world have been celebrating with Mardi Gras or Carnival, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Lent. It is a time of party first, then reflection and prayer prior to Easter. No matter what your faith or religion may be, spring is a great time to celebrate the wonder of life.
Nature can teach us many lessons about life and at this time of year as Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ, many plants exemplify this phenomenon.
The Easter lily, which lays dormant through winter and bursts into bloom in spring, or the resurrection fern, which is nothing more than a ball of dry leaves, only to open full and green at the first rain, are examples.
Other examples that come to mind are the bamboos, which were the first plants to come to life after the terrible atomic blast at Hiroshima. Bamboos spring from dormancy to supply tender edible shoots. Bamboos have given us numerous lessons through the ages.
Known as the “friend of the people” in China and the “brother” in Vietnam, bamboos are not well known to Western gardeners. In Hawaii, a few of the 1,200 species are common. These were used primarily for erosion control and are not the ones of high regard in Asia.
Fortunately, many of the outstanding varieties have been introduced into Hawaii in recent years. These, as well as many other rare and unusual plants, are available at our local nurseries and garden shops. Watch for attractive clumping species like fern leaf, feather, Alphonse-Karr, Mexican weeping and Oldham’s bamboos.
If you are lucky enough to take home one or more of the rare bamboos, here are some tips on care and use.
Bamboo does best in a moist soil with some organic matter. Pull weeds and grass from around the plants. Do not use cultivating tools to work around bamboo, since the rhizomes often grow close to the surface and may be injured by deep cultivation.
Apply complete fertilizer, such as organic 8-8-8, or manures four to six times a year.
Mulch the soil around the planting. Mulches add organic matter to the soil, help to restrict the growth of weeds and conserve soil moisture. Dead leaves or dry grass clippings can be used for mulch. Apply a layer of mulching material at least three inches deep.
Besides being useful as an ornamental or in landscape gardening, the bamboo plant can provide us with food. Several species begin to put out new shoots in the spring. Some produce edible shoots through the summer and into the fall.
Many of the smaller growing types, such as the Mexican weeping bamboo, are well mannered in the yard and produce delicious shoots. Some of the larger growing types like Moso (Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens) need to be kept in control. This species is the source of some of the finest bamboo shoots in Japan and China.
The young tender shoots of the edible types are often used in Asian cooking. Used in main dishes and sometimes in soups and rice dishes, bamboo shoots provide a unique texture and flavor.
One of the popular ways to use bamboo shoots in the islands is to use it in hekka or sukiyaki. Several local Thai restaurants use bamboo freshly harvested from local farms.
Before using bamboo in your cooking, you will need to process the shoots. Clean and wash the outer area of the young shoots and cut them into pieces and place into a pan of cold water. Let them soak overnight. Only the tender portions should be used.
The next day, rinse, place in a pot with water and cook until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place bamboo into clean jars with water and store in the refrigerator. These will keep for several weeks, by changing the water weekly.
For longer storage, freezing is not recommended, but bamboo shoots may be canned.
With today’s emphasis on environmental concerns, bamboos are a natural for resurrecting unused agricultural lands where sufficient moisture is available.
As the world’s population grows, we are sure to find ourselves in the same predicament as China, Southeast Asia and India were in many centuries ago. As Asia’s vast forests disappeared, they had to be replaced with sustainable crops. Bamboo made it possible to continue to build great civilizations even after the virgin forests had been severely reduced.
One of the lessons to be learned here is that humans have caused serious damage to our world, but it is possible to heal our planet and perhaps be forgiven for the mess we have sometimes made.
If you are interested in learning more about the amazing bamboos, get in touch with our local chapter of the American Bamboo Society by calling Donna Manion at 315-9870. The Hawaii chapter has frequent meetings on the island and has created a beautiful bamboo collection at Hilo’s Panaewa Zoo.
This information is supplied by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. For further information, contact the office near you.