planthelper Posted June 9, 2012 here is a pic of some of my water chestnut harvest! i think i left them too long to be picked, anyway i'll have heaps of corms to re plant next season. they taste awesome, and i use the water features they grow in as mozzie traps. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whitewind Posted June 9, 2012 Mozzie traps? Wouldn't you just be providing a breeding ground? They're good looking chestnuts, do they need warmer conditions to grow in or can we get a harvest Sydney way? I can make some space in my Acorus calamus tub! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 10, 2012 (edited) i'm sure they grow fine in syd. all the water containers with aquatic plants, are equipped with small fish, which avoid mozzie breeding. a friend of mine has an aqua ponics setup and the waterchestnut loves the gravel beds! i'm in the process of finding out if my, soil less cultivation of this plant, was aswell a success. the other methode was to fill a container up with 30cm of seed rising mixture, and than flood the soil with water another 15cm or so. i think, i will boil them briefly and than add them in slices to my stir fries, yumm. Edited June 10, 2012 by planthelper Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted June 10, 2012 (edited) pH don't boil them if you're going to add them to stir fry- it's overkill and more work than they need! just peel and slice and add near last, before the muchrooms for example, you'll know they're ready by texture. That's IME tho and I'm not a chef. They don't need much cooking, for me the ideal texture is like crunchy apple Whitewind I reckon they'd be fine in SYD. If you need some I can send. Dead easy, I grow a bunch every year in bucket of soil with 2" of water over the soil. I harvest when the tops are about half dead by number, you may be able to wait a bit longer Edited June 10, 2012 by Darklight Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 11, 2012 pH don't boil them if you're going to add them to stir fry- it's overkill and more work than they need! just peel and slice and add near last, before the muchrooms for example, you'll know they're ready by texture. i know what you mean, but i use the short boil instead of peeling, as i'm too lazy to peel them. just blanching them would suffice aswell, to get rid of the dirt and make them cleaner, for further processing. last night i had them added to curry prawns, they were crisp, nutty, and appetizing to eat. i store them in the fridge after drying them for one day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted June 14, 2012 i know what you mean, but i use the short boil instead of peeling, as i'm too lazy to peel them. just blanching them would suffice aswell, to get rid of the dirt and make them cleaner, for further processing. I was a bit nervous about trying that without peeling in case the skins were bitter, but I cleaned them up/ trimmed and sliced them then blanched them for under a minute tonight before stir frying and you're right, they are delicious! My dinner guest agreed, served 'em up with some home grown oysters, garden chilli and ginger. Winter can be OK after all Peeling them is a hassle and you lose a lot of tasty goodness cos it's fiddly. OK I'm a convert Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
woof woof woof Posted June 14, 2012 mouth watering talk here! PH you just opend my eyes. This plant could be interesting for aquaculture. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 15, 2012 i take excess "skin" off with a knife, if necessary, meaning a top and bottom slice, to clean this produce. this gets rid of the "roots" and at times, the fluffy, dry skined top part of the nut. i think they taste better with the skin on. yep a nice winter haverest. i got a small barramundi, in my small water setup, and he is happy although, there is no filter system, nor do i exchange the water, nor is there a airstone. in short my water plants, convert the fish waste nicly, hehe. i feed the barra compost worms from the worm farm. the tank holds only ~500l, but i got lot's of different critters (glass shrimp), and plants (duck weed, lotus) in that water.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CoLaNuT Posted June 15, 2012 Hi PH, I'd love to grow some water chestnuts, fish etc. I am a complete novice with aquaculture, but have a keen interest in experimenting! Would you post some pics of your setup? Do you have any books/websites/tips you can recommend? Cheers, Ive Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 17, 2012 (edited) sorry to say i can't help you with links regarding this subject, but a friend of mine likes this site and has build a aquaponics setup for his family, learning all from this forum. http://www.backyarda...nics.com/forum/ i emptied out my big water feature setup, so to be able to, harvest the rest of my water chestnuts, and this gave me a chance to take a pic of my fishy. this fish keeps mozzie and (hopefully) cane toad tadpoles under control, hehehe. Edited June 17, 2012 by planthelper Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 24, 2013 today, collected eleocharis dulcis seeds, they are hidden on top of the spikes. I wonder how to germinate them, I like working with seeds though which are new to me, hehehe. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toby Posted June 24, 2013 If they're anything like other eleocharis sp. they should germinate fine provided they were fully ripe when harvested. . If perhaps a little slow. Worth checking if there seed is actually present by cutting a few in half as they'll oftentimes have been eaten by grubs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
