Eat Your Elephant Ears: Hiding Food in Plain Sight

Elephant Ears

Central and South Americans use the tubers of elephant ear tubers in various meals. Hawaiians make poi wiht it.The tuber is one of the most popular foods in the country and provides a basic diet for many. The tubers can be harvested and stored for several weeks if refrigerated. Elephant ear is cultivated in many of the Central and South American countries. Taro is native to Africa and was brought as a food crop for slaves. It is also widely eaten in many areas of the Pacific.

STOP: Do not touch until you read the rest. 

Did you know that the Elephant Ear corms in your garden are edible. Much of the world eat thems regularly.  Elephant ears corms are abundant in vitamins and minerals. "Esculentia" in the scientific name means edible. Do not touch without gloves. Do not eat leaves or corm without cooking! Poi is the traditional food made from these in Hawaii.

Name Origin of Colocasia Esculenta:

Elephant ears' species name, esculentia, is the same term that gives us "esculent," meaning edible. Indeed, elephant ears are an important food source around the world, in warm climates (for more, see below).

Elephant Ears and Edible Landscaping -- Taro Root:

For those of us interested in the ornamental value of Colocasia esculenta, the common name, "elephant ears" is apt, since we are impressed with the size of its leaves. But those with a culinary bent think of the plant as "taro" or "coco yam," in which case the focus is usually on its root, or corm.
According to Wilfred Lee ("Ethnobotanical Leaflets," Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1999), "Taro constituted the staff of life for the Hawaiians when Captain Cook arrived in the islands in 1778. At that time an estimated three hundred thousand people in the islands lived chiefly on poi (a fermented or unfermented taro paste), sweet potato, fish, seaweed, and a few green vegetables and fruits."
Nonetheless, all parts of elephant ear plants can upset the stomach if ingested without being properly cooked first. The sap, moreover, can be a skin-irritant. From this site.

All the preppers who suggest hiding  a few vegetable in the regular flower or decorative gardens can now plant taro or just eat the ones already existing. This article also has recipes.

One article distinguishes between taro and elephant ears. The same article also indicates corms of both are eaten:

"Central and South Americans use the tubers of elephant ear tubers in various meals. The tuber is one of the most popular foods in the country and provides a basic diet for many. The tubers can be harvested and stored for several weeks if refrigerated. Elephant ear is cultivated in many of the Central and South American countries. Taro is native to Africa and was brought as a food crop for slaves. It is also widely eaten in many areas of the Pacific."

Another article on eating the leaves and roots:

Q: I have question about a plant I picked from a nursery recently. The name of the plant is BLACK MAGIC ELEPHANT’S EAR (Colocasia esculenta ‘Black Magic’ ). It is a tropical plant. On the information attached to the plant it says the roots are used as food in Hawaii. My question is whether the leaves are edible. I want to make sure before I use them to make an Indian dish from my homeland.

"A: Cook away! The plant commonly called “Elephant Ear” has been cultivated for thousands of years. The root is pounded into an edible paste called poi and the leaves are used to wrap steamed meats and vegetables.
There are several common and ornamental varieties of elephant ear. The green-leafed form has been grown in the South for centuries. They need hot summer temperatures and plenty of water during dry weather. In our part of Georgia, the roots should be dug up in early October and kept from freezing indoors.
Be careful removing the leaves from an elephant ear plant: the sap contains calcium oxalate crystals that can deliver a mild sting or even a severe rash. Cooking the leaves before ingestion eliminates much of the irritation."

Preppers here is a plant to grow in plain sight, trusting most people in the neighborhood won't know you are planting food in the front yard.  For the rest of you who already have them, eat them if you run out of food! Although some sites say to dig the roots up in the winter and store, planting in the spring, here in N AL, I think heavy mulching and other protection keeps them viable for spring.

Check this information on your own before you eat these leaves or corms!


Your turn
Has anyone eaten their elephant ears or taro? If you have eaten poi, what does it taste like? Do you grown elephant ears?