Nypa fruticans in habitat & Trip to Chachoengsao!!

[Kom Thai Palm]

'Wat Luang Por So Thon'

[Kom Thai Palm]

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[Kom Thai Palm]

..

[Kom Thai Palm]

Palsiri

[Kom Thai Palm]

..

[Kom Thai Palm]

Market

[Zac in NC]

Wow! It keeps getting better and better.

Zac

[Kom Thai Palm]

This is 'Kanom Jak' (Nypa Cake)

Kanom Jak, make from coconut, coconut cream, sugar, flour etc.

wrapped by Nypa leaflet, and grill.

The unique fragrance of grilled Nypa leaflet make it difference from other common material

such as Cocos nucifera leaflet or Borassus leaflet.

If you come Thailand and want to buy Kanom Jak,

the only two area that have this cake are Chachengsao & Chonburi,

cause the region have plenty of Nypa.

Note. let try other differnce cake, 'Kanom Tal' (Borassus cake), that easier, Borassus native to everwhere/ not need river.

[Kom Thai Palm]

Kanom Jak

[Jeff Searle]

Komkrit,

    Excellent job with taking the pics. I enjoyed them very much. And hope to return to your beautiful country someday.

 Jeff

[Kom Thai Palm]

You see how simple to wrap the cake, all material common and cheap.

That pin/needle is cutting of a Cocos nucifera pinnate midrib

[Kom Thai Palm]

Nypa cutting

[Kom Thai Palm]

..

[Kom Thai Palm]

Grilled fresh coconut

[Zac in NC]

What does the cake look like inside and how does one eat grilled coconut?

Zac

[Kom Thai Palm]

Borassus flabellifer fruit used to be mascot of drinking booth!!

[Kom Thai Palm]

..

[Kom Thai Palm]

Many palms have common name 'Sugar Palm'

although different palm but produce similar thing.

In Thailand there have three

1. Borassus flabellifer

2. Cocos nucifera

3. Arenga pinata

that produce sugar, and Borassus is most popular, very tasty flavor.

!!Note that sugar produce from spadix/inflorescence part. Fruit used to be mascot  :laugh:

This is 'Nam Tal Sod' (Fresh Palm Syrup)

(Jeff, when you return, I will welcome you with Nam Tal Sod /if you never, I highly recommend)

[Kom Thai Palm]

betel nut, sliced betel but

[Kom Thai Palm]

This trip I found 'Krajub' amazing fruit, not often to see. Krajub is water plant. It's fruit have buffalo head look like shape!! taste like peanut.

more info

common name: Water chestnut

scientific name: Trapa bisphinosa

another link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_caltrop

[Kom Thai Palm]

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[Kom Thai Palm]

We finish the trip and part from Chachoengsao around 4 p.m., back to Bangkok.

Fun, Exhausted and remember this unforgetable day forever.

Hope someday we have trip to Borassus habitat at Petchaburi and Cocos habitat at Samui.......someday.

[Zac in NC]

Thanks for the shots of water chestnuts. We see them over here but they are usually canned and already processed. I really like them in stir-fries, so nice and crunchy. Mmmmm

Zac

[mike453]

Thank you for the pictures, I would like to visit the area at some time.

The nicest Nypa fruticans pics I have ever seen.

                   Regards, Mike

[Kris]

Dear KomKrit  

All these years i thought iam the only palm

mania in this world,after joining this forum

iam able to see how many guys are like me !

there were ocassions i thought of going to

hollywood,las vegas to collect droped seeds

of canary island date palm,such was the craze

i had for this palm.

Now after seeing komkrit eagerness in covering

the habitate of nypa(i call it the floating Areca Palm)

in chachoengsao for the benifit of our forum members

is awae inspiring !

and the pictures of local palmera palm is also beautifully

picturisied.

and the life of people,their market place is well covered too..

At this rate i feel in future your travelog can be compared

with Amazon(his work on plants habitate in & around the

amazon river basin needs special mention).

Thanks for those lovely Nypa stills & they are awasome !

Love,

Kris.

[Peter]

Fascinating!

[Alberto]

(redvdox @ Nov. 27 2006,08:54)

QUOTE

Cause your word 'trunkless palms' I have little idea.

If we list the name of trunkless palm

Nypa,

Joey,

..

.

Seem like in that list are my favorite, love them all, if another palm have form of trunkless I would love too.

Do you know any other trunkless palm? plz

Thanks for this habitat photos of such an intersting and beautifull palm!

 Another  trukless palm of Brazil is attalea geraensis:  

  Thank you again Komkrit!

[Gileno Machado]

Wow:

Please describe this grilled fresh coconut Komkrit. I've tasted all possible kinds of liquid, jelly and candy made of coconuts, either cooked or frozen but I must admit that this is a whole new thing...Do those unripe or semi-unripe dehusked fruits go straight to an oven or something? Does the water inside atually get solid? I'd love to learn this technique, thanks for posting.

[Zac in NC]

Yes, I was curious about the grilled Cocos as well.

Zac

[Kom Thai Palm]

(Zac in NC @ Nov. 27 2006,21:01)

QUOTE

What does the cake look like inside and how does one eat grilled coconut?

Zac

Zac

Sorry that previous post I've forgot one pic.

This is unwrapped Nypa Cake, it describe the answer of first question.

[Kom Thai Palm]

To answer Zac second question, and Gileno question

I describe this.

You imagine throwing whole fruit of semi-ripe coconut to the fire, burn outer shell directly.

Inside will be boiled (by it's own water). The coconut meat will be insidely slipped off.

See picture that red arrow point to cracked coconut, open up you'll see meat. At this point you can clamp that meat by fingers, eating, drinking as you can.

The meat taste like boiled coconut.

And to Gelino, the water inside taste like fresh coconut and certainly that's liquid.

Note.

1 the appropriate type of 'Grilled Coconut' is semi-ripe fresh coconut. Unrip meat is too soft to hold water inside while shell cracked.

2 for saving fuel, some part of fibrous husk were ripped off. Someone use boiling instead of grilling.  

[Kom Thai Palm]

(Alberto @ Nov. 28 2006,23:02)

QUOTE

(redvdox @ Nov. 27 2006,08:54)

QUOTE

Cause your word 'trunkless palms' I have little idea.

If we list the name of trunkless palm

Nypa,

Joey,

..

.

Seem like in that list are my favorite, love them all, if another palm have form of trunkless I would love too.

Do you know any other trunkless palm? plz

Thanks for this habitat photos of such an intersting and beautifull palm!

 Another  trukless palm of Brazil is attalea geraensis:  

  Thank you again Komkrit!

I also love other Attalea species too, especially A.cohune, A.butyracea the massive long leaf when young. Their form similar to Nypa. If I use this method someday my favorite list will complete.  :laugh:

Thanks for an idea. now my list are

Nypa,

Joey,

Attalea geraensis,

...

..

.

[FossilNypa]

Great Borassus! I supose you got some of those giant seeds!  

[Palmarum]

It is very nice to see Nypa in habitat, since it is such a rarity here in South Florida. There are a few specimens dotted around in a few places, including Fairchild TB Garden. None grow that well, and have been very slow. I had one I bought from Paul Craft many years ago, that made it through a 3 gal. size. Past that it never did well, even with a few of my attempts at making an artificial climate. I know if I got another one, I would still take a shot at growing it again. By the way, Nypa does grow a trunk, just not vertically.

Ryan

[Gileno Machado]

Thanks for the coconut class, Komkrit. I'll have to try your recipe...

I've seen a few specimens of Nypa in cultivation in Florida too. I guess the most impressive clump is actually at Montgomery's near the pond, and it's already fruiting.

The main difference (comparing to Komkrit photos) is the leaves' straight upwards display (in habitat) in opposite to a more spread around look (in Florida) and this is maybe due to the exposure in a more open location. The colour seems to be stronger in habitat too, maybe too alcaline of a soil in Fla?

[Kom Thai Palm]

to Gileno

Thanks for that picture, the another place of Nypa.

I would like to discuss the difference between my pictures and other Nypa, even inhabitat or cultivation.

Many times I've seen inhabitat Nypa in Thailand look like in your pic. I have two geusses now.

1. Sunlight, Heat, Moisture

I have noticed that my most pics consist of Nypa and their friends(or any other trees). Grouping them together make moisture benefit, shading too. Growing alone may let the sun burn it. I reason this cause I've feeling that highly moistured while going into Nypa cluster.

2. That just an Old frond

See my pics, many of them you will notice that there have leafbase stump. That's a trace of Nypa leaf harvesting!!! The only thing you see is too new frond(or not old enough frond for harvesting ).

Guessing both, but if only have to choose I select choice 2.

[Jeff Searle]

Komkrit,

     Thanks again so much for allllll the information you are sharing with all of us. I really enjoy reading about all of your experiences. Someday when I return to Thailand, we will have to meet up together and share our ideas.

 Jeff

[bruno]

Magnificent pics Komkrit. Are the nypas of any use there? Are the fruits eaten or the hearts, or for construction? bruno

[palmtreesforpleasure]

thanks for the photographs,

regards

colin

[Kom Thai Palm]

(Gileno Machado @ Dec. 01 2006,14:13)

QUOTE

Thanks for the coconut class, Komkrit. I'll have to try your recipe...

To Gileno

I've back to consider your previous post. I feel really sorry that my post make you feel be in class. I really don't intend to teach anyone who have read topic. I'm newbie in English and know not much English tradition, just really want to share. Very sorry if someone feel like that.

Today I back from work, that place is on the mountain and certainly no have internet  connection. I have to go back again soon and stay for a long time. I dont know when I'll come back, weeks, months, or years.

So I'll post as many as possible now.