Hearts of Palm

[pg6922]

I saw a big endcap display of these today at Costco. My wife said she wanted to try them so I bought the 2 pack they came in. Then I thought, is this an acceptable industry or is it frowned upon in the palm community? Anyways, they taste nothing like the fresh heart of palm out of a cabbage palm which is just like cold slaw. These were almost pickled and were not crunchy like a fresh one. I wont buy them again mostly cause they really did not taste great...at least to me

PG

Edited August 15, 2009 by pg6922

[BS Man about Palms]

There was a discussion about this at the Costa Rica biennial and I believe if it says on the container "farm grown" or sustainable harvest or something like that, I believe it was OK. (palmpolitically)

[realarch]

So what palm is the source of the product. Euterpe? A Euterpe farm must be an amazing site.

Tim

[Jeff in St Pete]

I don't like heart of palm that much although it is popular here in Costa Rica. When I did eat it, I preferred it fresh rather than canned. The canned stuff is too mushy and has a funky taste.

The problem is that there is still a lot of illegal harvesting going on, so I don't eat it anymore.

[amazondk]

I believe that the palm heart from Costa Rica are Bactris gasipaes which is a palm that only grows in cultivation as it is a totally domesticated species. Here in Brazil palm hearts come mostly from Euterpe olearcea, some from Bactris gasipaes, and to a small extent today Euterpe edulis (which used to be the prime sorce). The E. edulis was mostly harvested from wild trees and since the tree does not clump it was being depleated. The E. olearcea is a clumping species and is cultivated, or managed from wild stands for both fruit, açai, and is the prime source of palm hearts from Brazil today.

So, from my point of view there is no problem consuming commercial palm hearts as they either come from domesticated trees, such as Bactris gasipaes, or from plantations of E. olearcea, or managed wild stands.

I do like top class pickled palm hearts. There is a big difference between the good ones and the not so good. They are also very good baked in the oven when wrapped in aluminum foil.

Tim,

I posted some pictures of an Euterpe plantation some time ago. It is a nice sight and something I would like to do some day.

Here is one of the pictures.

[realarch]

Thanks for the info Don, I do think I remember the photogragh, but then again I have a hard time recalling what I had for dinner last night.

I imagine the Euterpe are harvested while still quite young and not very tall for tenderness and practicality.

Tim

[realarch]

I did snap this photo in a supermarket in Quito. Seems to be a popular commodity.

Tim

[amazondk]

Tim,

The E. olearcea produces a lot of suckers very quickly. I really have not been to where they harvest the palm hearts, but from what I understand in plantations they cut the stem when it gets too tall to harvest the berries easily and let another one grow. This stem is used for palm hearts. That also makes a lot of sense. For the best berry production the stems in a clump need to be limiited to 4.

dk

[Ken Johnson]

I eat it fresh every now and then. If you grow lots of palms you can add some extra to your garden to be eaten. Your guest will love you forever. Royal palms are the best choice for me as they get big quick and taste good. Bigger palms are not tougher. In fact they have more edible flesh up to a point. Mature palm heart has bloom spikes in it and they are the best part!

[Moose]

Consuming palm heart from clustering species seems to be politically correct palm-wise. In Costa Rica , they are having a problem with Euterpe precatoria being poached. It is considered in vogue to serve this palm heart at special functions and during the holidays by some financially priviledged Costa Ricans. Kind of like people on South Beach that smoke illegal Cohiba Cuban Cigars. At the Dominican Republic Biennel Claude and I found Roystonea borinquena palm heart at farmer's market in Santo Domingo. The Dominican's erroneously refer to this palm as Roystonea dominicana.

Best regards,

Ron.

[amazondk]

The roystonea, I am not sure which one is being gown in southern Brazil for palm hearts now. It is grown to be a replacement of the native E. edulis to give an alternative to wild harvsting. Since the tree grows fast and has high quality palm hearts it should work.

dk

[amazon exotics]

YUCK !