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My garden is 1000 ft above sea level, near Cairns, so in summer we rely on vegetables that come from Asia and the Pacific. They thrive in the wet humid weeks of summer. My methods are organic, but some thrive just on the nourishment from the rain. Pests and diseases are nil in those I shall recommend.

Arrowroot - is a quick-growing, all-year-round tuber but does best in summer. The tubers can be cut into thin chips and baked till crisp and golden in the oven. It can also be cut into cubes and boiled. It takes a bit longer than potatoes to cook. When the tubers become fibrous, goats, cows, donkeys and ducks relish them. It will grow in very poor soil and provides lots of mulch. The leaves can be cut several times a year for animal feed. Sprinkling the leaves with molasses tempts some animals for starters. As a low windbreak - 2 metres - it is good around a vegetable patch, but it must be dug or it will invade the garden.

To make arrowroot flour is a tedious job, but we all know the value of arrowroot for the digestion. Fresh arrowroot pulp is an antidote in poisoning: hence the name as it was applied as a poultice for Arrow poisoning.

It can be used for gangrene, spider and mosquito bites. If the pulp is cooked, it can be helpful for bowel and digestive disorders. A plant well worth growing and so easy.

Wing Beans
In 1990 I wrote on these beans which are delicious. They must be planted late December/January and they grow and grow in the hot wet, but remember, they only start flowering in March when the hours of daylight are suitable. No diseases, and fruits for 2 months plus and can be grown as a perennial.

Chokos
The humble chokos are best grown as a perennial. With plenty of compost, they develop an extensive root system. If waterlogged, the vine may die in the wet. When the wet stops, the choko will flower and fruit. For continuous fruiting, water is needed. In cold weather, fruiting ceases. A spring cropping is usual with watering.

To grow a choko, leave one in a cool airy place and when it sprouts, plant out. Chokos will grow on a fence or trellis or up a tree. Avoid a tall tree (for ease of picking), as chokos are best eaten young before they become fibrous. The companion tree is the Mulberry. Its leaves protect the choko from leaf scorch. If the choko becomes too heavy, prune some away. It loves mulch.

Choko is best known as a delicious bland vegetable. It can be grated and eaten in a salad. Chokos can be cooked with spices e.g. ginger, cloves or lemon juice, vanilla and served as a dessert. With the correct flavour, they pass for pears. Useful in chutney.

The growing tips and tendrils of the choko vine can be snapped off and stir-fried in olive oil with a little garlic salt.

Cassava
A very easy starch, under-the-soil vegetable to grow from a piece of stalk (like sugar cane). Needs little water and little fertiliser, likes sun, easy to dig, but must be used or frozen within 2 days of digging as the roots turn mouldy.

Cassava is grown extensively in the South Pacific countries. It is disease-free. Roots take from 6 to 9 months to mature depending on variety and conditions. The leaves can be eaten but must be cooked. Some varieties yield yellow and some white tubers. They are easy to dig, as when mature they are near ground level.

DATE: March 1991

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