There are many herbs in The Renaissance range. Some are essential to any good kitchen, others are a bit exotic and some are special plants for particular cuisines that make up our Premium Collection. They will give your cooking a lift into the exotic. Taro is a large leaved biennial with a high starch corm that is the staple food of many nations.

Flavours/Food Partners

Although Taro root can be used in almost any cooking style it is dominant in most tropical cuisines. It has a mild nutty flavour and lends itself to many different flavours but partners well with coconut, lime, ginger, garlic, onion and sesame. It can be used for sweet dishes when used with sugar, stevia, rice wine and many tropical fruits.

Health/Cooking/Medicinal

It is very easy to cook and is full of nutrients including magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium plus vitamins A, C and B6, thiamin. Simple Taro curry: Take 500gm of taro – peel, clean and dice then par boil for 20 minutes. Mix up your favorite blend of curry spices including cumin, coriander, onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Lightly fry in coconut oil until it starts to sizzle. Drain taro pieces then add to curry blend. Fry for five minutes then add 250ml of coconut milk and enough water to cover then simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Add chopped spinach, cook for a minute or two then serve with Basmati rice.

Landscaping/Planting

This large shrub has big leaves on long stems that range from green to black. Can be grown in large pots, in pond edges or most garden beds. Will grow in most soil types but performs best with constant moisture.

Cultivation/Fertiliser

Give regular applications of Seasol and Powerfeed to keep the plant healthy and producing well. Harvest root when leaves have started to yellow and fall over. Tuber can be left in the garden.

Herb Attributes