WTF (What's That Food)? 

This week's strange food item: Chaya

Also known as "mexican" or "tree" spinach, Chaya was listed by the National Academy of Sciences as one of the most "underexploited" food plants in the world. This native to central america and the caribbean has very high levels of protein, calcium, iron, and carotene, & Vitamins A, C, & B. It is also easy to grow and can resist drought (iguanas, however, are a different story). It cooks like collards and can be used like spinach after being boiled. Add your favorite spices  after boiling, draining, and chopping into strips -Nate recommends turmeric & curry!

So why has this not become a major crop? Echonet.org explains, "One consideration with chaya is that it should not be eaten raw. It contains cyanogenic glycosides, which can lead to cyanide poisoning. These are inactivated and released as a gas by frying or boiling for 10 minutes. (We discard the cooking water, but that is not essential.) Brief stir-frying is not adequate cooking." read more about Chaya

**Chaya must be cooked for 10-15 minutes before it can be eaten!!**
 ·In a study completed by USDA, chaya leaves were found to contain substantially greater amounts of nutrients than spinach.

 Chaya: A year-round high-nutrient food supply for the tropics

From the Field...

 It is impossible to describe the sensory explosion that greets you upon arrival at Ridge to Reef Farm. What a place! I arrived on the island a month ago but it feels like much longer. Having come from a small CSA in Connecticut before departing for warmer soils, I was expecting the usual hum and buzz that comes with living on a working farm. But nothing could prepare me for the experience and learning during my stay within this beautifully and intentionally designed landscape.
 
First of all, did you know that papayas can be eaten while they are still green? Or that coconut water is delicious in soups? If you aren’t already amazed listening to this: banana plants are actually grasses, and their squishy light, yellow peels are edible! Every day I discover something new. Time at the farm seems to slow down if not stop entirely, although the work certainly doesn’t! 
 
I am part of the Ridge to Reef Empowering Community Pathays program which is a month long intensive training on a diversity of topics relating to cultivating food, sustainability and empowering community. In total we are 6 people helping to care for our crops, animals and landscape. The shared labor and the good company keep the jokes coming and the laughs rolling.

~Julia Meurice, Ridge to Reef Pathways Program 

PO Box 2903 - Frederiksted USVI 00841 - www.visfi.org -  220-0466