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All About Heart Of Palm
Published May 28, 2020. Read time: 3 mins
All About Heart Of Palm
If you're a soup lover, try simmering heart of palm with leeks, chicken stock and a bit of cream or macadamia milk, then blend it for a carb-free creamy take on potato leek soup.
Ordering fresh Hawaiian heart of palm from the Wailea Agricultural Group (AG) is a unique opportunity that we are sure you're going to love. Keep reading to learn more about his beautiful and versatile offering.
What Is Heart Of Palm
There are two ways to harvest fresh heart of palm. The first way, which is typically practice with coconut palms, is to cut the entire tree down, peel away the layers of bark on the trunk, and find the white heart of palm at the center. While very good tasting, it means the death of the entire tree.
At Wailea AG in Hawaii, they practice a sustainable harvest using peach palms. Peach palms are a clumping palm which means that they are able to harvest the shoots off of the main tree, rather than cutting the entire tree down.
From a seedling, the peach palm takes about a year before harvesting can begin. The trees that are harvested are anywhere from 1 to 20 years old. Using a machete, the shoots are skimmed off the palm then cut down to size and wiped with a clean cloth. Then they are wrapped, packed in an insulated box, and sent on their way.
Where Does Heart Of Palm Grow
Cultivated for their versatility and sustainability, peach palm has been used culinarily throughout Central and South America for centuries. The wood, the fruit and the palm heart are all used widely in these countries. Wailea Ag's subtropical microclimate in Honomu, HI makes it a perfect US location to grow this palm.
When Is Heart Of Palm In Season
Fresh heart of palm is harvested all throughout the year and, in places where the palms grow, it is available year-round.
Is Heart Of Palm Organic And Sustainable
Not only is the fresh heart of palm from the Wailea Agricultural Group certified organic, it is farmed sustainably. We have already mentioned that they use the shoots from the peach palms rather than harvesting from the whole tree, which would kill the tree, but they also try not to waste anything on the farm. Everything that is cut to get the heart of palm is left on the field—the fronds and other parts that are discarded while preparing the heart of palm—then used to create a mulch used to nourish the young trees on the farm. And to get the benefits of diversity and to prevent soil runoff, the farm practices alley cropping.