Evan Ryan gave a great talk on breadfruit last month at the Maui Farmer's Union. The video below is pretty amateur and shaky, but the information is worthwhile.
Some highlights from Evan's talk:
A single ulu (Hawaiian for breadfruit) tree can last decades and can produce 100-200
fruits/year up to 700/fruits a year (the right variety growing in the right
environment).
An average ulu is 3-4 pounds or up to 13 pounds.
- Can eat it green, hard and starchy like a potato. Cook and season
it like a potato.
- Can eat it soft and mushy, and it’s sweet and custardy.
- Can put it whole into a fire and roast it.
Kahanu
Gardens has about 120
varieties. There used to be 300+ varieties in the world. No one really knows
how many there were.
Varieties are incredibly different in texture, taste, etc.
To grow breadfruit, find a tree that you like, whose
breadfruit that you’ve eaten.
The main way is to get a root cutting. Often at the base of
a breadfruit, there is a little keiki tree. Can pot it and get its root
established and then plant in the ground. Or get 6-8 inches of root and plant
in a pot.
There are some nurseries Evan mentions in the video. Evan says he doesn’t want to name specific
varieties, because he wants to encourage diversity.
The East Maui Taro Festival also will have information by Kahanu Gardens.
To get fruit, 3-8 years from an air-layered or root cutting OR 10+ years from a tree grown by seed
Breadfruit is high in nutrients and can dig deep in the
soil.
Breadfruit is also used for construction materials:
buildings, canoes.
Does well in an agroforestry environment, with other trees.
Not the same as a breadnut, which is full of seeds.
Each breadfruit is a result of 1500+ flowers.
ALSO, the Farmer's Union is meeting again tomorrow night in Pukalani. Potluck is free if you bring a dish to share. Please bring plate and cutlery to minimize cleanup.
Here's the agenda:
Tavares Center Pool Room -Pukalani
Tuesday
April 24th 6-9pm
Doors open now at 5:30pm
Dinner now at 6:00 pm, meeting
begins at 7pm sharp!
LocaVore Potluck: Come and share the Maui
abundance of what you prepare and grow!!! Bring a dish OR Dinner is $5 for
Members, $10 for Non Members. Sign up as a member and dinner is on
us!
Schedule:
6:00pm-7:00pm LocaVore Potluck
6:50pm-7:00pm Evening Announcements ~ Vincent Mina
7:00pm-7:10pm Chefs Corner ~ Jana McMahon-Kahanu Aina Greens
7:10pm-7:20pm Farmers Almanac ~ Harriette
Witt
7:20pm-7:30pm Produce Scoop ~Ryan
Eareheart-Mango Madness
7:30pm-8:00pm Lehua Vanderville- MFU "You are the
event"8:00pm-8:10pm Bill
Greenleaf-Annual meeting
8:10pm-8:30pm Seth Raabe- Our experience
culturing and using IMO
8:30pm- 9pm
Networking
Produce
Swap: Lets make it abundant!!!
Bring your home grown farm/garden
produce, seeds or plant starts to share and swap with others. Place it on the
table in the back when you arrive.