In the long ago, there was a gripping novel and a suspenseful TV series, called
The Day of the Triffids. Who said vegetables can't take over the world! Clearly,
chokoes know they can and get on about doing it. Pictures above and below show the ever so humble choko vine taking over my courtyard at the rear of Home Beautiful and climbing the garage wall and roof. The TV antenna (don't need it because we have Foxtel) has collapsed. Could it be from the combined weight of vine and product?
And above is some of the product.Chokoes (our Australian name for the above ) have many names in many countries. To begin the growing process is really easy. Buy a choko from your the local vegetable shop or department and then hide it - in a drawer or cupboard - out of the light. After a couple of weeks, out of its larger end will come a sprout. When the sprout is about 3-5cm, take the choko and put it in a pot or in the ground, needless to say the sprout will be above the soil. The tropics is sometimes too darn hot and frosts of course are not helpful. The growing place for my vine is a rear courtyard in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne which is partially covered by a clear corrugated fibreglass roofing product near a brick wall. Needless to say, please make sure that the soil is rich with compost. Chokoes have marvellous tendrils to aid their quest for world domination. Queenslanders are particularly familiar with this fruit-bearing vine of vines. It takes over back fencies and, in the era before sanitation came indoors, took over many a dunny. The choko has even entered the vernacular. Generally, our carnivore cobbers in Australia will be familiar with chokoes served with white sauce as an accompaniment to corned beef or other meats. The choko is well travelled and there are
lots of recipes on the net: everything from vegetable accompaniments to relishes and chutneys..
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