Harvesting Heart of Palm in Kauai

The stalk of the heart of palm is layered with immature leaves. Daniel Lane photo

My friends from Colorado are visiting Kauai for the first time. The other day I asked them if they knew what heart of palm is. The gave their heads a confident shake in the affirmative, but when it came to details I got a blank stare from one, and “Fruit?” from the other. Most for of us, including me, can’t visualize the plant that it comes from.

Of course, most of us have heard of it, maybe even put it on our plate at the salad bar. Typically, it’s the canned version, which is a flaccid representation of the fresh version.

If you’ve never had fresh heart of palm before, you’re in for a treat. It can be a controversial crop because it’s literally the heart of a palm tree, so once you cut it down, it’s dead. Kauai Roots Farm Co-op is the only farm that I know of that grows and sells heart of palm on Kauai, and they do so with Peach palm. Peach palm is a renewable tree, so it doesn’t have to be killed to harvest it’s tender, juicy core. It just sprouts a new trunk.

Ed Sindt harvests a heart of palm tree. Daniel Lane photo

Heart of palm is pricy (about $10 per pound), because it’s difficult to harvest. It’s also rare. For these reasons, it’s considered a gourmet, premium or delicacy item. Fresh heart of palm is sold in two ways. The “base” comes from the base of the tree, and is about four inches in diameter. It slices into sturdy, mildly sweet and juicy rounds. It picks up flavors well, and is excellent sautéed or grilled and added to pastas, soups or stir-fries. You can eat it raw, and use it like a chip to dip into fresh goat cheese.

Ed Sindt holding a section of the heart of palm stalk. Daniel Lane photo

The “stalk” is about one inch in diameter, and because it’s towards the top of the tree, it’s a little dryer and layered due to premature leaves that are folded inside. This is best enjoyed raw or in salads.

Dan and I went to Kauai Roots Farm Co-op to shoot a video for the Kauai County Farm Bureau’s Kauai Grown campaign (which should be launched this week). Out of nowhere, Ed, part owner of the farm, asked us if we wanted to video tape him harvesting one. Even though we only had one camera, we said yes! It didn’t make it into the Kauai Grown final cut, so I put together a video with Hawaiian slack-key guitar by Doug and Sandy McMaster. Like I said, we only had one camera, so it’s a little clunky, but Dan captured it nicely under the circumstances!

Not only is Kauai Roots Co-op the only farm that grows heart of palm, but you can only get it in two places. Both are located in the Kukui`ula Shopping Village in Poipu. Merriman’s Fish House steams the base and purees it with butter and cream and serves it on their Veggie Platter ($24) that includes taro cakes, green beans, mushrooms with Hawaiian ginger and honey sour cream.

The base of the heart of palm is tender and juicy. Daniel Lane photo

On Wednesdays between 4 and 6 p.m., the Kauai County Farm Bureau hosts the Kauai Culinary Market. It’s at the Kukui`ula Shopping Village, a beautifully landscaped outdoor mall. You can buy the fresh heart of palm along with island produce, locally made spices, jams, honey, cheese, tropical flower arrangements, and coffee. You can take a break and sit in the Wine and Beer Garden, listen to live music and wait for a cooking demonstration to begin. This is my favorite market on the island.

Heart of Palm Clam linguine. Daniel Lane photo

I also covered the co-op in my Farmers Markets column for MidWeek Kauai. Ed’s wife Kathy shared this recipe for one of Ed’s favorite dishes. She tosses heart of palm into everything, including pasta laced with pesto. Kathy says either the stem or base can be used in this recipe, but using the base is best.

Clam Linguini with Heart of Palm

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 pound “base” of heart of palm, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds and diced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped
1, 6.5 ounce can minced clams, with juice
1/2 pound linguine or spaghetti
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine olive oil, butter, garlic, and parsley; simmer and let reduce. Add some clam juice if the sauce reduces too much. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 3 minutes or until al dente; drain. Save the water that the pasta was boiled in and add a small amount, 1/4 cup water to sauce – acts as a thickener. Add clams to the skillet and heat through; top with cheese and serve immediately.