Heart of Palm
Heart of Palm is the tender edible point at the growing tip of the Peach palm, a variety of palm plant originally from Central and South America. The Peach palm is a very sustainable crop as harvesting does not harm the mother plant, it will continue to produce new edible shoots.
Heart of palm is considered a rare and tropical delicacy. It is loved by chefs and cooks for its clean, delicate and subtly sweet flavor. It can be eaten raw or cooked.
We are very fortunate to have Wailea Agricultural Group on Hawaii Island. They are a beautiful farm that is one of the main growers of Heart of Palm in the U.S.
Prepping & Eating Tips
Wailea Ag is currently the only grower of Heart of Palm in Hawaii and the U.S. They make their Heart of Palm available fresh ready to cook or eat, chilled and nicely packaged
– Wailea Ag recommends: “Before using the stem, remove the outer sheath by slicing it lengthwise with a sharp knife. (Remember, never cut toward yourself!) The center heart section will pop out. Discard the sheath. The whole base section is edible.”
– Wailea Ag says: “The edible portions of the fresh Hawaiian Heart of Palm are the young leaves at the stem’s top, the heart inside the bottom of the stem, and all of the large base portion. All are delicious raw, lightly cooked, and/or marinated”
– Slice thinly to eat raw on its own or in a salad
– Grill the stem in its outer sheath. Cooking time will vary, depending on the size of the stem.
– Steam or bake the larger Heart of Palm base section is perfect for this, cooking time depends on the thickness
– Add to stir fry at the last minute to keep nice texture and so as not to overcook
Selecting & Storing Tips
Keep Heart of Palm refrigerated and tightly wrapped in plastic. The colder the temperature, the longer it will stay fresh, Wailea Ag recommends 33-40° F (0.5-8° C). They also recommened “Wrap unused portions tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to two weeks. The stem keeps best in its protective, woody outer sheath.”