Bamboo can be an expensive item for landscapers but will be an effective addition.
OFTEN we hear of the traditional dish in the rural area of bamboo shoots as a common vegetable. It is also a celebrated dish when cooked with tasty tomato sauce and black mushrooms. Recently, I explored the bamboo industry in the world and the current status of bamboo industry in Sarawak.
From the literature research, I have found that Perak and Johor are investing in the bamboo industry. In Sarawak, large scale bamboo plantations are still in their infancy. It is heartening to note that we have a Shanghai group interested to join a venture in Samarahan Division. There is also a plantation of 100ha of bamboo in the Kanowit region. This effort has planted over 10 varieties of local bamboo.
Uses
The interest in bamboo planting is not new. The best eating quality bamboo has been well accepted in our traditional dishes. The Foochow community planted bamboo for food and materials, including as carrying poles for baskets of earth or sand, as well as vegetables. Babies were also placed in bamboo baskets.
Many beautiful mats, baskets, and handy utensils are made from bamboo too.
We cannot forget the use of bamboo musical instruments with so many versions that can be blown for sound such as flutes and even string instruments used in Chinese opera.
Even the twigs of the bamboo stem are used for brooms – good for sweeping leaves and rubbish and useful brushes for cleaning cooking utensils in the kitchens too. To the rural folk, bamboo can be considered a tree of life.
To ensure successful planting, rooted clumps are needed.
Healthy bamboo shoots
Bamboos have been able to provide vegetable dishes for mankind and animals for thousands of years. In the case of local delicacies, we have found these shoots collected from the wild throughout the indigenous world. The reported benefits of consuming bamboo shoots include weight loss, owing to the low calories as it only contains 27 calories per 100 grams. It is rich in potassium and also in fibre. It is said to help reduce bad cholesterol with anti-cancerous properties and also reduces constipation.
Bamboo shoots are processed for canning. It can be cooked with meat as fine strips in cans or as raw bamboo shoots in brine. The most expensive delicacy is dried bamboo shoots consumed during Chinese New Year. The price is over RM80 per kg although it was an inexpensive item in the past.
Cut or desiccated fresh shoots are sundried for sale or storage. Cooks know to prepare this delicacy by soaking them in water and then repeatedly boiling until the bamboo shoots are soft for slicing and then cooked with meat.
The right variety
Today there are several varieties of good eating quality bamboo shoots. For such quality bamboo, look for Buluh betong or Buluh hitam. There are other industrial varieties such as yellow stem, green stem, black stem, and the giant bamboo.
Here in Sarawak we’ve found those grown in the highlands such as Ba Kelalan and Bario are giant bamboos that are good for housing purposes such as flooring or wall boards.
Don’t forget the leaves can be used for packing food or making rice dumplings.
Cultivation
Bamboo can be propagated using fresh mature stem cuttings. Cuttings are planted in the top soil by inserting the cut end into the medium in a slanting position for the internode to sprout and the roots to be positioned in the soil. However, for commercial production, tissue culture method is now available.
As bamboo will grow in a bushy clamp, distancing is practised. Planting landscape Javanese bamboos that provide the large canopy with bushy leaves and swinging stems can easily create a wonderful atmosphere in the garden.
To ensure successful planting, rooted clumps are needed or the stems cannot strike root in the field. It is a very expensive item for landscapers as it is sold by the number of stems in a clump. I’ve seen prices of around RM50 per stem.
Still this can be an attractive and useful addition to the garden. Send me an email if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.