by Jims Vincent Capuno
The “hanging green gold.” That was how Northern Dispatch correspondent Arthur L. Allad-iw called sayote due to the crop’s economic value and resilient character. “It is high-yielding while requiring little input,” he wrote in an article posted in Bulatlat. “It is also environment-friendly as it is non-polluting.”
“The sayote vine, which easily grows, knows no boundaries; it climbs over walls to share its fruits and shoots with people who need not ask permission from their neighbor who planted it,” the regional head of the Philippine Information Agency in Northern Luzon was quoted as saying.
Sayote (scientific name: Sechium edule) is also known as tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, mirliton, and vegetable pear. It is an edible plant that belongs to the cucurbits family or vine crops that are grown mostly for their fruits like melons, patola, cucumber, kondol, upo, and squash. The green, papaya-shaped vegetable has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit. The vine is grown on the ground or more commonly on trellises.
Although most people are familiar only with the fruit, the root, stem, seeds, and leaves are all edible. Oftentimes, sayote is called a poor man’s vegetables due to the many uses of its different parts.
The fruit does not need to be peeled and can be eaten raw in salads. Cooked or raw, it has a very mild flavor by itself, and is commonly served with seasonings (e.g., salt, butter and pepper in Australia) or in a dish with other vegetables and/or flavorings. Filipinos peel sayote, cut them into thick slices and then cook with meat or shrimps.
In Sagada and the whole of Cordillera, sayote provides ready foods from its uggot (tops) and fruits. Uggot can be prepared easily like the fruits which can be chopped and added to the etag (Igorot ham), with or without chicken. Or, sayote can be sautéed and mixed with sardines; it is also an important ingredient for pinikpikan, the Igorot version of the tinola.
Sayote can also be boiled, stuffed, mashed, baked, fried, or pickled.
In Mexico, some people found other and more imaginative uses for sayote – aside from boiling, they make them into candies or slice and fry for table use. In the Philippines, some candy manufacturers and food processors have found the vegetable an ideal and low-cost base for their various products. It can also be used to make catsup.
The young leaves and tender shorts go into salads. The tuberous part of the root is starchy and is both eaten by humans and used as cattle fodder. The inedible parts or any surplus can be fed to cattle, goats, swine, and other backyard animals.
Unknown to many, the sayote is also a medicinal plant. The leaves and fruit have diuretic, cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory properties, and a tea made from the leaves has been used in the treatment of arteriosclerosis and hypertension, and to dissolve kidney stones.
Due to its purported cell-regenerative properties, it is believed as a contemporary legend that sayote caused the mummification of people from the Colombian town of San Bernardo who extensively consumed it. The very well preserved skin and flesh can be seen in the mummies today.
What is in a sayote fruit? Upon analysis, its edible portion per 100 grams gives 94 percent moisture, 19 percent calories, 0.4 gram protein, 0.1 gram fat, 4.9 grams carbohydrates, and 0.6 gram fiber. Also found in the fruit in small amounts are calcium, sodium, thiamine, vitamin A, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, and niacin.
Since it is loaded with nutrients, it is often used as food for those affected with calamities. In fact, Johnny Fialen, another Northern Dispatch correspondent, considered sayote as “the survivor’s vegetable.” His explanation: “The sayote has several times served an important role during calamities in the region. Sayote was used to help victims in the areas affected by the 1990 killer earthquake that severely ravaged, among others, Baguio City.
“When Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales erupted in 1991, Benguet farmers were mobilized and about 250 tons of sayote and other relief goods were sent to the victims. More recently, an ‘Oplan Sayote’ was again launched to help families affected by the typhoons in Quezon, Nueva Ecija and Aurora provinces.”
Researchers from the Laguna-based Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) in Los Baños found sayote to be a good soil restorer. They found that one good characteristic of sayote is its ability to grow profusely in some areas with gullies. A striking example was demonstrated in Sto. Niño, Tublay, Benguet where sayote canopy completely rehabilitated gullied areas.
Historical records reveal that even before Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico in 1519, the Aztecs had already been raising the crop. In the uplands of Malaysia and in the Philippines’ mountain provinces, sayote grows profusely.
A successful raiser can have as much as 200 fruits per plant each season. Would-be raisers may try planting the two common sayote varieties in the country – the spiny and the smooth. Other varieties recognized only by outside fruit appearances as long, oval, and pointed, may also be grown.
Sayote thrives in cool places where rainfall is evenly distributed. October to January is the best planting time. It can be grown in a wide range of soil types as long as the soil is loose and fertile.
Seedlings must come from well matured fruits allowed to grow in nurseries. Upon reaching about 30 centimeters, it can be transferred to the field. Using the hill and row spacing method, holes 30 centimeters in depth and diameter, at distances of three to five meters between are dug. Compost is mixed thoroughly with top soil and the mixture is placed in the prepared holes. One to three seedlings can be planted in each hole. The seedlings are covered immediately with soil and then watered.
No serious insect pests and/or diseases that attack sayote have been identified. However, pesky weeds should be eliminated since they hinder growth and development of the crop. A radius of two meters around each hill should be kept weed-free. Once the crop has srpread, weed growth is suppressed.
When the plants are about 30 centimeters high, each must be provided with trellis. The stakes serve as support and guide for the vines. Applying compost at the base of each plant is recommended. Side dressing with compete fertilizer should be done 7 to 8 weeks after planting. Repeat side dressing before and after each rainy season.
With proper care, sayote will fruit some 120 days after planting. Fruits come continuously throughout the year. The fruits can be harvested as early as 25 days after fruit fertilization. Late harvesting will only give hard and fibrous fruits. Insure proper handling by using baskets or other containers while harvesting. Harvested fruits should be placed under shade to maintain freshness longer.
If the sayote plant is planted for its fruits, the plants should not be pruned; the big vines are allowed to spread so as to get the most sunshine and dew. But if the purpose is for shoots only, the plant gets pruned while the young leaves are gathered.
