Chayotes grow on vigorous vines, which need a strong support or frame. Few plants are as productive.
Sechium edule
Also known as choko, chocho, christophene, vegetable pear
From the same family as cucumbers and melon, chayote is a highly productive, vigorous perennial vine that produces large, pale lime green to creamy white pear-shaped fruit. The skin is rough and sometimes prickly, and each fruit contains one long seed. Chayotes can be cooked as a vegetable or added to baked cakes and desserts. Young fruit can be eaten whole, while mature fruit must be peeled. The flavor is delicate and faintly nut-like. The plant’s large, starchy roots taste like chestnuts, and new shoots, known as poor man’s asparagus, are edible when 10 cm (4 in) long.
Chayotes grow on vigorous vines, which need a strong support or frame. Few plants are as productive.
Chayotes are best grown in tropical or subtropical climates, where the vine is evergreen, and they crop all year round. When grown in cooler climates, they require six months without frosts and are deciduous. Plants need a sunny position sheltered from wind, with rich, fertile, moist soil and regular feeding. A sturdy frame is essential so the vine, which can grow up to 6 m (20 ft), is supported during fruiting. The vine will start full production after a year and can remain fully productive for five years. This is a hardy plant, attacked by few pests and diseases.
In autumn, choose a large fruit that is smooth rather than prickly and store it in light until spring. Plant it then, when the shoot is 5 cm (2 in) long, provided the ground has warmed up and the risk of frost has passed. Bury the lower two-thirds of the fruit on a 45-degree angle with the shoot end in the soil and the stem end above the soil surface.
Harvesting Harvest fruit when they are 5–7.5 cm (2–3 in) long. Fruit left to grow too large will become tough and lose flavor.
Choose small chayotes with smooth, unblemished skin and no signs of sprouting. They can be kept unwrapped in the crisper section of the refrigerator for up to a week. They bruise easily, so take care not to put anything heavy on top of them.
Beverages made from the chayote plant are used as a traditional remedy for urinary problems, high blood pressure, and kidney problems on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and in the Philippines. On the Yucatán, chayote tea was used to ease urinary retention, burning during urination, and kidney stones. In the Philippines, chayote juice made by soaking the leaves and fruit overnight is used to treat high blood pressure. Does it work? Two small, unpublished studies suggest that chayote extract may help reduce high blood pressure slightly.
Peel larger, older chayotes under running water, as they tend to have a sticky sap just under the skin.
Grandma’s chayote vine
The chayote vine’s sprawling habit in warm climates made it an iconic feature of the Australian suburban backyard. It was often seen growing rampantly over fences, chicken houses, and outdoor toilets during the Great Depression, its harvest a frugal supplement in homemade apple pies.
Chayotes in white sauce
Chayote’s rather bland flavor goes well with spicy ingredients and is ideal in Asian stir-fries. Chayotes can also be roasted, steamed, boiled, mashed or fried.
Peel, core, and quarter 4 chayotes. Cook in boiling salted water for 5–8 minutes, until tender. Drain. Meanwhile, melt 25 g (1 oz) butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk, stirring continuously to combine. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce over the chayotes and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
Serves 4 as a side dish
