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28 May 09 Bill Martin (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Also known as the Winged bean, Goa Bean or Asparagus Pea (Psophocarpus or Lotus tetragonolobus) of Southeast Asia often called the 'supermarket on a stalk'; almost the whole plant can be eaten. – The leaves taste like spinach; – the sautéed flowers like mushrooms; – the young pods are like green beans; – the young seeds are like peas; – the tubers are richer in protein than potato, yam or cassava; they can be boiled, fried, baked or roasted. – the mature seeds are like soya beans and also yield oil; they can be ground into flour and even liquefied into a beverage tasting like coffee (with no caffeine). – The leaves can be dried and rolled into low-tar, low-nicotine cigarettes; – As a leguminous plant it has nitrogen-fixing nodules in the roots - great for the garden rotation.

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