Edible Canna

Description

• Canna edulis has been found in archeological sites and predates any other cultivated food crop. Canna edulis has wide flat leaves with ridges that radiate from a stiff central mid rib. The plant produces a 2-inch long flower on top of 4- to 6-foot tall stems. The flowers are red with an orange or yellow lip. The plant dies back in fall and re-sprouts in spring. Canna edulis is hardy in United States Department of Agriculture Zones 7 to 12.

Growing

• Canna seeds are very hard and were once used by Indians in guns as bullets. The seeds need to be scarified before they are planted. Canna is started by rhizome and requires a sunny location and well-drained soil. It grows rapidly in soils with plenty of organic matter and available moisture. Canna plants can be divided every year to form new clumps of the plant. Spent flowers should be removed at the stalk to promote more blooms.

Starch

• Canna rhizomes have large starch molecules. The production of canna for starch starts with the removal of roots and cleaning of the rhizomes. Then the roots are grated to make a pulp. The pulp is hung in cloth in a tank of water and kneaded to release the starch. The starch collects at the bottom of the tank. The starch is then gathered and moved to successive tanks for washing and soaking after which it is dried out or stored as starch cakes in anaerobic conditions.

Noodles

• Canna starch is processed into noodles in Vietnam and other countries as cellophane noodles. The original method of noodle-making was extrusion where the starch cake was forced through a mold. This produced a round, thick noodle. Modern methods start with steam sheeting. The starch is mixed with gelatin and stretched then partially dried into thin rubbery sheets. A special cutter forms the noodles from the sheets. Canna starch is a substitute for many rice noodles and completely replaces mung bean starch as the source of glass noodles.