More trees with edible leaves. This is an extract from a new book entitled Perennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier. Throughout Mexico and Central America, this productive and nutritious woody leaf crop is an important vegetable, Chaya has a finer texture than many leafy vegetables, and is convenient to use because the leaves are large, and, unlike many greens, do not reduce much in size when cooked. That said, it does have some drawbacks. Most types have stinging hairs like nettles, although "stingless" varieties are available. The other major drawback is that the leaves have cyanide in them. However, cooking chaya leaves for three minutes completely renders the cyanide harmless.
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