Eleocharis dulcis or the Water Chestnut is a sedge that grows on water margins and bogs.
It is an annual that has erect, narrow, tubular leaves half a metre to a metre tall.
The plant spreads by creeping rhizomes which produce additional sucker plants through the summer months.
One chestnut (corm) can, under favourable conditions spread and fill a square metre.
Later in autumn the leaves start to yellow and the chestnuts form at the terminal ends of the rhizomes. Over the following weeks the leaves die back totally and harvesting can start at this time.
They can be grown in any medium to large container that holds water eg. old bathtubs, kid’s wading pools or Styrofoam broccoli boxes.
Alternatively, you can grow them in a plastic lined trench in the vegetable garden. The soil should be kept flooded with 100mm to 300mm of water throughout the growing period.
The small, rounded corms have a crisp white flesh and can be eaten raw, slightly boiled, or grilled, and are often pickled or tinned.
They are a popular ingredient in Chinese dishes where they are most often eaten raw, sometimes sweetened.