While palm trees aren’t the best defense against climate change, killing them can still release some CO2. The average mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of CO2 per year, but a palm tree in Florida may only absorb five pounds per year. When trees die or are burned, they release this carbon back into the atmosphere. Most types of trees absorb CO2 and release oxygen, but palm trees do little of both. Research has noted emissions from food miles could be cut by 0.27 GtCO2e (gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent) and food production emissions by 0.11 GtCO2e by solely relying on food grown domestically. So if you do not live in a region that produces hearts of palm, the food miles are going to be quite high. While hearts of palm can be grown in US states such as Florida, they are protected by conservation laws, so most hearts of palm you’ll find in a grocery store were not grown and harvested in the US.Ĭosta Rica exports approximately 16 million pounds of hearts of palm annually. Hearts of palm are often grown in Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, or Costa Rica. There are also food miles to consider. The term food miles refers to how far food travels before getting to consumers. Harvesting older palm trees is also unsustainable since, in some cases, this means killing trees that produce seeds.ĭemand for hearts of palm can put pressure on palm tree populations, cause deforestation, and even result in extinction.Īlthough there are regulations in place in many regions to protect the palm populations, some countries, like Brazil, have a history of illegal palm harvesting. So, although hearts of palm are often sourced from young trees, it may still take some time for palm trees to replenish themselves. It can take up to two decades for a palm tree to reach its full height, but some trees providing hearts of palm can take between eight to ten years before they are mature enough for harvesting. Hearts of palm are usually sourced from young trees, so they are not given time to mature. With that said, it’s still possible for multi-stalked palm trees to die if they are harvested irresponsibly, so these types of hearts of palm are not always more sustainable by default. These palms can regenerate within two to three years, so it’s still vital to harvest them responsibly to ensure they can replenish themselves.Ĭoconut palm, sabal palm, and juçara have one stalk, so harvesting hearts of palm kills the tree. This means hearts of palm can be sourced without killing the tree if there are stalks left to allow new growth. Hearts of palm usually come from peach palm, coconut palm, acai palm, juçara palm or sabal palm (also known as sabal palmetto or cabbage palm).įor example, peach palms and acai palms have several stalks. The environmental impact can vary depending on the tree they were sourced from. You might think that these are sustainable since trees are renewable. Hearts of palm – not to be confused with palm oil – are vegetables sourced from the core and buds of some species of palm trees. How Do Hearts of Palm Affect the Environment? Maybe I need the spanish name.You Might Also Like… 1. Does anyone have any idea where I could find it? not sure my local grocery store carries it. I would love to try it with the salad recipe described above, add some marinated chicken, and you'll have a great dinner. Most grocery stores carry cans of hearts of palm - in the same place you would find canned artichoke hearts. Palm hearts are very good tossed in salads with apple and fennel with citrus vinaigrette. I heated them and put a dab of butter and some pepper. After reading up on them and seeing what a bargain I got I will purchase more cans and try them in salads next. Had never tasted them and they were great. They're delish in any salad with a vinaigrette dressing!Īt a 99 cent store I saw a can and bought it. Just look around the canned food section or by the artichoke hearts. Just mix half mayonnaise and half ketchup in a dish and use that as the dip - fantastic. They also make a great entree or snack on their own. Sounds like a strange combination of ingredients but it was absolutely delicious! I am now a fan. I had an amazing hearts of palm salad this evening with avocado, mozzarella cheese, white onion and capers tossed in an Italian vinaigrette. Hearts of palm is a great nutritional value food, fat free and really delicious! You can have it by itself or prepare great recipes with it.
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