Cor Chorus

Corchorus or Jute Seeds: Seeds: Collect seed from yellow or brown, almost mature, pods and leave to dry on a sheet in the shade. Seeds are dormant and should be sown only after 4 months. Keep properly dried seeds in a closed container to avoid damage by insects. Sowing and Transplanting:  Transplanting:   Mix seed 1:10 with sand or dry soil. Sow in rows or broadcast. By thinning seedlings (12 cm apart) you ensure that you have stronger seedlings. Transplant seedlings when they are about 7-10 cm tall, as older plants will not grow well. Spacing for tall varieties is 10 cm in the row by 30-50 cm between rows. Broad varieties with many side shoots require a spacing of 30 x 50 cm. Management:  Management:   Jute responds well to manure. Apply 1.5-2.0 kg of dried chicken manure (or well-decomposed cattle or goat manure) plus 100g ash 2 per m . When manure is not available, apply mineral fertilizer. Plant the crop at an interval of two weeks to spread the marketing period. Plants can be topped to give stronger side shoots. Frequent watering is needed for a good leaf yield. Harvesting:  Harvesting:   The first harvest is the thinned plants with their roots attached.

The next harvest will be tops picked at about 15 cm above the groundlevel. New side shoots will develop and harvesting can be repeated 3 or 4 times. More frequent and intense harvesting of leaves tends to prolong the leaf growth phase. Jute perishes quickly after harvest, especially when left in the sun. Wrap leaves in a wet cloth, leaving plenty of room for air to circulate and keep moist. Water may be sprinkled on heaps of produce but not too often since this will stimulate rotting. Pest and disease: Pests disease:  Pests and diseases are rarely a significant problem.

Jute with groundnuts (Recipe from Kenya) Ingredients: 2 cups Corchorus (Cowpea leaves can be mixed in as well) 1 Tomato Groundnut paste (to taste) Salt to taste Liquid salt from ash (1-2 table spoon) – softens vegetables & retains green colour

Method: - Pick soft young tender leaves - Clean and wash corchorus/cowpea leaves - Cut into smaller pieces - Use enough water for cooking and add salt - Add leaves to water and cook for 3-5 min while stirring - Cut tomato and add, allow it to cook for 1-2 min and remove from the heat - Mix groundnut paste very well - Add cooked vegetables to paste mixture and stir - Serve warm with any staple food.

Traditional Jute (Jute is prepared like this all over  Africa) Ingredients 2 cups fresh, cleaned leaves  Ash or bicarbonate of soda (small amount) Water (enough to cover the leaves)

Methods: - Add ash to water in a beaker and stir well - Add mixture to pot  _ Stir and add washed leaves when the water is cooking. - Boil till tender - Do not cover the pot or leave it unattended, as the water is liable to boil over The ash or bicarbonate of soda will make the jute less slippery but do not add too much, it will destroy some of the nutrients.

This leaflet may be freely re-printed, translated or modified for non-commercial purposes to sui t individual country contexts, however, please acknowledge that the original material was  produced under the EU-sponsored IndigenoVeg project. Crop information was compiled from research done by AVRDC-RCA (Tanzania), ARC (South Africa) and NARO (Uganda).