Hi all, its been a while since I posted on the pandan. The pandan plants I bought in this post died. I bought another two bare root about 6 months ago from Gardin's nuresery but those two died also after I planted them in pots. Not sure what I'm doing wrong but I'm not willing to invest in unpotted/bare root plants any longer. I'm researching who has this plant that they can ship potted. If anyone knows a source please let me know. As usual the potted plants are quite expensive, the best I could find was $35 for a one gallon not including any shipping charges. Another I found was $35 for a 2 gallon pot but $25 for shipping so $60 for a two gallon potted plant. If I were assured the plant would survive and grow once it arrived I might splurge and buy one but these plants in my hands seem to be fragile. If anyone can help with maybe a farmers market or Asian supermarket that has these for sale please let me know. I am in the Bay area SF area and willing to drive as far as San Jose to obtain a potted plant. Thanks Meixue

You are very welcome nca270 :) I recieved a cutting from a friend a while back in Florida. Thank you for sharing the agar agar jelly idea...maybe my next mission :) Happy gardening!

I think the culinary pandanus leaves are similar to an amaryllis. They look like a green block of frozen stuff at the store. Found this online: Look for fresh pandanus leaves in Southeast Asian markets; they are flown in from Hawaii and are available on a sporadic basis. You need only two to three whole leaves to flavor a couple of cups of coconut milk. Simmer ten to fifteen minutes, or until the milk is richly flavored. Squeeze all the juice out from the leaves before discarding; these last drops are the most fragrant. If you are not able to find the fresh leaves, look for frozen ones carried by Thai markets. Frequently, the imported leaves from Thailand (labeled sometimes as "pandan" or "pandal") are even more fragrant than the fresh Hawaiian ones. Use the dried cut leaves only as a last resort, or substitute with a few drops of the green essence sold in little bottles identified as "bai toey." Found this recipe but it doesn't look very appetizing. lol http://www.ucancookthai.com/language-english/thai-recipes/desserts/content-sangkaya.htm This one looks better. http://johndlee.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-Thai-Pandanus-Fried-Chicken

Just fyi the staining quality of beets is usually irritating, but is occasionally useful. Beet juice is a decent home substitute for red food coloring (red #40). I use it, for example, to make char sui red and therefore "lucky" in the Chinese context. One of these days I will make some red ice cream. Anyone know other ingredients that can be easily used to color foods? I found this list on wikipedia. I've used tumeric and paprika, their coloring effect is rather modest. Grinding up red beetles is a little beyond me. What's a good blue - like, if one wanted to make blue french fries? "Caramel coloring (E150), made from caramelized sugar Annatto (E160b), a reddish-orange dye made from the seed of the achiote. Chlorophyllin (E140), a green dye made from chlorella algae Cochineal (E120), a red dye derived from the cochineal insect, Dactylopius coccus Betanin (E162) extracted from beets Turmeric (curcuminoids, E100) Saffron (carotenoids, E160a) Paprika (E160c) Elderberry juice Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius), a green food coloring Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea), a blue food dye"