ebay : (

The thing about the ebay options is.. none of them even have a passing mention to its edibility or use as a food crop... which makes me nervous. Am I being too picky?

Check in India/Asian food stores. Those tubers should grow.

They're a native plant here and are very common. They were eaten by the local indigenous people but with western foods becoming so easily available they're not eaten much now. I've never tried them.

They multiply so fast I have hundreds of them on my place. They come up in all sorts of odd places. I had one grow up 2.27 metres tall. But I've seen a lot of them out bush around that size as well.

Ive yet to find any amorph bulbs for sale as food here, ive looked, it sounds like good advice, unless you have a pretty decent sized asian population I think you may have a hard time finding it like that.

I wonder what turns you off about ebay sellers not mentioning edibility? Just becuase they dont do their homework or attempt to market them only as foliage plants, and not as a food crop.
I will say the possibility of a systemic chemical having been used on it turns me off, and you really have no way of knowing how the plants grown, but the reality is that its VERY hard to determine what chems have been used on any plant, food or otherwise. It does seem that the potential might be higher in a bulb that wasnt "supposed" to eaten, to be loaded with non food grade greenhouse chems. If this really does bother you then you will need to get a big bulb and try to make seeds, or just buy some seeds, they shouldnt have signifigant levels of anything unnatural in them, and produce edible bulbs in a few years for you.
You could also simply ask the seller and take their word for it.

Good luck!

there is an asian grocery in louisville at the end of 3rd street they have amorphs, xans and colocasia bulbs for sale. Ive personally never tried to grow any of them and don't have any idea how fresh they are but I have seen them in there. word of advice if you go in brush up on your vietnamese cus they don't speak ANY english. unless you can recognize the right tubers yourself you will have to ask them

Like most aroids, Amorphs have toxic compounds that make them inedible, particularly raw. They need special preparation to make them edible. Over time people have selected them for low toxicity but you still need to prepare them properly. Cassava (not an aroid) is the same, Also applies to all the different taros.

I guess I was just worried that it may not actually be the right species, or may be a variety of that species that isn't suited for cooking.In my area, a small bulb will grow to a massive size within just one summer, more than enough to eat and provide offsets for the next year.

My parents are from South India, so they've eaten the corms all their lives and know how to prepare them. It's not particularly difficult with the varieties we've used in the past.

Thanks for everyone's advice! I'll do one more check of the Indian/Asian grocery stores, and if I don't get lucky I'll just order them from ebay.

tiger, what do they taste like, what do you eat them with, what spices do you use? is there an indian name i can use to google up recipes or info?

greentiger, Ask houstonpat for the address of the gas station in her "Amorphophallus garden crop" thread.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/aroid/msg0717105627367.html?13

Busy in the greenhouse tomorrow. I should be able to get by Zacharius' filling station to discus this year's crop on Sunday. I'll post what I find

Zacharius is having a below average crop this summer. I'd be willing to bet he will still have plenty for sale at the end of the season. As they take a lot of room and care, I don't grow them for trade. I just have a couple. One is quite large again this year. That is, the petiole is at least 2 meters tall. Should make for a nice bloom next spring.

When mine got to 2.27 metres tall the following flowering was huge. Good luck with yours.

I've noted the edible cultivar tends to have a smoother surface on the surface of the petiole stem.