Yacon

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

but no one will eat artichokes after one really bad recipe....

artichokes or Jerusalem artichokes?


Artichoke
Jerusalem Artichoke

I was referring to Jerusalem artichokes? What can go wrong with them?

Last year's new veg crop was New Zealand yams

<goes off to look them up> oohhh they look just like Jerusalem artichokes only a different colour! I think I am going to enjoy living in Australia... <waiting for that visa to come through>

 

[classic33]

To harvest Yacon, carefully dig up the crown using a garden fork, being careful not to break the brittle tubers. Once you have uprooted the plant you will find two types of underground structure. The tuberous roots used by the plant for food storage look like a sweet potato (shown on the left in the photo below) and are best for eating. Then there are rhizomatous roots that make up the ‘crown’ just under the soil surface. These roots have a reddish tinge and look a bit like a Jerusalem artichoke (shown on the right of the photo below). Whilst these can be eaten when young, they quickly become tough and fibrous so are generally better saved for propagation.

Snap off the large storage tubers and then store the crowns in damp compost or sawdust in a cool frost-free place where they won’t dry out. In early spring plant the crowns into large pots and wait for shoots to start growing from each small tuber.

Split the crowns into individual shoots (with their tubers attached) and plant each shoot about 4cm deep in its own pot. The flowers of Yacon do not produce viable pollen or seeds, but if you are looking for other ways to rapidly increase the number of Yacon plants in your garden , tip cuttings can be taken when the tubers sprout in spring.

http://awildgreenlife.com/growing-and-harvesting-yacon/

 

[Corzhens]

Yacon is available here although they are not everywhere like potatoes. I usually find yacon in trade fair and Sunday markets. It is like turnip. You peel it and eat it just like that. The crunchy texture and the sweet flavor and juicy flesh is refreshing when the weather is hot. What we do is to peel it and slice it in 2-inch pieces that we cool inside the fridge. It's a good snack while watching tv. At least it wouldn't make you gain weight. And from the blurb of the vendors here, yacon is good for diabetics. But I don't confirm that.