Topic: Yacon Progress.....

[saddad]

I knew it was a big plant but this is taking it to extremes
 
  ignore the Black Cherry tom in front of them... :)

[cjb02]

awesome Saddad,  that is one great looking plant.

I have one growing this year and it stands about 4/5ft high. I am very happy with it so far but I have not pulled the thing up yet.

[saddad]

I'm assuming I leave it as long as possible...  :)

[cjb02]

yes... from what I have read.

leave till first frosts ... might be different for you as they are in a greenhouse. Then dig up all the plant and store (leaving tubers together as one) in a frost free place. Apparently it takes them 3-4weeks to cure and become sweeter.

I intend to pull my whole plant up come first frosts, put in a box and stick it in the garage for a month and then start eating  ;D it better taste nice.

this is a site I use for reference.

http://users.fulladsl.be/spb19514/www.thevegetablegarden.be/yacon.html

and this is also the guy I got my yacon seed (what ever it was) from too. A very pleasant Dutch guy.

[jennym]

Beware when getting the yacon out of the ground, the tubers can get quite long and they have a tendency to snap. Best to dig them up carefully. I did mine last year as soon as the leaves went over in the first frost.
I separated out the big storage tubers from the crown, stored the crown in peat in a shoebox like you do for dahlias, and ate the storage tubers.
Thought the first ones were best as after keeping a while the tubers became wrinkly. Didn't really notice much difference in sweetness, they were all sweet.

[cjb02]

thanks for that.

Can I ask, did you replant the crown this year and did it grow ok?

and have you got any recommendations on how to eat it?

Cheers

Chris

[jennym]

I replanted the little bulb-like tubers that grow to form the crown - these would look like those that you bought. Some did rot in storage but think that was my fault for not keeping them dry enough. The ones that were left grew fine.
All I've ever done with them is cut the peeled tubers into chunks and fried them in butter, very nice and sweet they were. They were sweet raw too, but I didn't eat much raw. I understand you can put them through a juicer and use the juice to sweeten other things. Also I understand that this juice is suitable for diabetics - THOUGH I AM NOT SURE - so check if you want to use it for this.

[saddad]

What's the texture like?
On a courgette/sweet potato/potato/swede scale...  :-\

[Eristic]

What's the texture like?
On a courgette/sweet potato/potato/swede scale..

It falls neatly between Jerusalem artichoke and Dahlia.

[saddad]

Not having eaten Dahlia is that more or less crunchy?  :-\

[cjb02]

Thanks Jennym. I had planned on boiling them, but I might try frying them and I could also be up for juicing them too.

cheers Eristic but I must admit I havent eaten dahlia either.

[Eristic]

cheers Eristic but I must admit I haven't eaten dahlia either.

Ah! You haven't lived yet.  8) Go on. Be a devil. eat a Dahlia.

[chriscross1966]

What's the texture like?
On a courgette/sweet potato/potato/swede scale..

It falls neatly between Jerusalem artichoke and Dahlia.

..so twixt the inflatable and the inedible.... between fart and flower.....

[Eristic]

Can I assume that you haven't tried Dahlia either?  :P

[chriscross1966]

Can I assume that you haven't tried Dahlia either?  :P

Never, though now I'm intrigued as to what they taste like..... the thing is I already grow potatos, oca and jerusalem artichokes and was thinking of adding sweet potatos and possibly ullaco or yacon next year..... so I'm not really looking for another starchy tuber right now...... :D