Topic: Mashua tubers

[philistine]

I'm after the day neutral variety Ken aslett of which there doesn't seem to be a lot about on the internet for a reasonable
price any suggestions ?

[galina]

According to RHS, there are 19 UK sources

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/85985/Tropaeolum-tuberosum-var-lineamaculatum-Ken-Aslet/Details

 

[johhnyco15]

beth chatto gardens ltd sell them hope this helps

[Vinlander]

Has anyone tried them? From what I've read they sound like famine food (alarm bells ring for me when flavour is seldom mentioned, no instances of words like 'tasty').

I'm always on the lookout for starchy alternatives to potatoes - mainly blight resistance but I simply don't like them boiled - or rather I don't like them boiled simply - mashed with butter & pepper they are fine.

Chinese Artichokes, tuberous pea, Yacon are good, Oca is useful and OK, Jerusalem Artichokes are two-trick ponies - excellent as soup and also when roasted to bags of pulp (but slightly windy even then).

Cheers.

[Robert_Brenchley]

When I tried Chinese artichokes, they were too much trouble to clean for the amount of food gained. I'm wondering whether they'd be worth trying in a container with soil which would drop free instead of sticking.

[Vinlander]

When I tried Chinese artichokes, they were too much trouble to clean for the amount of food gained. I'm wondering whether they'd be worth trying in a container with soil which would drop free instead of sticking.

I would say yes - they are incredibly smooth skinned and release the soil quite easily unless it is really claggy - even then I find a good 15 min soak will soften even heavy clay to the point where it will wash off.

If you really hate scrubbing the thing to avoid is gritty clay soil that can get jammed in the wrinkles.

I have to admit I rarely take small tubers home, I just put them back in the ground. Small in this context is anything smaller than 2/3 of my little finger.

A container of well rotted woodchip is worth a try if you want larger roots and easy cleaning - it had a remarkable effect on my pea tubers - up to 8x the weight of ones from soil. I haven't tried it with Chinese Artichokes because I don't feel I have any real problem with them and I need the woodchip builders bags for my carrots - especially the red ones that seem to get 2 or 3x as much fly damage...

Cheers.