Well, I hope that you have all got your oca harvested now as the tubers are very frost tender, as I found out to my cost last year.
I have tried frying them but thought that they were very bland cooked that way. Eaten raw, there was a good interesting piquant taste with a nice crunch. Any thoughts as to the best way to cook them for taste?
Oh..I'm looking forward for answers for this one..I managed to empty all my Oca's out of pots before the hell froze over. Not a huge crop, but I did get some. My oca was quite late when it was planted..but I have enough for a taster and some left for next spring to plant again..if the spring ever arrive ::)
I got my seed oca from Lottie Lou and she said to steam them. I tried boiling and they went a bit floury. Steaming them, they cooked in probably 4 or 5 minutes and kept their bite.
I harvested mine early by mistake, but actually I'm so glad I did, because they'd be a goner by now!
I'm eating the damaged ones and saving the best for next year too, goodlife.
2 years ago I roasted them for Christmas Day, and they were OK, not everyones taste, a bit too lemon tasting.
I think that I like them best just heated through, so that the lemony taste and the crunch are still there.
Some of my tubers have been nibbled by some small beastie. Too small for a slug. Any ideas?
Mine had some tiny holes in, I'd just assumed a small slug! No I have no idea.
I like them still a bit crunchy as well. They don't have the waxiness that some potatoes have (well, this crop doesn't - I'm no oca expert) and so it's either a bit crunchy or floury and I don't like floury.
The beastie could be wireworm. I've found a couple of the blighters during my harvest.
Being pig ignorant, may I ask, what the hell is Oca? ???
It's a small South American tuber which unfortunately doesn't produce much in our climate. There's lots of information here: http://oca-testbed.blogspot.com/
One of the lost crops of the Incas. Grown commercially in NZ and called NZ yams. I grow mine in buckets - did try a large container on the plot and lost the lot (there were loads) to the frost. They are daylight sensitive (or something) and don't start producing tubers until the nights grow longer. PM me and I'll send a few for you to try.
Thank you lou, consider it done. :)