I had never grown Oca (New Zealand Yams) before let alone eat them, earlier this year I was given a few tubers to try out, I grew them in a container as we were moving house during the growing season, they have been some-what neglected, but they grew and formed nice bushy plants, as the season finished and all the usual vegetables were harvested, the Oca continued to grow, they form there tubers in the autumn and you harvest after the foliage has died back from frost, well we have had frost and the foliage was dying off.
I was very excited to see if there was anything to harvest
lo and behold there they were what little beauties.
This was my total harvest
Now having harvested them, I had to try them out, a quick look on Mr Google and I had some suggestions, wash then lightly it said and the various ways of eating are
You can eat them raw
You can stir fry
You can roast
You can boil
You can add them casseroles
I tried a bit raw, very crunchy and firm, with a bit of a lemony radish taste, I then sliced a few up and added them to the mince I was cooking for dinner, when cooked they have keep there crunchy texture and have a nutty taste, very very nice.
I am going to keep a handful of tubers to grow on next year, it great to be able to harvest something so late in the year. They make a lovely substitute for potatoes.
Very interesting, I like the sound of those, and minimum care too.
ReplyDeleteJean
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and attractive in containers and ideal for our climate
DeleteI was looking at growing some of these so I'll have to add it to next years grow list if you think they're worth it. Also good if they're low maintenance. You can eat the leaves as well I think.
ReplyDeleteI have never tried them, I might have a go at growing them if they are easy.
ReplyDeletethey are easier than potatoes and take up less space and attractive foilage as well
DeleteI love oca and always gorge myself on it when we go to New Zealand
ReplyDelete(I've never seen it on sale in South Australia). Unfortunately my two attempts
at growing it from some very expensive tubers I bought on ebay both
failed - the grower I bought the tubers from was in Tasmania so obviously
it needs more cold and water than I can provide!
that is a shame they do need cooler conditions for the tubers to develop
DeleteBtw do thry store well?
ReplyDeleteHave a look at this site it answers your questions and tells you how to grow them
Deletehttps://www.cultivariable.com/?page_id=134
Cheers Dawn I'll have a look!
DeleteThey look good, do they have a similar texture to water chestnuts?
ReplyDeleteYes a similar texture with that crunch
DeleteI'm pleased you liked your Oca/NZ Yams. It pays to grow them in a container otherwise they can take over your veggie garden - even a small piece left in the soil will happily produce!
ReplyDeleteMichelle in Wellington, NZ
Thanks I will keep that in mind for next year :-)
Delete