Oca

[Nightgardener]

Hi Charles,

I picked up some Oca tubers recently, which are starting go root. I see that you’ve grown them recently. Do you have any general advice to offer, particularly about whether I can keep them in pots and plant them after an existing crop.

Cheers

[Don Foley]

Hi Nightgardner,
I grew Oca last year for the first time.
You grow as for maincrop Potatoes but they are very Frost sensitive so cover well with Fleece or plant indoors in Pots until after last Frost date.
I only ate a couple and didn’t really like them but to be fair I couldn’t find a receipe for cooking them anywhere. If anyone has a receipe perhaps they might post it here.
Don.

[charles]

They grow strongly from June so want to be in the ground by then, try later if you dare!
Don, flavour improves by leaving the tubers in December sunlight for a week or more. Steph and I have written a piece on growing and cooking oca, yacon, stevia for Permaculture Magazine May issue. They are delicious roasted.

[Don Foley]

Sunshine in December, in Ireland!!
That’s when I harvested them though.
But seriously, could you post Stephs method/cooking instructions here.
I’m a complete novice cook so would need to know things like cooking temperature and time etc.
Don.

[ashleigh]

If you google roasted oca you will find lots of nice recipes. You can treat them as if you were roasting potatoes, or do something more elaborate if you want to

[Don Foley]

Hi Charles,

I just checked the Tubers I stored last December for planting this year and they have all sprouted very long pale shoots – just like Potatoes.
I’m thinking I should just snap these off now and place the Tubers in a bright cool spot to resprout ready for planting in the ground in mid May.
Do you think this would have any damaging effects on eventual harvest?

Don.

[charles]

It sounds worth doing Don as they will otherwise break in planting. I have done it with potatoes before, and the harvest was fine. Remember to put them to sprout next year!

[Author]

Posts