[permaculture-oceania] Yakon, on and on?

[steve payne]

I missed the beginning of this discussion, but in case it is still 
relevant, The Organic Gardener magazine is running an article by Nick 
Romanowski on unusual edible tubers in the Winter issue, out June 11.

Mentioned in it are yakon, oca, skirret and a whole range of tasty 
but hard to find root crops. Also mentioned are yams and edible 
lilies.

Below is the section on Yakon - as a preview.

At the moment, apart from small seed saving groups and other 
gardeners, the only sources of these tubers we know of are Nick 
Romanowski's mail order nursery 'Dragonfly Aquatics' (ph: 03 5236 
6320), Daley's Fruit and Nut tree nursery in Kyogle (NSW, PH: 02 6632 
1441) and the Seed Savers' Network, Byron.

If anyone knows of other commercial sources, please let me know.

YACON - APPLE OF THE EARTH XXX SMALL SUB-HEAD XXX
Yacon (Polymnia sonchiflora) is a distant relative of the sunflower, 
with large, elongated roots that look like dahlia tubers. It is 
sometimes called 'apple of the earth' for its crisp, sweet texture. 
The sweet flavour is inulin, a form of fructose that tastes good but 
has few calories, so this plant has real potential as a naturally 
sweet diet food, and may even be suitable for diabetics.
The tubers are sweeter still after sun-curing, though less crisp, and 
can be harvested all through the winter into early spring even in 
Tasmania. Yacon is an unfussy plant that will thrive in sub-tropical 
areas. As you lift each clump, cut away the tubers for eating - these 
can be stored cool for months. The knotty crowns can then be divided, 
and once the cuts have healed, planted out at least 30 cm apart. It 
won't take long to produce more plants than you can use, in which 
case you may want to try cooking the young stems as a high-protein 
vegetable.
(Excerpt from the upcoming Winter Organic Gardener)



Steve Payne
Hummingwords &
Editor - the Organic Gardener
ABC Gardening Australia

PO Box 1067
Lismore NSW 2480
Australia
Ph: 61 (0)2 6622 8780
Fax: 61 (0)2 6622 8101
Email: hummingwords at ozemail.com.au
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