On 28 Nov 2002 20:50:58 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
Hussein M. wrote:
On Thu, 28 Nov 2002 17:00:20 +0000, "dave @ stejonda"
wrote:

did you perhaps mean Poyntzfield with a 'y'?, whose web site can be
found at http://www.poyntzfieldherbs.co.uk/?

Yes, that's the one.

How many tubers did you get for the money?

I splashed out on six tubers @ whatever the list price is.

I'm sorry I simply saved the page and don't have the url but here is
the best information I found re cultivation etc. (below)

I found loads of high fallutin botnany stuff. I think it is being
promoted as a crop in New Zealand amongst other places

Rspct

Hussein
Untitled Oca Oxalis tuberosa

One of the Lost Crops of the Incas, Oca tubers are an important staple
in the high Andes, grown amongst potatoes and another gem from the
region, Ulluco. While hardy enough to be grown in Britain, they are
easily cut down by frost and are day-length dependent. This means that
in some years the foliage can be cut down by frost while the tubers
are only half formed. Therefore, without some frost protection late in
the year, yields can be very low. This last autumn (2001) was
particularly mild, and a bumber crop resulted. So most years they are
well worth while attempting.

They have a similar flavour and texture to potatoes, for which they
are an excellent substitute. They are a useful alternative where the
traditional pests and diseases of potatoes -- such as blight and scab
-- are a problem. And they can be eaten by those people who might
otherwise be allergic to potatoes.

Cultivation

Start the tubers off as you would seed potatoes; chit them (that is,
encourage the tubers to sprout) in a cool and light place such as a
shed or gararge, keeping them frost-free -- a windowsill is good. If
chitting is delayed or is not possible, it is not absolutely vital as
their main growth is made after mid-summer. Plant the tubers out when
all risk of frost has passed. There is little to be gained by planting
very early, and we have found no benefit in early planting under
cloche protection. Space about 1 foot apart in rows 2 feet apart, or
equidistantly at 18inches. We like to grow them at this latter spacing
in deep beds, and they are particularly suited to this method. This
spacing might seem excessive compared to the size of the tubers, but
the foliage does become quite extensive.

As the plants develop, they soon begin to look like giant Wood Sorrel,
to which they are related. It is unnecessary to earth them up as one
would potatoes as they do not become poisonous if they turn green, and
the density of the foliage tends to blanch any which appear on the
surface. The plants are quite neat and tidy in habit. We find that
only one weeding is necessary; after then, the foliage becomes so
dense that further annual weeds get smothered out. Perennials like
Creeping Thistle find their way through, and Bindweed, but then they
always do. Some yellow flowers are sometimes produced later in the
year, but fruits are rarely set.

To harvest, it is important to wait for as long as possible. You
cannot realistically expect tubers until the end of October at the
earliest. You might be tempted to inspect the plants for tubers
forming in late summer, but usually there is no sign; the tubers seem
to grow right at the last minute, when a full canopy of foliage has
been built up. A light frost will sometimes harm the tips of the
foliage, but leave them a little longer as further growth is often
made if milder weather then follows. Only when the leaves have
completely turned to mush should you dig them up. Insert a fork near
the centre of the plants and lift -- the tubers do not extend out very
far. The colourful tubers are very easy to spot, and should be
detached from the stout rhizomes. Leave them to dry a little on the
soil surface, then store in bags in a cool shed.

Eating

To eat, try them raw for maximum crunchiness. In the high Andes, they
leave the tubers out to dry in the sun for a few days so that they
shrivel slightly. Shrivelling is reported to enhance the sweetness of
their flavour, and remove some of the bitterness. British grown
tubers, we should add, rarely develop this bitterness. For cooking,
treat them exactly like potatoes. They have no descernible skin, so
don't peel them. They retain some of their crunchiness if they are not
overboiled, and their flavour is enhanced if they are baked or roasted
for half an hour.