I'm wondering whether to give this a go this year. Chiltern has seed, and
www.futurefoods.com has tubers.

Is it worth growing? Anyone here growing it? The suppliers reckon it is
mostly hardy, and as I am in Cornwall I could take the chance - but on the
other hand my garden looks straight North to Dartmoor, and there was still
frost on the lawn at lunchtime....

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

In article ,
Victoria Clare writes:
| I'm wondering whether to give this a go this year. Chiltern has seed, and
| www.futurefoods.com has tubers.
|
| Is it worth growing? Anyone here growing it? The suppliers reckon it is
| mostly hardy, and as I am in Cornwall I could take the chance - but on the
| other hand my garden looks straight North to Dartmoor, and there was still
| frost on the lawn at lunchtime....

Unless it tastes a hell of a lot better than the tropical ones, no.

That excludes the problems that the claimed hardiness is for very
well-drained soil and probably low night temperatures only, and
that it may well need more heat and light to grow than we get.

You might like to have a go at Stachys affinis ("Chinese artichoke").
I tried it, and it isn't bad as a nibble, but doesn't like dry
summers.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

(Nick Maclaren) wrote in
:


In article ,
Victoria Clare writes:
| I'm wondering whether to give this a go this year. Chiltern has
| seed, and www.futurefoods.com has tubers.
|
| Is it worth growing? Anyone here growing it? The suppliers reckon
| it is mostly hardy, and as I am in Cornwall I could take the chance
| - but on the other hand my garden looks straight North to Dartmoor,
| and there was still frost on the lawn at lunchtime....

Unless it tastes a hell of a lot better than the tropical ones, no.

That excludes the problems that the claimed hardiness is for very
well-drained soil and probably low night temperatures only, and
that it may well need more heat and light to grow than we get.

I think they are growing it up near Holsworthy at the Plants For A Future
site there, and my soil is certainly well drained - better than muddy mid-
Devon anyway.

It may rain all the time here, but the drainage is impeccable, as you'd
expect next door to a gravel quarry. We get a lot of fog, but the ground
doesn't go soggy. Ferns love it...

You might like to have a go at Stachys affinis ("Chinese artichoke").
I tried it, and it isn't bad as a nibble, but doesn't like dry
summers.

Hmm, thanks. Will consider. Those roots do look alarmingly like maggots
tho!

Victoria

In article . 10,
Victoria Clare writes:
|
| You might like to have a go at Stachys affinis ("Chinese artichoke").
| I tried it, and it isn't bad as a nibble, but doesn't like dry
| summers.
|
| Hmm, thanks. Will consider. Those roots do look alarmingly like maggots
| tho!

Funny. That seems to be a near-universal reaction. They don't
look any less like them close up, either.

I will report on Oxalis tuberosum in due course.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

You might like to have a go at Stachys affinis ("Chinese artichoke").
I tried it, and it isn't bad as a nibble, but doesn't like dry
summers.

I bought some artichokes (subterranian) in a shop in Norwich, and they
were long, thumblike, rather small, and very un-knobbly.

Any idea what these were? I've saves them for planting... (When asked,
the assistant said: "Artichokes.")

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

In article ,
Jaques d'Alltrades writes:
| The message
| from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:
|
| You might like to have a go at Stachys affinis ("Chinese artichoke").
| I tried it, and it isn't bad as a nibble, but doesn't like dry
| summers.
|
| I bought some artichokes (subterranian) in a shop in Norwich, and they
| were long, thumblike, rather small, and very un-knobbly.
|
| Any idea what these were? I've saves them for planting... (When asked,
| the assistant said: "Artichokes.")

Possible fusee Jerusalem artichokes. They are a very distinct
variant.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

(Nick Maclaren) wrote in news:bpt755$jrr$1
@pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk:


I will report on Oxalis tuberosum in due course.

Oh good, that's another I'd been vaguely thinking about. If it survives
Cambridge it should have no problems here, unless it likes long days (north
side of a hill is bad for day length...)

Tropaeolum tuberosum - anyone tried that, while we are on the subject of
Andean roots?

Rareplants.co.uk seems to think it is hardy, and it certainly looks
decorative.

I don't know if I could bear to dig it up just to eat the roots unless they
are particularly tasty though! Though presumably the rest is edible like
nasturtians too.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

In article ,
Victoria Clare writes:
| (Nick Maclaren) wrote in news:bpt755$jrr$1
| @pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk:
|
| I will report on Oxalis tuberosum in due course.
|
| Oh good, that's another I'd been vaguely thinking about. If it survives
| Cambridge it should have no problems here, unless it likes long days (north
| side of a hill is bad for day length...)
|
| Tropaeolum tuberosum - anyone tried that, while we are on the subject of
| Andean roots?

Not for eating.

| Rareplants.co.uk seems to think it is hardy, and it certainly looks
| decorative.

It isn't, not at all, and it is, very! Its tubers grow just under
the surface, and cannot stand being frosted. I grew it when we were
getting real winters, and it was wiped out when I forgot to dig it
up in time. You would dig them up when it has died down, incidentally.

| I don't know if I could bear to dig it up just to eat the roots unless they
| are particularly tasty though! Though presumably the rest is edible like
| nasturtians too.

Dunno. I don't know much about that family. I suggest having a
go with the tubers, as it grows well and is a decorative and
non-invasive climber. It didn't thrive in our dry summers, but
still produced a fair number of tubers.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

| Any idea what these were? I've saves them for planting... (When asked,
| the assistant said: "Artichokes.")

Possible fusee Jerusalem artichokes. They are a very distinct
variant.

Definitely - much easier to scrape, I'd guess.

I've just molished a sooper new soop: scrub and boil artichokes.

Put some fish trimmings in a casserole with some milk or water - cod
cheeks, cod tails, etc, and cook on defrost.

Remove skin and any bones.

Liquidise fish with its juice.

Liquidise artichokes in some of thir water.

Put fish skin and bones back in the casserole and simmer in milk or
artichoke water.

Mix macerated fish and artichokes in a casserole and add juice from fish
skins, bones etc.

Add some finely chopped parsley and a little black pepper.

Place casserole in low oven or in microwave on defrost setting.

One of my better efforts, I think. It is *VERY* thick and really scrumptious.

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
(Nick Maclaren) wrote in news:bpt755$jrr$1
:


I will report on Oxalis tuberosum in due course.

Oh good, that's another I'd been vaguely thinking about. If it survives
Cambridge it should have no problems here, unless it likes long days (north
side of a hill is bad for day length...)

Have you tried pig nuts?
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article ,
Kay Easton wrote:
In article , Victoria
Clare writes
(Nick Maclaren) wrote in news:bpt755$jrr$1
:

I will report on Oxalis tuberosum in due course.

Oh good, that's another I'd been vaguely thinking about. If it survives
Cambridge it should have no problems here, unless it likes long days (north
side of a hill is bad for day length...)

Have you tried pig nuts?

No, but I also tried Cyperus esculentum. Not bad, if you have
reasonable teeth, but a hell of a fiddle - almost as bad in that
respect as Stachys affinis (which might do better in wetter
climates).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Kay Easton wrote:
In article , Victoria
Clare writes
(Nick Maclaren) wrote in news:bpt755$jrr$1
:

I will report on Oxalis tuberosum in due course.

Oh good, that's another I'd been vaguely thinking about. If it survives
Cambridge it should have no problems here, unless it likes long days (north
side of a hill is bad for day length...)

Have you tried pig nuts?

No, but I also tried Cyperus esculentum. Not bad, if you have
reasonable teeth, but a hell of a fiddle - almost as bad in that
respect as Stachys affinis (which might do better in wetter
climates).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 24 Nov 2003 15:12:37 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:

I will report on Oxalis tuberosum in due course.

I can give an early report. You can buy "oca" in Vancouver at one
of the high end grocery places catering to the urban more-money-
than-is-good-for-them types. A friend bought some and gave me a
couple of pots, which I passed on to other friends with better
growing conditions.

One of the recipients reported back a couple of weeks ago that
hers had formed tubers and that she'd eaten some. She was
delighted with them: like potatos with a lemon-y taste.

I believe oca only forms tubers in the late summer or fall, as
the days shorten, so dig it as late as you can.

But on the other hand it comes from a relatively low latitude
(but high altitude) so it may respond to only a slight shortening
in day length.

On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 15:41:25 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

I bought some artichokes (subterranian) in a shop in Norwich, and they
were long, thumblike, rather small, and very un-knobbly.

Any idea what these were? I've saves them for planting... (When asked,
the assistant said: "Artichokes.")

Look up "Jerusalem artichoke". The inositol in them causes a lot
of gas.

On 24 Nov 2003 15:12:37 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:

I will report on Oxalis tuberosum in due course.

I can give an early report. You can buy "oca" in Vancouver at one
of the high end grocery places catering to the urban more-money-
than-is-good-for-them types. A friend bought some and gave me a
couple of pots, which I passed on to other friends with better
growing conditions.

One of the recipients reported back a couple of weeks ago that
hers had formed tubers and that she'd eaten some. She was
delighted with them: like potatos with a lemon-y taste.

I believe oca only forms tubers in the late summer or fall, as
the days shorten, so dig it as late as you can.

But on the other hand it comes from a relatively low latitude
(but high altitude) so it may respond to only a slight shortening
in day length.