#1   Report Post  
Old 28-11-2002, 02:51 AM
Hussein M.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?

Hi,

I had a "please sign for" delivery today. Had lots recently.
Pointzfield herb nursery but I was surprised to find it was a sizeable
packet as I had only ordered seeds.

Or so I thought. On opening the package I unwrapped some newpaper and
some damp fibrous stuff to reveal six very coulourful tubers of Oxalis
tuberosa.

Somewhat concerned as to how I should proceed (stick'em in the ground
now?), I have done a little research and that has been quite
fascinating.

Has anyone considered devoting some space to this crop of the Andes
and eminently suited to our temperate clime instead of potatoes?

Apparently they don''t suffer from any of the pests that afflict
potatoes and the yield (per whatever) is often higher than that of the
potato. The only drawback is that the tubers develop very suddenly
late in the season so an early frost can set them back. If the frosts
are delayed however there is a bumper harvest. I suspect there would
have been a bumper harvest this year and the way our poor climate is
drifting I supose quite a few years from here on in will be the same.

Amazing things, so pretty to look at with their radishy pink hues -
rather carrot shaped but shiny and nobbly and one doesn't need telling
that they don't need peeling. Can cook like a potato but best roasted
with a nutty flavour. Left in the sun to ripen a bit they can be eaten
raw like a fruit. I must say it was very tempting to sliver one up
and taste it, but no - every one is in cool storage until Spring.

Respect

Hussein
PS Most of the sites turned up in the searches I made were uni and new
crops and botanical and very curious and serious. Huh - now that Other
Oxalis (Shamrock / Wood Sorrel) in the garden, pretty thought it is
but becoming a nuisance to any plants of small stature is - going - to
- have - to - run - even - faster - for - it's - survival. Huh!


  #2   Report Post  
Old 28-11-2002, 03:29 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?


In article ,
Hussein M. writes:
|
| I had a "please sign for" delivery today. Had lots recently.
| Pointzfield herb nursery but I was surprised to find it was a sizeable
| packet as I had only ordered seeds.
|
| Or so I thought. On opening the package I unwrapped some newpaper and
| some damp fibrous stuff to reveal six very coulourful tubers of Oxalis
| tuberosa.
|
| Has anyone considered devoting some space to this crop of the Andes
| and eminently suited to our temperate clime instead of potatoes?

Yes - but I have never found a source! Thanks for the reference,
but any further information appreciated.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679
  #3   Report Post  
Old 28-11-2002, 06:00 PM
dave @ stejonda
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?

In message , Hussein M.
writes
Pointzfield herb nursery


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

--
dave @ stejonda

calculate your ecological footprint http://www.lead.org/leadnet/footprint/
  #4   Report Post  
Old 28-11-2002, 10:13 PM
dave @ stejonda
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes
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?

q
OCA Oxalis tuberosa P 45cm. From the Peruvian Andes, this attractive
yellow flowering herbaceous plant produces a tasty tuber that can be
eaten fresh, boiled, stir-fried or used in stews. Grow like a potato.
Tuber - £1.60
/q

--
dave @ stejonda
  #5   Report Post  
Old 28-11-2002, 10:35 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?

In article ,
dave @ stejonda wrote:

OCA Oxalis tuberosa P 45cm. From the Peruvian Andes, this attractive
yellow flowering herbaceous plant produces a tasty tuber that can be
eaten fresh, boiled, stir-fried or used in stews. Grow like a potato.
Tuber - £1.60


Yes, I found that - which is why I asked.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679


  #6   Report Post  
Old 28-11-2002, 10:37 PM
dave @ stejonda
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes
In article ,
dave @ stejonda wrote:

OCA Oxalis tuberosa P 45cm. From the Peruvian Andes, this attractive
yellow flowering herbaceous plant produces a tasty tuber that can be
eaten fresh, boiled, stir-fried or used in stews. Grow like a potato.
Tuber - £1.60


Yes, I found that - which is why I asked.

doh! - I read it that that was one tuber for £1.60 and that you were
being a tad lazy not looking it up yourself - I'll go back to sleep.

--
dave @ stejonda
  #7   Report Post  
Old 29-11-2002, 12:07 AM
Victoria Clare
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?

(Nick Maclaren) wrote in
:

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?


Dunno what Hussein got, but their prices for Camassia Esculenta tubers seem
much more reasonable than elsewhere, so thanks Hussein - good spot!

Rock Samphire - anyone here grown it? what sort of conditions will it
tolerate? I've wanted some of this for years, but I'm not sure it would
like my damp mossy garden, as I associate it with seaside cliffs.

And can you actually grow cardamoms from, well, cardamoms from a spice pot,
or do you need special seed as per the catalogue? I am a big cardamom fan,
so if the leaves smell like the seeds, I shall soon be acquiring a new
house plant one way or the other. . .

Victoria

--
Victoria Clare
gardening high up in South East Cornwall
http://www.clareassoc.co.uk/
--
  #8   Report Post  
Old 29-11-2002, 02:13 AM
Hussein M.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?

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.
  #9   Report Post  
Old 29-11-2002, 01:27 PM
A.Malhotra
 
Posts: n/a
Default Oxalis tuberosa anyone?



Victoria Clare wrote:

And can you actually grow cardamoms from, well, cardamoms from a spice pot,
or do you need special seed as per the catalogue? I am a big cardamom fan,
so if the leaves smell like the seeds, I shall soon be acquiring a new
house plant one way or the other. . .

Victoria

--
Victoria Clare
gardening high up in South East Cornwall
http://www.clareassoc.co.uk/
--


I've no experience of trying to grow cardamom but I think that most of the
culinary stock would be rather too old to do well. Re growing it as a
houseplant, its quite a big plant, related to ginger. I've seen it growing
in plantations in South India. They grow it under the rainforest canopy as
it's an understorey plant. From the outside (ie looking up at the hills) it
looked like masses of undisturbed rainforest but when we got there it was
almost all cardamom plantation. A fascinating place, with estate buildings
perched on steep escarpments c. 3 hours walk from the plains....every brick
having had to be carried up by head. But the plant itself is not especially
beautiful and I don't think any other part of the plant carries the aroma.
Anita
Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Apios Tuberosa (_Glycine Apios_) Tina Morris United Kingdom 0 02-06-2008 01:34 AM
Tuberosa is going to bloom again? Cereus-validus Gardening 0 09-10-2004 03:33 PM
possible to transplant asclepias tuberosa? griffon Gardening 8 03-06-2003 05:08 AM
tuberosa question rsp United Kingdom 0 06-02-2003 02:06 AM
Cardamoms anyone? (Was Oxalis Tuberosa) Victoria Clare United Kingdom 1 29-11-2002 09:18 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:19 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 GardenBanter.co.uk.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Gardening"

 

Copyright © 2017