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#1
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 |
#8
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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
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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 |
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