Yacon

Eve starts with ...
Hi, I want to purchase some Yacon tubers but not sure how many to buy? Is one enough to get you going? Or should you buy a few. We are a family of four. Thanks.

Anonymous says...
not a helpful reply at all. You're better off saying nothing so someone else with constructive advice might read the post. Rob

Anonymous says...
Thanks anon. ,a former milk monitor , if I'm not mistaken. Sadly descriptions of fruit are often misleading; everything is a priori "delicious". (yes, yacon is not a fruit) If someone were to have told me I would not have wasted time with velvet apple, mountain paw paw.

Eve says...
A follow up, I ended up purchasing three plants from Daleys. As you can see from the pics they are green and luscious - can't wait until they die down to try them.

A quick query. Are Yacons similar to Jerusalem Artichokes in that once you plant them in a spot they are there to stay or can you harvest the small tubers to plant elswhere. If so, should crop rotation be practised or is it okay to keep going in the same spot.

Thanks.
Eve

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

Violet_Cactus says...
Thanks for that information, John!
My yacon plant is pretty big because I have never harvested it. Now that I know what it tastes like I might dig up a piece.

From the Internet:
Easy to grow and store, high-yielding, supernutritious and crunchy like an apple, yacon (pronounced ya-kon) is one of the many “new” vegetables coming to us from South America. In reality, this fruitlike vegetable has been cultivated throughout the Andes for more than a millennium. South Americans eat it as a fruit; they also use the huge leaves to wrap foods during cooking, in the same way cabbage leaves are used in Germany, grape leaves in the Mideast and banana leaves in the tropics. Only recently — thanks to some adventurous green thumbs — have North Americans begun to see yacon in produce markets.
In addition to its distinctive flavor — a satisfyingly sweet cross between celery and Granny Smith apples — yacon is noted for its high fiber and low calorie content. The tubers and leaves contain high levels of inulin, a form of sugar humans cannot easily break down, making it low in calories. Inulin also aids digestion and promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine, while inhibiting toxic bacteria. Recent research also has found that yacon tubers and leaves are a good source of antioxidants. Yacon is an ideal food for diabetics and weight watchers, but it will make a delicious addition to anyone’s diet. Plus, the tubers only get sweeter in storage.

In South America, yacon tubers can have yellow, orange, red, pink and even purple flesh, all with distinct flavors.
All varieties have a crunchy texture, and the water content is high enough that the tubers can be crushed to make juice.

Yacon is delicious eaten fresh with a little sugar or honey and a bit of lemon juice sprinkled over it. (Yacon recipes often contain citrus, because acidity prevents the discoloration that results once the pared tubers are exposed to air.) Many South Americans put yacon in a fruit salad called salpicón (see recipe), because the tubers add a crunchy texture to the mix. Yacon also can be stir-fried, roasted, baked or made into pies and healthy chips. Teas made from the leaves can reduce blood sugar by increasing the amount of insulin circulating in the blood stream. Yacon syrups or powders also can be used as low-calorie sweeteners, and are increasingly available at natural food stores.
Read more here:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-06-01/Yummy-Yacon.aspx

And there are some great Yacon recipes here!
http://nicholsgardennursery.wordpress.com/category/yacon-recipes/

Violet_Cactus says...
John, I have never heard the term 'bandicooting' before but it's a really good one!

There's a lot on the Net about the medicinal effects of Yacon Tea and Yacon Leaf. Research documented on 'Google Scholar' claims that Yacon really does help with diabetes and weight loss: http://www.bisac.com.pe/informacion/yacon/tema14.pdf

I have made tea with quite a few different herbs including pineapple sage, chocolate mint and tea jasmine flowers. I would imagine that Yacon Tea is made the same way - just by steeping the fresh leaves in hot water for several minutes then straining the liquid before drinking.

Not meaning to bombard the forum with information, but I found the following Yacon info very interesting, even though not necessarily backed up by scientific research. It also contains a recipe for Yacon Tea.

"There is now a new root crop that goes by the unusual name yacon. Recognized as a health food, it is also known as the apple of the earth because although it is grown underground like any other root crop, its fruit resembles an apple or a pear. Also, unlike regular root crops whose carbohydrate content eventually turns to starch, then sugar, when ingested, the yacon stores carbohydrates in the form of inulin and not starch. High in inulin, it serves as a sucrose-free food for diabetics."

"The yacon is also low in calories, thus making it a good, nutritious diet food. While a sweet potato contains 125 calories, a potato 77 calories and a taro 60 calories per 100grams, the yacon has only 54 calories. It contains carbohydrates (Fructo-Oligo-Saccharides)which pass through the digestive tract unmetabolized, so that it is perfect for those who suffer from obesity. Add to this the fact that the yacon purifies the blood and its high-fiber content assists in digestion."

"Yacon tubers are irregularly spindle to round and can vary considerably in shape, size and sweetness.

NUTRITIOUS FOOD

The yacon, which is a member of the sunflower family, is grown primarily for its edible roots. While it looks like sweet potatoes or yam on the outside with its brownish, sandy skin, inside, the yacon looks more like a juicy fruit such as the apple and the pear. Just peel off the skin, wash it, slice it up into pieces, and eat it raw. It feels just like a pear or an apple to the bite, with a crunch accompanying small bursts of juice.

The yacon can also be boiled or sauteed in oil. Having all the characteristics of a health food that aids in the maintenance of good health, the yacon contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, Vitamins A, B1, B2 and C, phosphorus, niacin, iron, carotene, protein, lipids, cellulose, glucide and fiber.

MEDICINAL VALUES

More than just being a valuable health food, the yacon has also been discovered to have medicinal values. The tuber can be used as medicine. Simply preserve it for 10 days so that it reaches its full level of sweetness, and then peel it, slice into thin cuts and eat it raw. Its leaves also have medicinal properties. Dry the leaves naturally in the shade, then cut into suitable sizes and boil in water to make a cleansing tea. The recommended daily intake of the yacon tea is 2 cups daily. Because the inulin content of the yacon is 60 to 70%, it helps control the blood glucose and keep it at a normal level. So those who are eating the tuber will notice initial results within 7 to 10 days, while those who drink its tea can expect initial health benefits in as short as 4 to 5 days. Above all else, the yacon is delicious!"

snottiegobble says...
Yacon grow readily in Victoria & being deciduous dont really suffer from frost damage. When harvesting its easy to tell the "eaters" from the "replanter" tubers. The ones for food are big smooth skinned like spuds( sometimes bigger)while the ones for propagating are smaller,have a reddish tinge, usually some roots & a hint of new growth buds on top.
The edible ones quite often split their skins while in the ground so you may see a few "highways" on their surface.
Attractive foliage, & sometimes small yellow daisy flowers make this plant an unusual addition to any garden!

Jim says...
Lo siento Carles esta tienda sólo vende para Australia, pero personas de España visitar este foro de cuando en cuando y quizas pueden ayudarlo.

Disculpe, mi español no es bueno

Phil@Tyalgum says...
Normally best to harvest is as it flowers which is generally in autumn. You might have missed its peak harvest time but I imagine the tubers should still be ok to dig up.

Phil@Tyalgum says...
k - they're nice raw as well, like a very juicy, sweet carrot

Phil@Tyalgum says...
And the longer tubers taste different to the rounded ones on the same plant in my experience. I use the rounded ones for next years crop and eat the dahlia shaped tubers.

Phil@Tyalgum says...
I baked one for the first time a while back, threw it in with the roast among the potatoes. It added a sweet, unexpected flavour to the meal, not something I would write home about - still like 'em raw, just picked. Having said that, I didn't replant many this year as they can take up room for more productive crops - more novelty value in my opinion. I tried to grow it when I lived in Woodend (Vic) and it never even ventured above the ground.

John Mc says...
They look a tad on the small side Dwain, but if you can't wait, carefully pull it out of the pot, it should all come out together, and bandicoot for the roundish, brownish, smoothish tubers, not the redish pointy ones like you originally planted. Then put it all back in the pot intact to grow on.

denise1 says...
Harvest time is when the tubers are around 7cms in diameter, but if they are left too long they will crack, become hollow, darken in colour,go pithy and are horrible to eat. If they are at their maximum size they will last much shorter in storage and can split in no time at all. They can also be propagated from sideshoots, seeds, or eyes. I wonder if storage in sawdust will help the roots to last longer.

denise1 says...
Where I am they dont die down in the winter and can need leaving until late spring to finish swelling. This happens because we dont have quite the heat they need in the planting site to fit the growing season in. Where conditions and planting times vary then the harvest time will vary. The best sites are reserved for tropical fruit plants such as star fruit, papaya , wax jambu, mango and pepinos- all doing very well.

Dwain says...
Just a follow-up, I ended up harvesting my yacon today. As you can see from the pic, some of the tubers are cracked / undersized.

I know the soil in the pot dried out a few times during summer so I am not sure if this is the reason for this. As some of the tubers are premature I don’t think it’s because of being in the pot too long.

I guess I will have to plant one of the tubers in the ground and see what happens next autumn / winter.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Ducky says...
Resurrecting an old thread but does anyone know whens the best time to divide and plant out yacon?

I've recently harvest my first yacon plant and it was a hit with the family. Currently have the crown sitting in a cardboard basket and some coco coir.

Still haven't worked out how to break the crown up yet too afraid I"m going to kill it.

Harry says...
As Linton mentioned, the small red tubers are used for growing.

You don’t really need to store them. When you harvest the white tubers just put the red ones straight back in the ground - they will remain dormant and will shoot up again once the weather warms up.

Ducky says...
Thanks everyone. I've separated the crown in half and will be planting half and storing the other half until spring to see which works best for my area.

Kazino says...
Hello, I was wanting to try and grow yacon and was wondering if anyone has any to spare who live in the Toowoomba area? Thanks Kaz