Thanks Treacodactyl!

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Thanks Treacodactyl!

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NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4586
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 13 9:38 am Post subject: Thanks Treacodactyl!
Hope I spelled your name right Little bag of lumpy things arrived this morning, I'm hoping they're the yacon knobbles from you, do you think it's too early to put them straight outside?

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 13 10:51 am Post subject:
Yes, too early. Treat similar to dahlias or tomatoes - keep frost free. I would pot them up now, either keep them warm to start growing, or cool and frost free for a month if you don't have room. Once growing they get large quickly. Pics here on my site (which needs updating!). https://www.growwhatyoucan.co.uk/yacon/yacon.html

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4586
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 13 5:02 pm Post subject:
Potted and in the porch (along with oca and last year's runner bean tubers)

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 13 12:27 pm Post subject:

Here are the results of my 2013 yacon experiment using tubers kindly sent by Treacodactyl.

I potted them on on arrival and kept them frost free. Planted out after frosts had passed and here they are on 1st July.

Click to see full size image

They put on steady growth over the summer till the first frost on 20th October, when I dug them up.

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

This was a typical yield per plant -

Click to see full size image

I think my soil was too shallow and heavy for them to grow really huge tubers but we're enjoying eating what we have got and I'll be planting them again, probably in a deeper bed. The growing tubers are potted in damp compost in a frost-free shed till next year. I've also found some folk locally to give some away to.

Thanks Treacodactyl!

How did eveyone else's do this year?

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4586
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 13 1:21 pm Post subject:
Mine are still robustly green and non-frosted so haven't dug anything yet

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 14 4:41 pm Post subject:

Have either of you two tried eating them yet? If so what do you think?

I grew mine in a mix of large pots or in soil in my woodland garden. Results were interesting, not a great year considering the weather but a fair crop. The ones in pots produced a reasonable crop of edible tubers and a huge amount of the small growing tips, the ones in the poor woodland/field soil again produced a reasonable crop of edible tubers but hardly any growing tips.

Interestingly the woodland/field soil also seems to prevent Jerusalem artichokes from cropping that well. I expect the main reason is it's so poor but it could also be down to being acidic.

Another thing to note Cassy, your tubers look longer and thinner than mine, perhaps because I start them off in pots and don't plant them out soon enough.

DorsetScott

Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 500
Location: Bournemouth

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 14 4:58 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

The ones in pots produced a reasonable crop of edible tubers and a huge amount of the small growing tips

Does that mean there's a chance you may have some growing tips going begging this year Treacodactyl?

Also, have you tried making the syrup with them? I was reading you could juice them, boil it down and use it like maple syrup but with hardly any sugar content in it it's even suitable for diabetics!

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 14 5:14 pm Post subject:

DorsetScott wrote:

Treacodactyl wrote:

The ones in pots produced a reasonable crop of edible tubers and a huge amount of the small growing tips

Does that mean there's a chance you may have some growing tips going begging this year Treacodactyl?

Also, have you tried making the syrup with them? I was reading you could juice them, boil it down and use it like maple syrup but with hardly any sugar content in it it's even suitable for diabetics!

Yes (just PM me your address) and yes. I found the syrup to be an acquired taste. Not 'orrible, quite nice in fact, but still quite savoury with a distinct hint of 'green'.

I just grated and squeezed the pulp to get the juice and boiled it down until it went very thick and syrupy. I think filtering the juice would give a better result and I didn't find it lasted that long out of a fridge. Worth having a go though as it's so easy to do.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4586
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 14 6:25 pm Post subject:
They were really tasty, no gaseous effects (though a small harvest, which I'm blaming on moving them halfway through growing!), lots of knobbles for growing this season assuming they store okay

DorsetScott

Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 500
Location: Bournemouth

Posted: Wed Jan 15, 14 1:16 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

DorsetScott wrote:

Treacodactyl wrote:

The ones in pots produced a reasonable crop of edible tubers and a huge amount of the small growing tips

Does that mean there's a chance you may have some growing tips going begging this year Treacodactyl?

Also, have you tried making the syrup with them? I was reading you could juice them, boil it down and use it like maple syrup but with hardly any sugar content in it it's even suitable for diabetics!

Yes (just PM me your address)

PM sent. Thanks a lot, appreciate it

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