Yacon?

[Mikey]

Has anyone grown this?

I read something it might well have been the magazine TBH, about it being used as a sugar substitute as our bodies are unable to digest the enzyme which gives it the sweetness.

As I have a sweet tooth, I wondered if its possible to grow here. I think its a bit like a sweet potato, I'd happily give it a decent pot for the time being and see if warranted more at a later date. Might be my exotic for the year if I can find it.

Now where can I get hold of it....

[veggiechicken]

I have some, I think Haven't dug it up so I don't know what its like. If I find anything, you're welcome to a bit
PS, its too cold to dig today

[Guest]

Ignore the title some of us (surprisingly) went off topic

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...elp_82927.html

I might have some caudices march/april time you can have. It is the first time I have harvested and got to the caudice stage. I have plenty just don't know how happy I am with the regrowth stage. However if you are still curious next year I should be perfectly happy to let you have some (having successfully done the regrowth stage). My variety is red by the way not the usual white like real seeds.

[Mikey]

Well you did have a smattering of snow overnight...... not the 3-6cm they forecast but a smigging.

If you do have some I'd happily have a nib off ya, to give it a go. It reminds me of a very large fat hen plant? I was looking at it on the real seed catalogue.

[Mikey]

What's a caudice? Is it like a slip or a spur?

How much space does it take up?, I was thinking of putting it into a large pot about 60cm diameter and about 2ft deep. I've got a couple of spare dog washing buckets, which will be gaining a new culinary use. Will this be big enough?

I hadn't actually entertained growing it to eat, though real seeds recommend using it in stir fries like a water chestnut?! I thought I'd see if I could make a syrup out of it and use it to sweeten my medicinal elderberry syrup? Just a thought...

[Guest]

Yacon produces tubers (quite clear in the photo) the bits you eat and caudices, round knobbly bits which produce new plants (hopefully).

It is a bit of a beast when happily growing. My piccy is of the smaller plant I had. I think the size of that pot is probably about right but no smaller.

Thoughts are good and you don't know until you try

[veggiechicken]

Thought you said I reminded you of a very large fat hen

[Mikey]

I'm a bit concerned the OH will think I'm trying to recreate a jungle?

Have you tried making it into a syrup NG?, I'm wondering if I'm being realistic in being able to extract enough syrup from a plant or two to sweeten about 2 litres of elderberry tonic? in a couple of years time.

[Guest]

I haven't tried syrup yet. I have got a carrier bag full waiting to be along with a lot of other things.
2 plants filled just over 2 bags. I am really impressed with them so far. I would definitely say to anyone thinking about them to give them ago. The growth on top was about 1.5m tall and under 1m across. The growth is no worse than fartichokes.

[veggiechicken]

Mine is a bit weedy compared to yours NG. Only 2 foot tall at best and just one stem. Maybe its not ready for digging up?

[Guest]

Mine is a bit weedy compared to yours NG. Only 2 foot tall at best and just one stem. Maybe its not ready for digging up?

Maybe its a dwarf variety

It seems the place I got mine from has gone I looked at their site a few months ago and it hadn't been updated for a year or so but now the entire site has gone.

The plants are meant to flower around aug/sept time, at which point you need to keep them well watered for the tubers to form. You then harvest after frost has killed all the foliage back.

I think it likes full sun. Is yours tucked up VC?

[veggiechicken]

Most things I grow turn out to be dwarf varieties
I don't remember flowers but its very black now There were 2 plants but one didn't make it through last winter. In fact, I didn't recognise this one when it grew in the spring.

[Mikey]

Are you sure you're not harbouring a new form of drawf trifids VC? I wouldn't put it past you.....!

[veggiechicken]

Just give me the seeds and I'll grow it

[Guest]

Ok just to bore you further. I have found up the variety of my yakon - fiorella. (It is currently under plant breeders rights and can not be sold until 3rd June 2038, but as previously mentioned the website/ possibly company has gone www.yakon.co.uk) However, having gurgled I found this site which has lots of pics so will hopefully make sense of things.

Growing Oca: Yacon 'Fiorella' Goes to Market

VC whilst gurgling someone else mentioned their white yacon was only 2ft tall however when they dug it up it had 8inch tubers (so fingers crossed if you decide to lift it )