Yandina Community Gardens

41 Farrell street, Yandina

You are here: Home / Archives for edible tubers

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)

By

Hardy, herbaceous perennial vine.

Other Names: Kumara

Origin: wet, cool highlands of South America

Size: 0.3m high, 2-3m spread

Growing conditions: full sun to partial shade

Harvest: Approximately 5 months after planting or longer until needed. Use a digging stick for harvesting as the wood won’t damage the tubers. Leave tubers to sweeten up in the sun for a week. Store in a well-ventilated cool, dry, dark area for up to 6 months.

Propagation: from soft cuttings (slips) or tubers

Growing tips: Will not set good tubers in sandy or clay soil.

Use: Tubers are best eaten cooked or baked, while new leaves are best cooked like spinach to remove slightly bitter flavour.

Availability in shop: spring to summer

Yacon (Polymnia sonchifolia)

By

Vigorous perennial daisy grown for its edible tubers. Dies back in winter. 

Other Names: Sweet Root, Peruvian Ground Apple

Origin: South American highlands

Size: 2m high, 1m spread

Growing conditions: full sun

Propagation: Replant corms after harvest

Growing tips: Harvest tubers when all the tops have died down but leave in the ground until at least mid to late winter as the flavour really does improve. Remove tubers carefully as they are brittle.

Use: Tubers are crip and sweet like apple and can be eaten raw. Even with prolonged cooking, yacon stays crisp and it can be used as a substitute for water chestnuts in Asian stir-fries. The main components are fructose and inulin, making it a suitable food for diabetics. It is a good livestock forage crop.

Availability in shop: Late spring to summer

Cocoyam (Xanthosoma saggitifolium)

By

Clumping perennial with large leaves. Note the cut in the leaf goes all the way to the stem.

Other Names: Blue taro, Malanga, Tayer

Origin: Hot, humid tropics

Size: 1.2m high, 1.2m spread

Growing conditions: partial shade to full shade

Propagation: Separate pups from main plant during warm months.

Growing tips: Grows well in boggy or partially submerged conditions.

Use: After 18 months to 2 years of growing, harvest when the young plants (pups) have no more than 3 leaves – they should still be opaque, not starchy. Boil first, then slice and shallow fry in hot oil.

Availability in shop: all year, best in summer

Categories

Tags

biochar chop & drop compost composting Edible Greens edible leaves edible seeds edible tubers Event food waste food waste loop ground cover insect attracting Kids event Kids program know your plants Learning Living sustainably Management Committee medicinal plants medicine member event Morag Gamble native stingless bees Nutrient Dense Food Open garden visit Permaculture Plant plants Recipe Recipes Subtropical Greens Support plants Sustainable Building sustainable living Tropical greens volunteer water plant Wax-wrap making wax-wraps Workshop workshops Worm Farming Yandina Community Garden Yandina community Gardens

Permaculture People

Elizabeth Fekonia - Permaculture Real Food
Anne Gibson - The Micro Gardener
Morag Gamble - Our Permaculture Life
Dee Humphreys - Eatin Garden Edible Garden Tours

Acknowledgement of country

Yandina Community Gardens acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners of the land, the Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) people, past and present and emerging. We recognise and wish to learn from their spiritual and cultural connection to the land.