oca foul tasting in weird warm winter

[earlypea]

Just thought I'd mention in case anyone else is growing oca for the first time.

Luckily I pulled some early when they were very small, while we had a very brief cold spell in November and they tasted as advertised; sweet with a hint of lemon.  They proved popular.

However, I thought as the weather was warm and the plants still aren't dead I should let them grow on to a better size.  From blogs etc. you would think December is optimal for harvesting.

The ones from December are large and abundant - but they are totally inedible.  Tough, fibrous and ALL acid.

UK oca blogs suggest that the cold actually triggers tuber development and coming from a high altitude they would develop in the cold.  Best crop on one blog was when we had the big freeze, all winter, a few years ago. 

So, this new kind of mild, wet winter seems not to do it.

Curious whether anyone else has had same experience?

[earlypea]

[lottie lou]

I've never lifted mine till week before Xmas.  Leave them in "sun" th sweeten up.  However will try lifting early next year.

[earlypea]

Hi Lottie Lou

You say you always lift them in December - wondering whether you've tried this year's yet?  Did they taste OK?

Maybe you're in a cooler place, but we've been in the teens through most of November and December - I believe it's this unusual situation which has made them strange.  They may believe it's spring already, a lot of other plants seem to.

I did try to sweeten them up - left some dug up early December in the conservatory for 2 weeks - still completely inedible.  Hard centres and ACID!!

[Vinlander]

It's certainly counter-intuitive - normally roots are foul-tasting because they are actually dead but haven't yet rotted away - frost will do it to oca and waterlogging will do it to scorzonera - either can cause it in carrots, turnips, potatoes, yacon etc.

NB. I've never had either effect with salsify, parsnip or any other root that's traditionally left to overwinter in the UK.

Cheers.

[ed dibbles]

The oca are fine here, harvested December 10th. Yet even after an ideal frostless autumn then one at the end of November followed by mid December harvest they are a mixed bag. Plenty of tiddlers and medium tubers with a smattering of large ones.

Three observations when lifting - the plants with the largest root system produced the biggest tubers. (no surprise there ) - they also produced small tubers on the above ground stems - the ones bought on early in pots were not as good as direct planted ones, In fact some small left over tubers roughly planted led to the biggest tubers of all.  That's sods law.

I'm now thinking next season whether mycorrhizal fungi may encourage a better root system or if earthling up more may help and direct planting in mid april (in west dorset) allowing them to break the surface when they are ready after the frosts.

Perhaps three rows with each method applied.

The varieties I have are an orange one, a red with white tip and just ordered a cream coloured one.

We go to such great lengths to grow new potatoes for December yet to my mind oca are just as good as new potatoes and their harvest is at just the right time.

[pumkinlover]

This is the first year i have a decent sized crop, having tried in large pots. Usually they get eaten by slugs? when in the ground so I tried another approach. I don't find the taste anything to write home about though and would like to know what other people do with theirs. Up to now I've included in casseroles or mixed root veg mash.
Apologies to early pea I've gone off topic a bit here, mine a definitely edible but I've yet to find that they taste like something I'd eat as a stand alone vegetable.

[earlypea]

Interesting comments all round - thanks.

It's got me wondering whether this might just be a problem with the one variety.

I planted two types in the same bed both from real seeds. 

One side is cream with red stripes (Realseeds Dylan Keating Oca) and this was the one that was edible, however, the slugs thought so too.  I've given up on it because almost 90% of tubers have holes or black slugs in them.

It's the red variety (Realseeds Scarlet With White Eyes Oca), which is such a stunning harvest, with barely a slug-hole that tastes absolutely foul.  No wonder the slugs didn't touch it!

OK, I think I'll go back and try some more of the slug-damaged one and see if that's still palatable.

...and Pumpkin lover I'm with you.  I certainly don't feel it's to die for.  Curiously my parents really like it (normally it takes a while for them to warm to my more unusual crops) and were clamouring for more after sampling the pale sluggy one.  I delivered the red and they too were gagging.

I felt it was pleasant boiled.  Roasted not quite so nice as the texture collapsed - maybe I overcooked it.

Anyway, yep, like Pumpkin lover if anyone adores it - tell us why and how you cook it.

Cheers
earlypea

[galina]

Anyway, yep, like Pumpkin lover if anyone adores it - tell us why and how you cook it.

Cheers
earlypea

Two suggestions: sliced (small ones whole) and stirfried when you make a big wok-ful:  for example finely sliced beef, peppers, oca, peas, finely shredded kale, possibly with small chunks of winter squash.  Finish with soy sauce etc - there are a huge number of variations on that theme.  We just had something similar with turkey.

Rice with oca.    We use a standard mug as measure for two greedy portions, twice that for a family meal.  For two:  one mug packed with prepared oca (sliced), one mug of long grain or basmati rice, two mugs of water a dash of salt.  All goes into a saucepan with a tight fitting lid.  Let it come to the boil, simmer for 8 minutes, then switch off and let it sit for another ten minutes.  All the water should have absorbed and the oca and rice are beautifully  cooked and fluffy.  Important not to open the lid during cooking or standing time.

[ed dibbles]

Small ones go in stews, casseroles, or stir-fries but they have to be one of the last ingredients in because they don't take long to cook.   

The larger ones are cooked the same as we do parsnip chips, no oil just par cooked, coated in cornmeal with added chilli, stock cube, salt and pepper and browned in the halogen. Parsnip, Oca, and JA's all done the same way jerusalem artichoke needs no pre cooking). Think vegetable goujon. They are really rated here.

So far almost no slug damage. Long may that continue. I'm also thinking if the specialist potato fertilizer Spuds Galore may be beneficial, perhaps applied after the autumnal equinox when the tubers begin forming.

[Vinlander]

Good tasting oca taste just as good raw and worth trying with mayo. They would be an excellent addition to coleslaw and (just thought of this) would go really well (seasonally) with my other favourite slaw ingredient which is grated raw pumpkin.

Maybe the horrible ones will taste better raw? - I doubt it - slugs have good taste - one of my pet peeves is that without slug pellets the only clean strawberries I'd get would be the tasteless ones.

Conversely if you want to find a really good strawberry plant to propagate then forget the pellets for a day and just taste the fruits that have holes in them (if you can face sharing) - you'll have to be vigilant or all you'll get will be a hollow "paper lantern" that looks like a strawberry!

Anyway, my oca get hit very hard by something that makes 1mm holes all over the surface, and something else that leaves brown wedge-shaped open wounds on every eye/dimple. Anyone know what either is? wireworm? 

It's worse than slugs - it's almost impossible to cut out the damage. Whats more you can find some clean tubers if you dig early but the crop will be so small if you do.

Whatever it is it hits oca harder than any other root and so I may try to grow oca in builders bags of well-rotted woodchip next year (this works wonders for the tuberous pea - makes them well worth growing for the excellent sweet chestnut taste).

Cheers.