Yacon harvest

We had a hard frost last night, so I found myself harvesting yacon this afternoon. The pic below shows the harvest from three plants (3-4' tall this year!) on the seat of a 20" chair. I estimate between 15 and 20 lbs of edible tubers from these 3 plants. There is a crown (propagation part) in lower left corner just prior to bagging up for comparison.

Yacon is one of my favorite crops. Harvesting is so easy for a root crop. I just put a shovel straight down about 10" from the plant, then pull back on the shovel while gently pulling the plant up. Usually the crown and nearly all of the tubers will pop out of the ground with little effort. You can usually see any extra tubers and just pull them out of the ground by hand. Occasionally I cut a tuber or tow, but that is not a big problem as the cuts cure up OK.

I then just break the eating tubers from the crown and then trim the crown with pruning shears. I lay the eating tubers out in cardboard boxes and put in the house for curing. Curing of the tubers takes place at room temperature (and can also be done in the sun as long as they don't freeze). During curing and storage, the tubers become sweeter and the mild flavor intensifies. The crowns are stored to produce next year's plants.

Yacon is not Jerusulem Artichoke even though they are distant relatives. Yacon stores at room temps or slightly cooler in open air. JA stores under refrigeration and needs high humidity (plastic bags). JA will come back year after year in zone 5 (and can be invasive). Yacon will not survive a hard freeze, so does not overwinter in zone 5.
Yacon taste is far superior to JA as well.

I typically grow 1-3 plants each year, but we have been finding that we want more yacon because we use it up quickly, so this year I divided up the two crowns I had from last year and was able to plant out 9 plants. So our yacon crop is much larger this year. I plan to expand a bit more next year as well.

I got my initial plants from Nichols (Seeds of change offered it in the past - I've heard they had the same source), who have been offering it regularly for the past few years. Reading on the Internet has produced hints that there are a number of varieties of yacon available in South America. If anybody knows of any other yacon varieties available anywhere other than Nichols, I'd like to hear. I think yacon is worthy of growing in most gardens and would like a chance to check out other kinds, if they can be had. If this one sounds interesting to you, please check it out. (also posted in Fruits and Nuts)

Interesting. I'd be interested in giving them a try - an article I read said that the plant requires 6 to 7 months to mature, so I'm thinking maybe plant mid-May, harvest in December.

What do you think, krowten?

Frank

Mine were planted in late May/early June and harvested this week. Note that we had a long warm spell before frost this year. In other years I have harvested in early September. Yacon will not tolerate freezing. After a hard frost the plants dies quickly and the tubers/crown are relatively close to the surface, so are sensitive to freezing as well. You want to plant after danger of frost and harvest immediately after the first couple of frosts. This plant is so productive, you will get results even with a shorter growing season. It does need full sun and regular moisture. One of my plants got crowded by asparagus and was largely shaded out. It only got to be a foot or so tall. Yet it still produced a couple of eating tubers.

Loose soil really helps keep the harvest easy. Also, I've had plants get to almost 6' in good years.

Hope this helps answer your questions, Tar.

OK. Full sun and loose soil we've got. Any idea how the plants would be affected by intense heat while they're growing and forming the tubers? Maintaining consistent moisture isn't a problem - we've worked out how to do that despite high temps and low humidity.

Thanks,

Frank

One person I know that tried it in Mexico said she had a crop failure, but that was her first effort. Other than that, I do not know how to answer that question as I do not grow in your climate. Have you googled 'yacon' for more information?

Thank you for this thread, I had never heard of yacon. Those look really interesting. How do you use them? There is a new EB forum and it sounds like they would do well in them. Might have to get some of those for next year.

EB forum - couldn't find it - assuming this is Earth Box

I grow in EB's and I dont think they would work. You cant grow potatoes in them, they just are not deep enough, in my opinion. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them they for other veggies.

I cant find the earthbox forum. Any help???

Here is a link to the EB forum. It could not be called that because of copyright issues. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/boxgardens/all/

Can I grow these in trash cans? The soil here is old strip mine ground and is horrible blue clay. Most of what I grow goes in raised beds or containers.

I bet you could. I just dont know how spread out the plant gets. I even think those keg containers with holes drilled would work and you wouldnt have to dig so far for the tubers. They are just big plastic tubs, thats what I mean to say.

Tuna, I think a trash can would not work, but you could probably use a storage bin about the size of a laundry basket one per plant. My 3 best plants this year were in a raised bed. On a side note, clay typically makes good soil if mixed "copiously" with mulch (lots of mulch!). We have the same problem here, but the clay is red/orange (like bricks). I manage a 20' sq. garden plot that started out clay, but now grows good veggies. It does take some time and persistence and can revert over time if you don't stay with it.

I could just get some of those plastic laundry basket then. If I line them with weed barrier fabric it would hold the soil but allow for drainage. Do you bake them like potatoes or do you use them raw for salads and stuff?

Those plastic tubs are a little cheaper than a laundry basket...well most of the time. They are about the same size but dont have holes in the side. I bet either would work. I just was about to trow away aan old laundry basket but Im putting daylily seedlings in it instead. I did have some weed cloth to line the sides. If I was to buy something, it would be the tub.

Thanks GG. Anything I do will have to wait until next year anyway. But this gives me something to plan for in the spring.

I prefer my yacon raw - can't remember ever trying to cook it.

Regarding tubs and weed barrier cloth, keep in mind that neither of these is formulated to resist UV. Don't expect them to last long. As an alternative to weed barrier, you may want to consider fiberglass screen, which is designed to resist UV and weather.

I planted my yacon in February and am harvesting it now...my first. Please tell me how best to 'cure(?)' them for best flavor....do you peel them when you eat them? Can they store in warmth but dry conditions?

TIA,
Carol

Carol,

I just dig them, then brush off most of the dirt. I air dry them at room temp for a few days before we start to eat them. My harvest is nearly gone at this point, so we don't have to worry about long term storage here, but if I were going to try to store long term, then I would put in plastic bags, sealed, in the fridge after about 10 days air drying/curing. I really don't have a good answer to your question - that is just what we do here. It takes a week or two after they have been dug before they develop the full sweetness/flavor. However, if the tuber is too small or dries out too much, it will become soft which is not as desirable as maintaining the crispness.

You may need to experiment a bit, as I imagine Hawaii is a lot warmer than here. Can you post some pics of your harvest? Did they do well for you? I'll bet you have a lot better harvest than I did per plant, as your growing season was a lot longer.

Might you offer recipes on how to cook them. I've heard of them. If you haven't cooked them, then how are they served? Lee

Ok, sorry. I sure don't want anyone to get sick.

This message was edited Nov 23, 2008 6:33 AM

In response to an inquiry, jicama is not the same plant as yacon. Yacon leaves can be used to make tea and is said to be helpful in lowering blood sugar. The jicama plant is poisonous (contains rotenone which is used to poison fish and insects - only tubers are edible). Jicama tubers are round/spherical, yacon tubers looks like a sweet potato. They are not related.

This message was edited Nov 23, 2008 1:06 PM

There's lots and lots on the internet that's erroneous, perhaps ignorance combined with enthusiasm. Google anything, and sift through the info.

Wikkipedia is usually reliable, as there are so mant folks constantly 'watch dogging' there.Is Yakon a tall plant, or a vine?

:) Melissa

Yacon is a tall, upright plant, related (distantly) to sunflower and dahlia.

knowten, Is it also called sunchoke? You serve it raw? salad, snack or ?? What kind of dressing? Does it have alot of flavor?

Will try to harves them all tomorrow and take piccies.....

Sunchoke, also called Jerusalem Artichoke is not the same plant as yacon either. Sunchoke is a relative of yacon, just like dahlia and sunflower.

Yacon has large smooth tubers and is a tender plant that does not survive frost or freezing. Sunchoke has smaller, more irregular tubers and is hardy in zone 5 or better. In fact, flavor of sunchoke is improved if harvested after frost or freeze. You can successfully harvest sunchoke through the winter into early spring, as long as you dig the tubers before significant growth in the spring. Yacon must be harvested before the ground freezes.

I prefer yacon's flavor over that of the Jerusalem artichoke. JA has knobby tubers for most of its varieties and is not as productive as yacon. JA tubers have a thin skin and are easily stored through the winter. Yacon tubers have a thicker skin and may not store as long as JA. I grow several types of JA as well. Note that sunchoke/Jerusalem artichoke is considered invasive. I agree with that consideration. It is hard to remove from the garden as every small piece of root will start a new plant. If you grow this one, you need to situate so that it is easily contained (such as between a wall and a lawn that is regularly cut)

I eat my yacon raw - it is good enough that way that I have no temptation to try to dress it up or cook it. Call me boring if you like. (lol) Would you insist on cooking strawberries, for example? If you read about yacon on the internet, you will find that mostly it is treated like a fruit. That is, you can cook fruits is you like, but most of the consumption is raw. However, there are lots of recipes out here if you care to look for them. Try googling "yacon recipes".

Hope this helps.

What does the plant look like? Does it have nice flowers? How about spacing? Does it have one stem or many? Do you get a harvest the first year from seed?

(Umm, 15 more question, I'll be back!)

Mola, I thought the DG Admin imposed a max of 8 questions per person per thread, so you are now down to 3 remaining. :>)

While I do not mind answering questions about yacon, I am not an expert. I just grow the stuff mostly because I like it and cannot buy it at the grocery store. There is a lot of information on the Internet about yacon that can be found by just googling "yacon".

To answer your current questions:

1) Appearance: Unusual
2) Flowers: Does not flower
3) Spacing: About 3 ft in full sun
4) Number of Stems: Typically 1 main stem, but multiple stems from the base stalk do occur with some frequency
5) Harvest from seed: Seed for yacon is not available. Propagation is from sprouts on propagation tubers and the plant crown which are divided to increase numbers.


3 more?

Appearance, unusual. Pffft. Unusual. Unusual?? unusual.

Rereading the thread, someone asked about growing potatoes. My sister in Washington State grew them in a stack of old tires. She would plant the first one (inside the tire hole) and when the sprouts started coming up, she would plant one on top of it and then one on top of that. To harvest, she just pulled the top tire off and the potatoes stayed in the others until she wanted them. They got good protection from the cold, too.

I got a huge giggle out of Appearance: Unusual. :-)

Yacon is supposed to do well here in Houston. I know the Path To Freedom.com folks serve it in small cubes on their salad. I imagine, though not related to jicama, that it is used similarly and easier to grow. Another one to add to my wish list!!

OK, I finally searched DavesGarden and found this photo, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/60655/

Yes, odd looking.

Hmmmm My yacon flowers... will try to take photo if there are any left. The flowers are small, about the size of a silver dollar and look like a daisy.

Plant just looks like a big ... like a large ... unusal plant...rather pretty.

Hah!! Vindicated at last!

Nice pics, clearly showing the difference between the eating and propagation tubers.

Aloha, would love to see a pic of a yacon flower. They are not supposed to bloom. Can you post some pics with leaves showing as well, for ID purposes? What is your source?

OK...just took this, last flower left, but there are more buds on this node. My source for the yacon is a friend in SLO, California who is a nurseryman...and they grow about an acre of vegies every year.... a few leaves attached. It is starting to sprout again...guess I should dig up the edible tubers!!!!

"Unusual" heehee.

It's rather like a weed-looking thing that's gotten way too big. Sure hope I can grow some, sometime.

MM - want me to send you some tubers to grow?

I'd love that! Maybe for shipping late spring would be better. Some cccold air between you and me! But then the agriculture people here are real watchdogs about plant material coming onto the island.

Hmm, I'm haven't googled yet, to find seed. Where there are flowers, there follow seeds, hey?

Thank you!

Let me look around the plant and see if I can see any seed pods. Might not have the pollinators...lots of flowers here that don't set seed!

carol