It's Potato Day time again, this weekend in London then 2nd and 3rd of February at Ryton. Plus, of course, there are other events all over the country this weekend and next. Sarah and I went to the Dulwich one last year and came back with bundles of string, catalogues, and assorted seed packets. Missed out on the pink fir, so plumped instead for some ruby-red roseval.
Our Andean Oca (oxalis tuberosa), courtesy of the lovely Sean from Scotland
Still not sure whether we will grow spuds this year (the site is prone to both tomato and potato blight), particularly as our friend Sean from Scotland has given us some oca for my birthday. For those who like us don't know much about this knobbly, wrinkly Andes alternative, Wikipedia says: ' Its leaves and young shoots can be eaten as a green vegetable as well. Introduced to Europe in 1830 as a competitor to the potato and to New Zealand as early as 1860, it has become popular in that country under the name New Zealand yam and is now a common table vegetable...
Seems Oca is also becoming more popular here, though as yet know no one apart from Sean who has grown or eaten them. Have you? Do you? One of our favourite growers, Real Seeds stocks them and many sites carry more information. The following are just a few I easily found:
http://www.uga.edu/rootandtubercrops/English/photographs/oca.htm
a href="http://www.ocatuber.co.uk/">http://www.ocatuber.co.uk/
http://www.arthurleej.com/p-o-m-Dec02.html
http://www.lamolina.edu.pe/Investigacion/programa/papa/ev_tuberosa.htm
We would love to hear from anyone who has experience of growing oca, or any other exotic crops....
