The harvest celebrations in the wheel of the year may have come and gone but we still have plenty to harvest!
Here we introduce you to the root and tuber crops we are harvesting now. Scroll to the bottom of this post for links to buy them, including a discount code.
Yields aplenty
In permaculture, we think holistically so as well as harvesting salads, greens, medicines, seeds and tubers from the garden we also still have reflections from the year to harvest. One thing that stands out is how well most of our tuber crops have grown, largely untroubled by the slug abundance of Spring.
We have a diversity of crops, such is our approach. Mashua, Oca, Chinese artichokes, Sunchokes, and Skirret. The skirret was simply decimated by snails, 3 times. We will continue to persevere and bulk stocks back up, including from seed in the Spring but won’t have any crowns to sell this winter. It’s such a delicious root, we won’t give up on it!
What we do have is Andean tubers: Mashua and Oca; Sunchokes native to central North America; Chinese artichokes from…China. These resilient plants diversify our palette in the garden and on our plates. I think the wet did them good this year because what we’ve harvested so far is a good size.
All tubers that are harvested now can be stored for weeks, perhaps through the winter, dry in a paper bag in the fridge. Or, in dry compost or sawdust in the cool. Keep them away from where rodents will find and devour them. Check on them every few weeks for signs of rot or roots.
We grow peat free without harmful chemicals. Some tubers are started in organic peat free compost, then they all grow on in healthy soil, when harvested they are cleaned. We package with reused materials.
Mashua – Tropaeolum tuberosum
GROW
A perennial climbing cousin of the nasturtium. It comes from the cool, tropical highlands of the Andes, where it is grown as a food crop. Appreciates a sunny spot and with a favourable summer with no early frosts, it gives small orange trumpet flowers.
It overwinters in the ground for us in Derbyshire most winters, though rodents and wet may mean they don’t survive outside. We suggest storing tubers in dry compost or sawdust over winter before growing on in Spring, then plant out.
EAT
You can boil, mash, roast or fry this Andean tuber. Or have it raw for a bit of crunch. It has a mild fresh taste. Fancy a new ferment or pickle ingredient? Thinly slice and add it to the mix. Even the leaves taste good through the summer.
BUY from our online shop £8 for 2 tubers
Oca – Oxalis tuberosa
GROW
Oca is a lovely small plant that gives insignificant yellow flowers late in summer some years. The delicious small tubers are harvested after the first frosts. Save some of your own for planting in late spring. A mix of colours, mainly yellow and red tinges.
EAT
A lemony, earthy taste, delicious! Roast for just 15-20 minutes with a little salt.
BUY from our online shop £8 for 3 tubers
Chinese artichokes – Stachys affinis
GROW
Perennial plant for the small, crunchy edible tubers harvested autumn through to spring. Looks like a mint, is related to mint, doesn’t smell. Grow in sun or part shade.
EAT
Use like water chestnut in stir fries where it absorbs the flavour of the sauce, or raw in salads, or just snack on it.
BUY from our online shop £6 for 6 tubers
Sunchokes – Helianthus tuberosus
GROW
Perennial plant for edible tubers harvested in autumn, also a good seasonal windbreak. Grow in sun. In the sunflower family, so in some summers will produce small sunflowers at the top of tall stalks (up to 12ft). Very little care needed, good famine plant. Contains inulin, which some may find a little hard to digest so sample in small quantities first.
This variety is fairly smooth skinned so is easy to wash, it produces good crops of fairly large tubers.
EAT
Roast like potatoes but not for as long, or can be pickled!
BUY from our online shop £5 for 3 tubers
Grow your own
You can order from us online now and we will post as soon as all parts of your order are ready. We have tubers, seeds, bareroot and dormant potted offerings.
If you are ordering just 1 or 2 kinds of tubers, you can use the discount code TUBER5 for a discounted packing fee.
All are available to collect from our nursery at Belper Lane End or from us at Belper market 14 December 2024.
Earthed Up! 