Rob Smith is nearly ready to harvest juicy yacon
I’m just waiting for the first kiss of frost before harvesting them
It seems to have been a rather mild autumn so far this year. We haven’t even had a good, hard frost here in Sheffield yet – just perfect for my yacon! I start the small tubers off in pots on the windowsill or greenhouse. They’re not the fastest plant to grow, but when they get going, they form lush, velvety-leaved ‘bushes’.
Yacon like the sunniest spot you can give them, plus plenty of manure or leaf mould mixed in when planting out in late May. They’re probably the largest tuber you can grow in the UK and originate from the northern and central Andes region of South America.
Related to sunflowers and a perennial in its home country, yacon are grown as annuals here, providing largeframed plants with tiny flowers above ground, and large, edible tubers, along with growth tubers, below ground. The edible tubers are the large, sweet, potato-type tubers, while the growth tubers are the smaller, shinier ones. They look a bit like a Jerusalem artichoke and they can be saved like dahlias, for planting next year.
In my experience, the white yacon provide fewer, larger tubers and the purple ones provide numerous smaller ones. Wait for the frosts to ‘kiss’ the plants, turning the leaves black on the edge, before harvesting. Be careful when unearthing your tubers because they’re very fragile and can easily snap if you pull them too hard. Both varieties taste the same. They have a water chestnut texture with a juicy, sweet flavour that, to me, has a hint of pear and violet.
The word yacon actually means water root in the Incan language. They were prized for their thirst-giving qualities. It’s perfect grated in a winter salad with spicy mooli radish and land cress, or served with dips when friends come round. Alternatively, you can treat the tubers like a fruit and eat them for breakfast or add them to fruit salads. Just make sure you put cut tubers in lemon water to stop them turning brown.