Yacon (Coming Soon)

Yacon is an unusual perennial vegetable native to the Andes Mountains of South America, where it has been cultivated for centuries. Related to sunflowers and Jerusalem artichokes, it produces tall, lush foliage and an impressive underground harvest of large, fleshy storage tubers. Unlike potatoes, yacon tubers are exceptionally crisp, juicy and refreshing, with a mildly sweet flavour reminiscent of apple, pear and watermelon. They can be eaten raw, sliced into salads, added to stir-fries or used in a variety of other dishes. The tubers contain prebiotic carbohydrates and become noticeably sweeter after harvest. Easy to grow in fertile soil with consistent moisture, yacon produces its crop in fall. The edible storage tubers are harvested for eating, while the smaller, bud-bearing crowns can be divided and replanted to produce next year's crop. Yacon plants are frost tender and their tubers can be damaged by freezing, so in colder or wetter climates, the crowns can be lifted and stored in a cool, frost-free location over winter. Crowns are then replanted after risk of frost has passed in the spring. Common names: Yacon, Peruvian Ground Apple, Bolivian Sunroot, Ground Pear Edible: Tubers Harvest timing: Fall (after first frost but before ground freezes) Scientific name: Smallanthus sonchifolius (previously Polymnia sonchifolia and P. edulis) Light requirements: Full sun Full-grown size: 5-8' tall x 3-5' wide Hardiness: Zone 8 Pollination: Pollination not required for tuber production. Propagated by crown divisions containing viable growing buds. Wildlife: Flowers attract pollinators and tubers may attract rodents during the cold season. Origin: Andes Mountains of South America, particularly Peru and Bolivia Noteworthy: Crisp, juicy, edible tubers that can be eaten raw or cooked.