Oca and Jerusalem artichokes????

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tortzblue
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Oca and Jerusalem artichokes????

Post by tortzblue »

Does anyone grow either of these? I think I read somewhere that they are both very easy to grow in the UK and can be used as a low carb substitute for potatoes. I've never tasted them and I can't find any in the supermarkets. I'm wondering when and where they can be found. I did find a website for oca but they were over £8 for 5 tubers plus p&p yike*
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jackian
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Re: Oca and Jerusalem artichokes????

Post by jackian »

Hi tortzblue ,

I don't know about Oca but I have a bit of knowledge of artichokes if you mean the Jerusalem ones.
They are a member of the sunflower family and the plants grow very tall and have yellow flowers on . We had them on our allotment and once you have them they are difficult to get rid of as the tubers which look like fresh ginger roots spread quickly . They grow in clumps .
Having said that they are really nice and are like potato but with a stronger taste . You don't peel them you just scrub them and need to cook them quickly as they go discoloured quickly.
If you know some one who has them at an allotment they will gladly give you a clump but you need to keep them contained .
The only other thing is they are very windy ..in other words don't be in an enclosed space like a lift after you have eaten them . {rofwl}
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lancashire lass
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Re: Oca and Jerusalem artichokes????

Post by lancashire lass »

I grew oca in 2012, see this TOPIC - they are very easy to grow (no diseases, maybe a little slug damage on tubers but not extensive) and very productive as a photo of the harvest from one tuber will show )t' Treat them much like potatoes - "chit" them, plant and protect from frosts and if necessary, earth up. The only difference is you leave them in the ground until the autumn frosts kill the top growth off, then leave them until the top growth has completely died off (scroll down this post in my diary for the photo of the sleeper bed which shows the dead foliage) This is an important stage - the tubers only start to bulk up when the top growth dies and if you lift up too early, you'll be very disappointed.

When my tubers arrived in 2012, I didn't realise that you had to chit them (on a sunny windowsill) and unfortunately left them in their paper envelope and the silly things started to sprout (just like potatoes) I cut off the sprouts and put them in a jar of water and they grew roots which I then planted in pots to grow on in the greenhouse before transferring them to the plot, and they were as productive as the tubers so one way to increase your first year's plants.

I planted mine in a raised bed filled with compost - the soil on my plot is very heavy clay and digging up potatoes when the soil is cold and wet is bad enough, and as these are not very big tubers (biggest about the size of your thumb), I could imagine some tubers getting left behind and regrowing the following spring - something I found happened even in the compost bed but was more easily dealt with.

One thing to watch out for - the plants grow about 18 inch high and are bushy with fleshy stems. At some point, the stems fall down and the plants look like someone has sat on them .... this is perfectly normal. So be aware of any other plants in the vicinity otherwise the foliage that falls over could smother them. Rather than try and tie the stems up, I just left them.

Oca do contain high levels of oxalates (oxalic acid) and although the occasional meal are not a problem, I don't think I'd like to eat them instead of potatoes. I don't bother peeling - give a good scrub and pop them round a roast, and they are very similar in texture to potatoes, with a similar taste with a bit of zest like lemon.

tortzblue wrote:I did find a website for oca but they were over £8 for 5 tubers plus p&p yike*


Pennard Plants* sell 5 tubers for £5 + £3.95p p&p - yes, still an expensive purchase but look on it as an investment and thereafter you'll never need to purchase any more. Why not order other bulky stuff at the same time (such as other tubers, JAs, potatoes - Vivaldi have fewer calories than other potatoes ("known as ‘weight watcher’s potato’ - has up to a third fewer calories & a third less carbohydrate than most other varieties"), and they taste wonderful) and that way you feel like you are getting your money's worth? Or maybe try e-bay? There seemed to be loads for sale.

* I got a newsletter from Pennard Plants over Christmas which you might want to take advantage of (see the quote below) if interested:

For 15 days only we offer 25% discount off our entire seed range!! Postage and packing is still FREE for seed orders and thus this represents the ideal opportunity to purchase your vegetable (and flower seeds) for the season at a great saving.

In order to take advantage of this offer use the code EARLYBIRDSEEDS in the coupon/discount box at the end of the shopping cart.

In addition all our seed potatoes are now available for ordering (despatch late Jan/early Feb) and if you wish to order these or other items which carry a delivery charge then we have reduced that charge to just £3.95. This special delivery charge applies to all items other than seeds ordered before 12th January 2014.


As for JAs - as Jackian pointed out, they too are also very easy to grow but do watch out, they can get about 8-10 feet tall (start at the bottom of this PAGE and scroll up to see photo of the ones at the back of my plot), and they too can get a little slug damaged. They are known as "Fartichokes" because they contain carbohydrates that our body cannot digest called inulin - usually nothing more than a bit of wind, but may be uncomfortable for some people. I have to admit I prefer my JA peeled and sliced and deep fat fried, and they are a lot like potato chips golden brown with a soft squidgy centre - I find they taste a little bitter when boiled.

Why not also try Chinese Artichokes - they are strange little tubers (about the length of a matchstick and look like grubs) which you can add to salads and eat raw. These would probably be better planted in a raised bed like the oca as it would be too easy to miss the tubers when digging up.
tortzblue
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Re: Oca and Jerusalem artichokes????

Post by tortzblue »

Thank you both for your replies. I will certainly give them a go this year. Thanks for the web links too. I can't understand why they are not more popular as they seem to be so easy to grow. Maybe because they tend to take over I suppose. Can't wait to try them but I don't know anyone who grows them though. That web site is a bit cheaper so thanks L.L. ( I'm very jealous of your green thumbs) )b(
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sazchops
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Re: Oca and Jerusalem artichokes????

Post by sazchops »

I saw Jerusalem Artichokes in sasda yesterday if you want to try them first. I'm not a fan but it could be I didn't cook them properly.
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tortzblue
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Re: Oca and Jerusalem artichokes????

Post by tortzblue »

I went down to sadsa today but our one didn't have any - must be a local thing perhaps but thanks saz anyway. I'll keep a look out for them if they are around.
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