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  • From: "L.SantoyoDesigns" <santoyo@earthflow.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Re: Looking for arracacha & melloco
  • Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 10:54:26 -0800

Kieth, Sharon, Steve & All, thanks for the info...

I'm especially looking for Arracacha and Melloco to add to my collection... I first wanted to check to see if someone on this list could supply me...

I too got Oca and Mashua from Alan Kapular. As you would expect, they did very well in California's cold central coast foggy summers. (all our Andean Crops are doing well here)

The Oca yielded at least 10X what we planted... don't mound them up too early or too much, some of ours rotted before tubers set. They set the tubers late fall and we harvested colorful tubers in early winter... The ones we didn't save for planting we ate in one Celebratory Meal... Delicious! I start some early in the ground and some in pots in the greenhouse and will plant those mid summer, in the ground, as big plants for larger tubers... we'll see.

Next year, if you can wait, we will have enough Oca and Mashua, as well as, Yacon and Achira for sale...


Larry Santoyo
the Learning Center of Natural Design
San Luis Obispo County, Calif.


> Any nursery sources for Oca, Oxalis tuberosa, for U.S.gardeners?

Regards,
Steve Diver


The plant breeder Alan Kapuler has been growing oca in Corvallis, OR, for
the past couple of years, I believe. Selection still at earlyish days
(smallness the main issue, I believe), but he may well have some tubers to
part with. Either way, I suspect he has some valuable insights into
propagation and breeding strategies. He ain't a web wonk, but his phone
numbah is 541-752-0421

Alan was largely responsible for handholding mashua into the extended care
of our local alternative ag tribe just a couple of years back. Mashua is
emerging as quite the power plant. Exceedingly fat, happy and prolific
hereabouts. So much so that almost immediately, mashua found its way into
our localized health food stores where it flies orff the shelves. Produce
managers can't get enough of it. Very much the exotic food plant that has
created a big stir hereabouts. It has been interesting to witness such
explosive Cultural adaptation.

n.




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