Oca

Ever heard of it? Me neither...until I read the "The 0 mile diet" a book about growing veggies year round. The reason I really like this book is because it's specific to my growing region. Of course bits and pieces of information can be taken from it and other books for any growing region but I really like that I can open this book and take the information on any given page and apply it to my backyard.

Anyway oca (Oxalis Tuberosa), aka New Zealand Yam, can be grown in my back yard.

The following information is taken directly from the book " Oca has ornamental oxalis-like leaves that make an attractive ground cover. During summer, the swollen stems (stolons) grow above ground and spread; when the days shorten, they go underground and swell into plump little tubers. There are many different species of oca around the world. prepared in different ways. In North America they are enjoyed as potatoes, as the fleshy tubers a good source of carbohydrate. They can be drizzled with olive oil and roasted for 25 minutes, or tossed into winter soups and baked in veggie casseroles. These tubers can multiply like mad. Oca tolerates cool weather; the tubers can stay in the ground without freezing over mild winters, but the foliage dies down as soon as hard frosts appear. The tubers don't shrivel in storage, but actually stay firm and can be eaten as needed through winter."

Sounds good to me!