Oca is a very rare and delicious vegetable which originates from the Andes. It is grown a little like potatoes except that the tubers form in early winter.
They can be eaten raw or cooked and the shamrock shaped leaves are also edible (I sell them to a restaurant). The tubers are very pretty and I have orange and red ones available.
It is well suited to the Irish climate as it grows well in damp conditions with moderate sunlight. It does not enjoy hot weather and appreciates regular watering. A humus rich soil is ideal and a couple of applications of fertilizer and/or seaweed extract throughout the growing season will keep it happy. It can tolerate poor soil and light shade and a yield of around 500g per plant is achievable.
It is extremely rare and is particularly valuable as a home grown vegetable as it is not susceptible to blight and is very tasty when cooked with a pleasant lemony flavour. It can be cooked any was a potato can i.e boiled, roasted etc. They are lovely boiled until tender about 8-10 mins and served with a large knob of butter and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. The leaves are also edible (should be consumed in small quantities due to the oxalic acid content), and have a pleasant tangy lemon flavour.
Oca needs a long growing season and is daylength dependent, forming tubers when the days shorten in early winter (Nov/Dec) which is when it is harvested. It is frost sensitive and needs protection if frosts are predicted to ensure the plant is not killed before the tubers bulk up. Ideally you should protect the plants from frost for as long as possible and wait until the foilage has died back a little. There is no need to dig deep as the tubers grow near the surface of the soil and can even grow axially from the stems on occasion. Earthing up the plants as with potatoes, increases the yield.
To save tubers to replant next year, store in a cool frost free place. They may start to sprout in spring like chitted potatoes which is normal.
The photo of 4.8kg on the scales is the yield from a 1.2x0.8m pallet collar which is what I grow my oca in, although I did secure a yield of 5.1kg from 8 plants in one bed in winter 2024.
Grown using only organic fertilizers in Roscommon.
Tubers will be shipped in small cardboard boxes to protect them in transit.
Price is for 5 tubers orange and/or red (sorry I cant accommodate requests for 1 colour only!)
