James Wong Vegetables

jj@8cv

Is anyone going to try any of James Wong's Incredible Edibles. I already grow some of them - Occa, Cape Gooseberries, Saffron and Jerusalem Artichoke to name a few. What I didn't realise until reading his book was that many of the flowers/shrubs that I already have in my own garden are also edible. Lots more experimenting next year!

EpsomOldie

Hello JJ

The Membership Secretary of my allotments association grew some of the electric buttons. This is what she posted on YouTube of her tasting them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js-c7ztF9R0&feature=player_embedded Er....interesting

jj@8cv

I subscribe to Claires blog so I have seen that video. I tried a portion of one a Suttons Trial ground open weekend last August. That is one plant I will not be growing.

Leif

It seems to be a bit of marketing hype. According to many forums, one of the plants, Goji berries, never gives berries. I have Gaultheria procumbens, which is on the list, and it is attractive but apparently the taste of the berries is of American root beer, yuck.

Davesnave

I grew Jerusalem artichokes & Cape gooseberries in the 1980s, though in those days my digestion was better and the 'chokes were a viable crop, not just a way to be extremely anti-social in mixed company!

Most crops suitable for use in this country have been discovered by now, so those which aren't popular tend to have down-sides of some sort. I think there is every reason to try new things, but on a limited basis.

For example, this year I have grown oca (one 'c') but it remains to be seen whether it was worth the investment of about £9 for the tubers. I'll be digging them once we get a reasonable frost, so if this thread is still around, I'll tell you what their cropping/taste was like in a very wet year.

Yes, there's a lot growing in gardens that may be eaten, like fuchsia berries, but they are an extra, not mainstream crops. Frankly I'm not the sort who'd bother to pick them and stick them in a pie, just so that I could say, "Dahling, you must taste my redcurrant and fuchsia crumble!" but I know people who would. :rotfl:

Sambucus_Nigra

Davesnave wrote: »

I grew Jerusalem artichokes & Cape gooseberries in the 1980s, though in those days my digestion was better and the 'chokes were a viable crop, not just a way to be extremely anti-social in mixed company!

Most crops suitable for use in this country have been discovered by now, so those which aren't popular tend to have down-sides of some sort. I think there is every reason to try new things, but on a limited basis.

For example, this year I have grown oca (one 'c') but it remains to be seen whether it was worth the investment of about £9 for the tubers. I'll be digging them once we get a reasonable frost, so if this thread is still around, I'll tell you what their cropping/taste was like in a very wet year.

With oca - you need to leave them in the ground for up to 4 weeks after the frost- they use the starch from the frosted foliage and double in size during those weeks. If you dig them straight after frost they will be tiddly.

https://www.realseeds.co.uk/oca_instructions.html

Davesnave

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

With oca - you need to leave them in the ground for up to 4 weeks after the frost- they use the starch from the frosted foliage and double in size during those weeks. If you dig them straight after frost they will be tiddly.

www.realseeds.co.uk/oca_instructions.html

Yes, I know, which is why I said "once we get a reasonable frost" which, looking at the long range, won't be for a while yet. We've had frost and the foliage is already down.

Sambucus_Nigra

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes, I know, which is why I said "once we get a reasonable frost" which, looking at the long range, won't be for a while yet. We've had frost and the foliage is already down.

Just checking - people usually say 'I waited til the first frost then dug them up' and lose a whole year's growing - esp in the first year.

blossomhill_2

I went to James' talk at Wisley a couple of weeks ago and his enthusiasm is infectious, so yes I will be - the NZ yams (was it?) were the crop he would recommend if he coulld grow only one thing, so I will try those as a minimum

I have been following him on Twitter since

I saw the baby kiwis in a SoHo street market today, I was tempted to buy them but the stock was well past their best so will look for them elsewhere

I didn't realise he was a fan of Jerusalems but I love them and have eaten a lot lately thanks to an allotment friend whose guts can't tolerate them the way mine can

My new old lady friend has fuscias with fruit almost the size of grapes, so I may ask her for some of them

jj - what would you recommend we try, if we were to grow only one thing?

dogstarheaven

he enthused greatly about Yacon on GW some weeks ago, didn't he? I shall be getting some soon. I've grown Oca last year for the first time and it was a great success. I harvested it after the first frosts and found them rather small but had lots tho'.. so, thanks for the tip Sambucus about waiting 4 weeks onwards.. I never knew that.. they store really well in the fridge like mine did last year and this year's crop failed for me completely! too much rain!

Davesnave

dogstarheaven wrote: »

he enthused greatly about Yacon on GW some weeks ago, didn't he? I shall be getting some soon. I've grown Oca last year for the first time and it was a great success. I harvested it after the first frosts and found them rather small but had lots tho'.. so, thanks for the tip Sambucus about waiting 4 weeks onwards.. I never knew that.. they store really well in the fridge like mine did last year and this year's crop failed for me completely! too much rain!

I'm going to have a go at the Yacon too next year, but I note that they contain sugars we can't digest, like artichokes, which worries me a bit! More research needed.

As for it being too wet for Oca, this year, mine grew OK, but it looked healthier in the polytunnel than it did outside. The ones planted in big bags in the tunnel are still growing away now, though they're supposed not to do so well when confined. We shall see what's under them in due course, but I guess it could even be late December before I'm harvesting those.

I didn't plan to eat many this year. More a case of building-up stock. Of course, we might not like them....