Mell What does the inside of a Yacon look like?
The yacon, which is a member of the sunflower family, is grown primarily for its edible roots. While it looks like sweet potatoes or yam on the outside with its brownish, sandy skin, inside, the yacon looks more like a juicy fruit such as the apple and the pear.
Where does the yacon grow in South America?
The yacon is believed to be a lost crop of the Incas. A little known plant of the Andes, it grows wild in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It also grows at medium altitudes in South America. In the warm, temperate Andian Valleys, it can be found at altitudes up to 3,200 meters.
Are there any health benefits to eating Yacon?
The yacon can also be boiled or sauteed in oil. Having all the characteristics of a health food that aids in the maintenance of good health, the yacon contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, Vitamins A, B1, B2 and C, phosphorus, niacin, iron, carotene, protein, lipids, cellulose, glucide and fiber.
Why is yacon called the Apple of the Earth?
English: Yacon Tagalog: Yakon. There is now a new root crop that goes by the unusual name yacon. Recognized as a health food, it is also known as the apple of the earth because although it is grown underground like any other root crop, its fruit resembles an apple or a pear.
What’s the best way to harvest a Yacon plant?
You can harvest the tubers by cutting the stem of the yacon plant down to just four inches above the soil and digging the tubers out with a garden fork or shovel. Store yacon tubers the same way you’d store potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place. Yacon produces two distinctly different types of tubers.
The yacon, which is a member of the sunflower family, is grown primarily for its edible roots. While it looks like sweet potatoes or yam on the outside with its brownish, sandy skin, inside, the yacon looks more like a juicy fruit such as the apple and the pear.
Where can I find yacon in the Philippines?
In the Philippines, Yacon was introduced by a Japanese national, in year 2000. it was first grown in some part of Mindanao and later at the Cordillera. Now, Yacon is successfully grown in the Sierra Madre Mountain areas, particularly in the upland of Dupax, Santa Fe and Southern municipalities of Nueva Vizcaya.
Where does the sweetness of yacon root come from?
Yacon Root Info. The yacon is native to the Andes, in present day Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. It’s gaining worldwide popularity, however, in part because of its unusual source of sweetness. Unlike most tubers, which get their sweetness from glucose, yacon root derives its sweetness from inulin, which the human body can’t process.