originally posted here: oxalis tuberosa daily news
the second of three entries featuring plants from the gfu for underutilized species exhibits oxalis tuberosa of the oxalidaceae. thanks hannes and paul! photo courtesy of the international potato centre (cip).oca is a starchy edible tuber that was domesticated in the andes in south america. it is at least as hardy as the potato and grown in a similar way but it is not as susceptible to pests and diseases as potatoes.when freshly harvested, the tubers have a pleasant acidic flavour. they are consumed cooked or baked. they can also be eaten raw in small quantities. exposed to sunlight for a few days, the tubers lose some of their acidity and become more pleasant to eat.oca can be prepared, like most tuberous vegetables, by being boiled, baked or fried. in the andes, it can be part of stews and soups, served like potatoes or served as a sweet. oca is eaten raw in mexico with salt, lemon and hot pepper.oca forms tubers only at a daylength of under 13-14 hours. outside of its native area, such as in higher latitudes, autumn frosts may kill the plant before the tubers are fully developed. under such conditions, commercially relevant yields are hard to achieve.projects to improve poor rural families' quality of life through the management and commercialization of oca have been implemented in various places. one example is the village of puno in southeastern peru where infant mortality and illiteracy rate are almost twice the national average. mismanagement of organic garbage and loss of biodiversity has created serious problems with environmental deterioration, and families have little access to employment and income.the project aims to contribute to the improvement of environmental conditions and increase the incomes of rural families in the lake titicaca area by encouraging farmers to produce oca. the project is targeting a new beneficiary group, puno's indigenous people, by training them on how to make marmalade from oca. the project will also produce 40 metric tons of organic fertilizer from manure and crop residue, manage roughly 10 hectares of oca, and establish six rural micro enterprises.oxalis tuberosa
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