Monday 9 February 2015

Mashua

Yesterday I asked you what the tuber was in the photo below. Dawn was closest saying an Oca which is what I thought it was when I first saw it. It's a Mashua and related to nasturtiums, coming from the Andes and is a crop that's been grown for 1000's of years.
It seems to be a veg that splits opinion and it's not particularly loved. One of the reasons for this is it's reported effects as a antiaphrodisia and reduction of the male libido! No research has been done on this other than on rats from what I can see on the web and even then you need to eat large quantities of this to have an effect. 
The second negative for it will reduce the chances of that anyway, as it's not even meant to taste that nice! I've read that some people think it has an amazing flavour but most just don't think it tastes very nice! 
Why am I growing it then? (This is what my brother said to me when I told him about the veg this morning. )
Well first off I love growing different things and I might enjoy the taste. It's also meant to yield well on poor soil making it a good backup crop and one for hard times.
It looks really pretty on all the photos I've seen of it growing, produces loads of flowers and makes quite a feature in the garden when trained to climb up something (my old tin shed maybe?).
And finally in Colombia it's grown with potatoes as a companion plant to repel pests in the potato fields so it might be good to grow it along side other crops or up the fence around my garden as a natural barrier.
Here are a couple of links with more information:



What do you think? Would you grow it to see what it's like?

26 comments:

  1. Kinda an ugly little feller though ain't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. there's a certain beauty to it I think. The flowers are meant to look nice!

      Delete
  2. Have to agree with PP, can't eat it if I don't fancy it Kev ;-)
    John

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to know another guy that always said that!

      Delete
  3. Although the flowers are pretty and you can eat those as well as the leaves, so yes I would grow it once to taste all its parts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I think that there is enough going for it to plant it this year. If it helps controlling pest then even better.

      Delete
  4. Looks like a childs spinning top. Good though if it works as a companion plant and gives nice flowers.
    Briony
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it looks like a big maggot! ~We'll see how we get on with it this year!

      Delete
  5. sounds like an interesting plant you have there will watch with interest to its development :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If it's any good I'll send you some over to Wales.

      Delete
  6. Just hold your nose when you eat it!
    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's meant to be quite peppery and very few people like it from what I've read.

      Delete
  7. umm ok I won't be growing that :O). Well now I understand not proven to be true but hey there are some things a girl just doesn't to inhibit at all ya know :O) . But this was very good info to know. :O)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes it wouldn't be a bad thing to slow mine down! I'm thinking more for the flowers than the root crop although I'd be willing to try it. It's also meant to make nice pickles.

      Delete
  8. You sure come up with some interesting vegetables. It's like you are the mad scientist of horticulture. Nah, I wouldn't grow that, it looks nasty!

    Not that I can grow much of anything anyway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I keep surprising myself when I manage to find more. It should make for an interesting growing year if I can keep on top of it all!

      Delete
  9. Think I'll pass on that one as well, it looks a bit rampant, somewhat Russian Vine-ish, can imagine it taking the whole place over and becoming a pest. However, I did read that the Cabbage White caterpillar likes it so if it keeps them off your cabbages that would be good....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If cabbage white like it then it'll be eaten alive in my garden! wish I could find some way to keep them off but maybe this will distract them!

      Delete
  10. Looks a bit like a plant I used to grow, common name, 'Chilean Glory vine' - I suppose it could be related? The flowers look a bit like cut - off Aquilegia (Grannys' Bonnets')!
    Now, I like peppery spicy stuff so, might give this one a try, although to give it it's required growing conditions, might have to be in a pot.
    Have you ever grown 'Nepalese pepper'? Just read about it in Amateur Gardening 24/01/2015. Article about a womans' Permaculture garden, Maddy Harland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does look similar and from what I've read you don;t need to worry too much about the growing conditions as it likes poor soil.
      As for Nepalese pepper I've not heard of that until I googled it and found out ti's a sichuan pepper or Prickly Ash. I have a small one growing in a pot growing on until it's a little bigger to plant out: http://www.englishhomestead.com/2014/07/jurassic-plants.html
      Looking forward to when I get some spice off it!

      Delete
  11. Kevin, my email re- seed swap, sandie.bailey@btinternet.com
    I have some seeds that were free , Melon 'Melba', Aubergine 'Black Beauty', Strawberry 'Baron Solemacher', plus some 'Lovage seeds,and 'cutting celery' (looks like flat leaved parsley) if you want any or all of them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What seeds would you like? The melon sounds intereting and lovage. I'll send you an email. Thanks

      Delete
  12. Napoleon III put modern historians in touch with the Phoenicians. While subduing a revolt in Syria, he called upon the French scholar Human translation, Ernest Renan, to lead an expedition to the area, much as Napoleon the Great had done some fifty years earlier when he brought a group of scholars to Egypt during his campaign.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really hate it when spam isn't even geared to my post. I much prefer my spam to copy and paste a bit of my post into it's comment and then put their crappy link at the end. Not this rubbish. unless Napoleon III ate mashua? who knows?

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...