Andrew found me on YouTube and shared pictures of some very familiar eatable barbarian yam he found on his property :
“ I ’ve been consume these already , no problems . Here ’s motion picture . ”
He continues:“Tedious to reap by bridge player though . postulate a sheet spread out beneath . I ’ll try out to grok up a root and get a moving-picture show of that for you too . These volunteer somehow and on the north side of a great 2 write up mansion with heavy oak trees keeping it pretty cool and shaded . Plenty of rain from the roof and no gutter . ”
When I ask where these vines were located , he wrote“Mebane , NC . Near business district at a residence . ”
So , for those of you who wish you could get in on the yam - growing action but hold out far northwards than yams generally grow , here ’s your metal money : Dioscorea batatas , also known asDioscorea opposita .
That ’s the “ yamberry ” Eric Toensmeier writes about in his entertaining bookParadise Lot .
And it ’s one of the varieties I grow in North Florida . The edible bulblet are featured in this video recording :
And the long , snaky roots in this one :
And yes , it is an evil invasive species . Very , very evil . Very , very incursive .
The administration of Michiganwarns about it :
Habitat : This deciduous vine can be get hold along roadside , fencing rows , stream camber , ditch , and rich , mesic woodland . While it tolerates anything from full sun to rich nicety , it prefers intermediate light .
Native Range : Asia
U.S. dispersion : Taiwanese yam has spread to 16 southeast state since its presentation in the 1800 ’s and has been tape in some locating in Michigan .
Local Concern : Chinese yam can grow up to 16 foot in height , engulf surrounding vegetation along the way . While this vine dies back in the wintertime , it grows and reproduce apace enough to cut plant diversity and threaten aboriginal ecosystems .
Michigan is connect in its business organisation by many other state . I have read report like the one above that Taiwanese Yam vines will overrun native species .
But on the hopeful side , Plants for a Future portion how delicious it is :
Edible Parts : Fruit ; Root . Edible Uses :
Tuber – cooked[1 , 46 , 61 , 105 ] . A floury texture[27 ] with a very pleasant flavour that is rather like a potato[K ] . The tubers can be boiled , baked , fried , mashed , grated and tally to soups[183 ] . They store well and for a longsighted time[27 , 37 ] and can also be pass on in the ground and harvested as required in the winter[K ] . This is a top tone radical crop , very suitable for use as a staple food[K ] . An obedience plant can be extracted from the root[46 ] , though this is not as sound at binding other food as the amylum from D. japonica[183 ] . The solution moderate about 20 % amylum . 75 % water , 0.1 % vitamin B1 , 10 – 15 mg% vitamin C[174 ] . yield . A buckram feel , it is said to be very good for the health[206 ] . We question if this report is referring to the tubercles[K ] . We ’ve heard the aery Tuber can be eaten and are very tasty .
It ’s obvious what we take to do , right ?
We involve to eat it ! And if perhaps a few plants escape into our garden every class , well , we should exhaust those too .
swear on one root harvest for calories is n’t antifragile . Grow potatoes – they ’re gravid . But also bring turnips , yam plant , taro , Jerusalem artichokes , cassava or whatever else exploit in your climate . In North Carolina , it seems obvious that one decent choice is the Chinese yam plant .
