Well, I have given up on the Tropical Vegetable Forum because it has been utterly useless for months now. So I'm placing this here.
Ate my first ever Yacon today. It was pretty easy to grow. Related to the sunflower, so makes a pretty looking plant that eventually produces small orange sunflower-like flowers (no seeds). When the flowers all die, and the plant starts to die (some 6-8 months after planting), the tubers are ready to dig up. It looks like a potato, but tastes like a cross between watermelon and a mild apple. Sweet, crispy, juicy, refreshing. You can eat them raw, like jicama. I think you can cook them also, but I didn't try.
Supposed to have multiple medicinal benefits: ability to regulate blood sugar levels, lower “bad”/LDL cholesterol, help with weight loss, lower blood pressure, improve the health of the liver, prevent certain types of cancer, boost digestive health, and strengthen the immune system.
Note some have an allergy to the plant, like one might to anything, but it seems fairly rare. I have not had a bad reaction as yet. Normally I would taste anything brand new in multiple tiny stages over days to be sure, but I wasn't really thinking and just dove it and ate the whole thing. Whoops. So far so good.
You're supposed to pick it and let it cure for a day or two first before eating, which should make it sweeter, but I was so excited to try it I completely forgot about that.
I could have done more to make the plant happy, but as it was not my first priority, it's good too know they don't seem picky!
Would recommend.
Anyone else have experience with these?