Status: 2019 preorders are now open. This status will probably not be updated again until after harvest around December, 2018.
Four important tuber crops were developed in the Andes: potato, oca, mashua, and ulluco (oo-YOO-ko). Ulluco is probably the most widely consumed of these crops after the potato, but is almost unknown more than a day’s drive from the high altitudes in the Andes where it is grown. The tubers are particularly beautiful, mostly vivid yellow, orange, or red/purple, colors that are created by high concentrations of pigments that act as antioxidants. The flavor is starchy like a potato, but also earthy like a beet and the texture is firmer than either one. The leaves are also commonly eaten, raw or cooked. Ulluco is a tricky plant to grow, disliking heat that much exceeds 70 degrees, and requiring a frost-free growing season through at least mid-November.