Plant · P-263

Oca

Oxalis tuberosa

Oca produces small, waxy-skinned tubers with a bright lemony tang straight from the ground that mellows into a sweet flavor after a few days curing in the sun. It is a high-Andean crop that struggles wherever summer nights stay warm, so growing it in a hot climate means an inverted calendar: started in pots and set out under shade in early summer, left to coast through the worst heat, then uncovered to bulk its tubers once nights cool in autumn. The leaves have a sharp, tangy edge from oxalic acid and should be cooked, or skipped, by anyone managing kidney stones, gout, or arthritis. It does not spread on its own, so next year's crop depends entirely on saving tubers from this year's harvest.