Oca is a root vegetable. Above ground, the plant (which is actually an herb) is a very small perennial, only growing about 8 to 12 inches high (20 to 30 cm.) Its stems can be yellow and green or purplish. It is propagated by replanting its tubers. The edible tubers that grow underground look like…
Oxalic Acid
Oxalic Acid
Oxalic Acid is an acid naturally present in many plants that we eat. Oxalic Acid is present in very small amounts in chives, oca, parsley, rhubarb, sorrel, spinach and taro, and in even smaller amounts in a zillion other types of produce from asparagus to sweet corn. It can make something taste tart, as it…
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is the stalk of a leafy perennial plant. In cooking, it is used as a fruit owing to its high acidity. As such, it is one of the first fruits to appear in the garden each year, and thus many desserts and preserves have evolved around it. When purchasing, avoid limp stalks that are on their way out. As with many things in life, firmness can be a better indication of quality than size.
Sorrel
Sorrel © Michelle Mattern Sorrel is a leafy herb that can be used as a salad leaf, or a pot herb. The leaves have a tangy, slightly sour taste, that gets tarter as the leaves get older and bigger. The tartness comes from oxalic acid in the leaves. The leaves look something like spinach or…
Spinach
Spinach © Denzil Green Spinach is a dark, leafy-green vegetable. When you are buying spinach fresh, look for small, narrow stems — this indicates the spinach is younger and therefore more tender. Make sure you wash fresh spinach really well to get all the sand and grit out, or everyone will be grinding their teeth…
Taro
Taro © Denzil Green Taro is a root vegetable. Above ground, it is a bush that can grow anywhere from 3 to 6 feet tall (1 to 2 metres.) The bush is a perennial plant, but it is harvested like an annual. The bush’s root system grows as one large root surrounded by several smaller…
Waterleaf
Waterleaf is a potherb with a tangy flavour from the oxalic acid in it. You use it as you use spinach. The leaves are soft and fleshy. They come from an annual plant, that grows up to 1 foot (30 cm) tall. The plant, closely related to purslane, likes partial shade, and is propagated by…