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Yam berries, Dioscorea polystachya (formerly Dioscorea batatas).

 
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My first harvest!



Several years ago I bought some Chinese Mountain Yam tubers from Oikos Trees (which they don't seem to carry at the moment). Then I hesitated to plant them because I read they can be invasive. They sat in the fridge for probably close to a year, and then I decided to convert my hoop house to growing space for perennials. I chose one of the bordered raised beds and planted the tubers. Since they're a vine, the hoop house has been a good place for them.

For the first couple of years, they poked along, but this year they've produced quite a few yam berries.



I haven't harvested the roots yet, but the other day I picked all the yam berries for dinner.





To cook, I tossed them with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then I oven roasted at 425°F (220°C) for about 12 minutes.



They're starchy, but quite good.

So, besides wanting to share my success, I'm wondering about recipes for them. Ideas, anyone?
 
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those aerial tubers are great in soups and stir-fries! i need to get out and collect some (many roadsides have fairly productive plants in my area), as i’ve wanted to experiment more with pickling them…
 
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One common recipe here is to steam them with rice in a dish called mukago-gohan



This one looks kind of good too - curry powdered mukago


or in croquettes


If you search for むかご on cookpad.com you'll get tons of results.
 
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I'm thinking that these would make a good starchy substitute for grains or potatoes. They could be cooked and coated in mayo for a "yam berry" salad

source

Or with green and spices in Saag Aloo:

source

They might be a bit big for substituting for couscous or rice, but any recipe using gnocchi might be worth trying. I love the idea of a starchy food that can be picked off a vine. I've only had a few 'berries' off mine, I think even in the polytunnle it's a bit cool. I tried planting them to get more vines, but I think the mice had them.....
 
Oh, sure, you could do that. Or you could eat some pie. While reading this tiny ad:
montana community seeking 20 people who are gardeners or want to be gardeners
https://permies.com/t/359868/montana-community-seeking-people-gardeners
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