THERE are many perks of a quiet winter in Tasmania, but for one farm, it’s oca harvest time … the most exciting time of the year.
These bright coloured, funky-shaped vegetables have been growing in popularity over the years but still not many people know what they are.
Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) – also known as New Zealand yam – is a small vegetable that comes in a variety of different colours.
Among other produce, Rise and Shine Farm at Copping in the state’s southeast has been growing the unique plant for a few years.
This season’s crop has added two new varieties of ocas which were all harvested by hand just last week.
Coral and Nick Warren started their small market gardening business in 2020 when they moved back to Tasmania from the mainland.
They are both huge fans of the vegetable being easy to grow, brightly coloured and uniquely tasting.
The vegetable tastes like a mix between radish when fresh and a starchy potato when roasted.
This year they have just harvested two new varieties that are white in colour called Sport and Apilla from Provenance Growers who are plant breeders located in Hobart.
Provenance Growers recently underwent different oca variety seed trials where the two new varieties sprouted.
The farm’s oca harvest has tripled from last year, harvesting 60kgs last week.
Much like a potato, ocas being a bulb or tuber, just need to be planted into the ground in summer until it starts to grow shoots.
“One of the things I really like about ocas as a grower is that it’s triggered by winter solstices,” Mrs Warren said.
“So the shortest day of the year is when it really starts plumping up its tubers and about a month after that when the frost has come through and the tops get knocked back, it tells you in a way that it’s ready.”
Ocas originated in Peru in a cold and bleak climate. Tasmania has a really good climate to grow these vegetables.
Mr Warren said ocas suit the cooler climates between 11C to 17C which makes for ideal growing conditions where they are located.
“They are very much a permaculture type of plant in that you plant it once and it’s always there. You can rely on it and don’t necessarily have to re-seed it.”
The Warrens sell their ocas at small markets like the Bream Creek Farmers Market and are priced generally between $18 to $24 dollars.
Mrs Warren describes ocas as a very independent plant and a crop that can be planted and let go and not require constant love and attention.
“It’s really nice in the middle of winter to have this fabulous, bright crop. It’s the only time during the year that it’s ready and it’s the only time people can actually have it.
“So people get really excited by it and it’s just a really nice seasonal vegetable.
“Other vegetables you get all year round but ocas are like one of those special things in the middle of winter when everything else is a bit bleak.”
They said that ocas always sell out as soon as they hit the stalls, being the first things to go.
“People start to know you’ve got it as well at the markets and ask about it this time of year. There are people who come to the market and see it and get really excited about it,” Mr Warren said.
Although visually different in colour, the three varieties taste very similar.
Because of the oxalic acid in ocas, they create an element in the vegetable that is tangy and lemony.
“I think what hooks a lot of people is that it has that lemony taste and it doesn’t taste just like a potato. You bite into it and it’s like it’s seasoned and prepared amazingly but in reality it’s just the natural acids in the plant,” Mrs Warren said.
Ocas are a long-haul crop that are planted in summer and harvested in winter.
Their ocas are planted in a standard 75cm garden bed with free draining soil and a biodegradable weed mat.
“This is the first season we’ve grown them in a permaculture bed, with paper at the bottom, chicken mulch, topped with soil,” Mrs Warren said.
“For us in this region, it’s generally really dry but this season had a little bit more rain than usual which helped a bit.”
Rise and Shine is a small-scale producer with a market garden that is due to expand this year.
On the farm, they also have alpacas for breeding, show and fleece as well as chickens and breeding pigs.
This year their focus is on the market garden and are looking to move towards changing their style of sales.
Mr Warren said being able to have something colorful, interesting and different at their market stall is what he really loves about growing ocas.
“They’re a very cool and interesting vegetable to grow and the people that know them, love them,” he said.
“To have that feedback from people at the market to tell us they were awesome and come back for more is really exciting.”
“It’s always cool to be able to educate the public about them and show people about a not so mainstream vegetable that is readily available to you.” Mrs Warren said.