Tigernuts
June 27, 2008 · Filed Under Featured Plant, Garden
I’m growing these in a pot on my roof. Emma gave me tubers for these last year. The plants look sort of like grass, but the shape the leaves grow in is very precise.
The tubers of this plant are used to make Horchata de Chufas, a Spanish drink similar to rice, almond or soy milk.
This can be an invasive plant, so it’s usually best to grow it in a container. It’s not frost hardy, so in places with a hard winter it can also be grown outside.
This plant is similar to water chestnuts, and can tolerate very wet soil.
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8 Responses to “Tigernuts”
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How big do the tubers get on yours? I’m pretty sure this is the same, or closely related to, our nut sedge, which I treat as a pest in the garden. It’s wild elsewhere on our land (US zone 3 – Vermont) – and like you say, loves wet ground.
The tubers on ours are very small, maybe half the size of a pea. They have a really nice texture and flavor (almondy), but ours are super hard to dig up, even in cultivated ground (which is why it’s so hard to eradicate if it gets into the garden). If ours had tubers about 3 or 4 times the size they are, they would be worthwhile to forage and cultivate.
Hi Leigh,
These are really frost tender, and I don’t think they would survive in a Vermont winter. Tiger nuts are Cyperus esculentus. According to Wikipedia purple nutsedge is Cyperus rotundus, related but different.
The dried tubers of this Emma gave me were about the size of a very small dried garbanzo bean.
Tiger nuts would probably grow well in your Vermont garden, and die off in the winter.
Patrick,
I would not recommend planting yellow nutsedge to anyone. It is Cyperus esculentus and is classified as one of the worlds worst weeds in terms of economic damage to agricultural lands. Its a scourge to farmers in the tropics and is spreading northward due to changing climate and genetics. It reproduces from both seeds and spread via tubers that grow undergound which are edible. I worked in a weed science lab at the University of Florida for about 5 years on how we could understand the biology of this pest in order to reduce its horendous effects. Give some serious thought to planting this pest and why not try something less invasive and destructive. You can order the tubers and enjoy your drink without growing them. I have tried them and they are only marginally edible.
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What can I say, but you are absolutely right. On my roof right now I am growing what is considered one of the most invasive species and most serious agricultural pests on the planet. The Netherlands apparently stands out as one of the most affected countries, and now that you mention it I recall pulling this out of my garden recently and it’s also growing in the grass in our gardening complex. It’s quite a nasty weed.
If you hadn’t left this comment it may have taken me a long time to realize this.
To be fair, I have tested the variety that I am growing and it does not tolerate frosts. I planted some of my tubers a few weeks too early, and they were killed by a late frost.
If anyone is interested in reading more about this, here is an interesting article:
Nutsedge: Weedy Pest or Crop of the Future?
http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/nutsedge.htm
For now, I am going to keep growing it on my roof, but I’m also going to watch it carefully. I certainly won’t let it go to seed or try to reuse the dirt it’s growing in.
i have today planted some tiger nuts, in the hope of harvesting them for carp fishing bait, dont know much about them, any advice would be welcome
Hi Andrew,
Tiger nuts are very invasive, so be sure to grow them in a container and not in your garden. Otherwise they grow very easily, but are killed by frost. Good luck!
hey i would love to start growing tiger tubers but i can’t find anyone who has them anyone have an idea?
Hi Clay,
I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you. I’m in the Netherlands, and you appear to be in the US. Since this can be an invasive plants in some climates, I doubt it would be legal for me to send you some. Even if it were legal, I’m not sure it would be a good idea.
If you live in a climate without winter frosts, this would be a very dangerous plant for you to have in your garden. Even with winter frosts, it’s not without some risks.
Consider just buying tiger nuts online, instead of growing them yourself. If you still want to try growing them, maybe you can just purchase some sold for eating, then plant them.
Be sure to grow them in a container, and not directly in your garden!
Sorry I can’t be more help. Best of luck!