Smallanthus sonchifolius 'Yacon' apple root/ground apple, root stock

The Yacon originates from South America and was already cultivated there long before the Inca period. It is an elegant plant with beautiful arrow-shaped hairy leaves. It is also called apple root, ground apple or sun root. The root tubers can be harvested in the autumn and remain good for months when stored in a cool place. They are sweet in taste and do not contain sugar but inulin, an ideal sweet tuber for everyone but also for diabetes patients because the tuber has no influence on the sugar level. The plant is best planted early in the spring and kept frost-free. Plant out after mid-May and in the autumn just before or during the first frost, dig out the plant and use loose tubers for consumption. The plant may not have frost.