African Potato Mint - A Starchy Energy Food and Cash Crop for Homestead
I have mentioned in my earlier post about my story of planting starchy energy foods in my homestead to replace rice and wheat transported from thousands of miles away. In addition to sweet potato, malanga, and cassava, I have successful added African Potato Mint to the list!
This is the first season I planted and harvested African Potato Mint, which can be propagated by either seed potatoes or cuttings. I simply planted it in wood chips. As wood chips decomposed, the plant grew stronger and faster.
This is also a cash crop you might want to consider. It's highly sought after by high-end restaurants. They are willing to pay $10 per pound. A single plant produces 3 pounds and $30 for me if I were to sell them.
The best part is the minimum work involved. I simply planted it, walked away, and came back to harvest it.
African Potato Mint about 2 months ago. It looks like just mint. This is one single plant.
Digging out all potatoes from one single plant after the plant has dried out.
Leaving a large potato as a seed there for next season.
Covering it with old wood chips.
One seed potato turning into 100 potatoes in a single season without me doing anything. Nature has taken care of it by sending sunlight and rain.
Thank you for stopping by today!
wow I have never heard about African Potato Mint! thanks for posting this!
You're welcome. It's my pleasure to share my knowledge and my experience and hope some will follow to grow their own food. Thank you for stopping by.
That's great, my best friend @cheneats ...
There's a lot of this we have ( 0.2 $ ) but I didn't know it was good..
I think there's a problem with its peeling.
I eat the skin too so no peeling! I eat whole food including skin whenever possible. There is no bitter flavor at all from the skin of this potato. Thank you for stopping by, my friend!
Thank you for contributing your knowledge to help others! Sotall.org Knowledge Directory of Steemit Posts has linked to this post. You can see your link here.
Thank you! I see the link. Thank you for compiling the list. I had added it to my bookmark.
This got me amped up for spring. Where did you get the original planting stock? Is it textured like a potato, or more like cassava?
I got my starters from eBay. It was $10 for 10 small potatoes. I don't see it listed now. Maybe I can create a listing in case someone wants to try them. The texture is more like a potato than cassava.
I'm gonna have to get ahold of some starters also!
Here is the listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/122919978321
Awesome! Thanks.
Thanks for the info. I'll look into it.
Nature is so interesting and I am always at wonder with it. Too bad so many destroy it and don't protect it the way that you do. Great photos
I completely agree! Every day I am learning something new from nature. I am just trying to be a good example of how we can become a better steward of our earth and hope some will follow to be more mindful. Thank you for stopping by.
In every avenue of life good stewards are the captains of the ship. With a hard working crew following along. I have no Steemit award to offer good stewards other than thank you for being an awesome Captain of the Ship ..Mother Earth.
Thank you. I really appreciate your kind words. :-)
We all are patiently awaiting the recipe!
You can simply cook it just like potatoes. I wanted to taste its original flavor so I simply steamed it with skin on. It was good! The batch I harvested will be my lunch starchy energy food for the week. :-)
I don't know what part of the country you're in. I'm in southwest MO. I wonder if they'll do well in my climate. Also, what time of year do you plant and harvest?
(Plectranthus rotundifolius) Also known as Kaffir Potato. This mint relative is grown for its potato-like tuber. These tubers can get very large, up to 4 lbs per plant, are very high in protein, carbohydrate, iron, and calcium. Also called “lost crop” of Africa that in fact is of immense value today! Thrives in hot and fairly dry conditions. Requires 6 months of warm to hot growing conditions to yield mature tubers; in most of the nation, we recommend starting plants indoors in containers and setting outdoors after the weather has warmed in late spring.
Excellent info. I'll have to get them asap and start them indoors. ☺
I have never seen this potato before. You eat it you would any other potato? How does the flavour differ? And I assume that it will grow in the tropics?
This is the first time I harvest them. I like the flavor and the texture more than the other potatoes. I simply steam it with skin on and eat it. Yes, it grows in the tropics!
great post. i love potato.
Thank you. I am glad you like it.
This sounds like it would be a very good plant for anyone interested in maintaining survival food sources to plant. It would also be a good idea for people to plant some in wild places nearby to increase the wild food available. If anyone in the USA is interested, I found someone on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/525085391/african-potato-mint-cuttings that is selling cuttings. I am NOT affiliated with this link in any way.