Ahipa

This page is an open source resource guide for ahipa. It is for growing and maintaining the most bio-diverse, delicious, and broadly applicable ahipa selection possible. It contains cultural considerations, planting guidelines, descriptions, and the best places we’ve found for purchasing the species we’ve listed. As part of the One Community Highest Good food component of global transformation, this page will continue to evolve indefinitely to contain maintenance and care tips, accessioning and plant breeding and sharing information as part of the One Community open source botanical garden model, and even recipe’s, preparations, and preservation methods used on the property.

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• Ahipa Overview
• Cultural Considerations
• Planting Guidelines
• Specific Varieties
• Plant Material/Seed Providers
• Other Ahipa Resources
• Ahipa as Part of the Botanical Garden Model
• Ahipa Preparation, Preservation, and Recipes
• Links to Other Edible Plant Pages

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AHIPA

Ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa)

Ahipa, also called the Andean bean or Andean yam bean, is another of a complex of traditional roots crops from high elevations in the Andes mountains. They are adapted to cold dry climates but may require frost protection in the autumn, since the tubers do not begin to form until after the equinox. Ahipa is closely related to the better-known jicama, but grows in much harsher conditions.

CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Plants will grow in poor soils
• Ahipa matures faster than jicama
• It does not require as much heat as jicama to mature
• Ahipa is a more compact plant than jicama, and needs no support
• It appears that ahipa is not as day length sensitive as other Andean root crops

PLANTING GUIDELINES

Sprout the seeds like beans indoors, and set plants out in full sun after last frost. Mulch to conserve soil moisture. Occasional top dressing with compost may be beneficial, but avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers like manure, as these can reduce tuber formation.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Wikipedia ” Ahipa

At this time we do not have any specific ahipa varieties. We will add them here when they become available.

 

OTHER AHIPA RESOURCES

We are seeking awesome ahipa resources. If you know of one, please click here to share it with us so we can make this page better.

• Use this page (click here) if you have a resource you’d like to suggest be added here

 

AHIPA AS PART OF THE BOTANICAL GARDEN MODEL

This section will evolve to include accessioning and plant breeding and sharing information as part of the One Community open source botanical garden model.

 

AHIPA PREPARATION, PRESERVATION, AND RECIPES

This section will evolve to include testimonials, recipe’s, preparations, and preservation methods used on the property first, and then later with additional information from other Highest Good collaborators and teacher/demonstration hubs.

Courtesy of: Homestead and Gardens

The ahipa root can be eaten either raw or cooked. It is so delicious raw that we haven’t bothered to try a cooked version of it yet. We ate it as a stand-alone snack, or chopped up and added to salads. The ahipa tubers grow sweeter with time, after being harvested, so allowing them to sit for a day or two before you eat them will make them taste sweeter, as the starch in the tuber breaks down into sugars. The tubers can lose water and become shriveled, though, so don’t let them sit for too long. It can also be processed like Gari, a type of  flour, but beware the seeds, leaves and stems contain toxic oils and are not edible.

 

LINKS TO OTHER EDIBLE PLANT PAGES