Ube or Indian yam is a crop that’s easy to grow and is full of nutrients. I am currently making and filming a series on three types of yams and the first one featured is ‘Indian Yam’. This yam has several names and thus also known white yam or purple yam. (Please don’t confuse this with ‘yam’ which is generally referred to as sweet potatoes). White Yam is different from Sweet potatoes, Taro and Elephant Yam. The scientific name is “Dioscorea alata”.
Ube refers to the purple yam which is purple in colour but they also come in other colours like cream and white. The one I grow is white in colour because that’s the common type cultivated in the Kerala. It’s same as Purple yam/Ube.
The center of origin of purple yam is unknown, but archaeological evidence suggests that it was exploited from Islands of Southeast Asia and New Guinea before the Austronesian expansion. Purple yam is believed to be a true cultigen, only known for its cultivated forms. The vast majority of cultivars are sterile, which restricts its introduction into islands purely by human agency, making them a good indicator of human movement. Some authors have proposed, without evidence, an origin in Mainland Southeast Asia, but it shows the greatest phenotypic variability in the Philippines and New Guinea.
Wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocorea_alata
Having a neutral but nutty taste make this crop a versatile one for culinary use. In Indian cuisine, it is used for savory dishes because we love our spices and in the Philippines, they use it for desserts such as cakes. You must have had or at least heard about ube ice cream right? They don’t taste like ube due to ample amount of sugar and whey.
Unfortunately, all these three crops are toxic for consumption when RAW for animals and humans. Guess why it’s immune to pest attacks?
When the yam is properly cooked, it’s good to fight against tumors, haemorrhoids and fever. Purple yams are starchy root vegetables that are rich in carbs, potassium, vitamin C, and phytonutrients, all of which are important for maintaining good health. The resistant starch in yams helps increase the growth of Bifidobacteria, which are healthy bacteria that play a vital role in maintaining your gut health. Antioxidants like vitamins A and C in purple yams may help reduce the risk and symptoms of asthma. The flavonoids in purple yams may help promote blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes. Also, purple yams have a low glycemic index, which can help prevent blood sugar spikes. Purple yams are a great source of anthocyanins and vitamin C, both of which are powerful antioxidants. They have been shown to protect against cell damage and cancer.
http://www.Healthline.com
Growing – As mentioned earlier, being sterile it must be grown from scraps. You can easily find White yam at your nearest Asian store or international store. A good-sized yam can be divided into ALMOST 10 pieces! I have shown how to divide them into pieces in my youtube video. Since it was a small yam, It was divided in into 3 pieces. STILL, one yam produces another 3 tubers! Now that’s amazing for self-sustaining gardeners and professional farmers looking for cash crops. Indian yam is a creeper and hence it requires a trellis. I use the wild trees and coconut trees but use whatever you got or simply tie a rope to support the plant. Remember the Yam grows in the roots and hence any type of trellis will work! In Kerala farmers plant it with coconut trees and grow more food from the same area of land.
Requirements – As I mentioned earlier, The quality of the soil isn’t a key factor. Ube doesn’t need fancy topsoil or organic soil. But be careful to ensure that the soil is a well-drained. I am currently working with hard clay soil in my yard that’s been dug up while the house was built. I’m actively working to improve the quality rather than buying garden soil.White yam and purple yam, being a tropical crop it requires a decent amount of water and it can’t stand temperatures more than 30 degree Celcius
Harvesting – This crop takes about 9 to 10 months to reach full maturity but can be harvested before this period. But anticipate tiny harvests. You would know it’s time to harvests when leaves would dry and wither; like potatoes. Simple isn’t it?
If not harvested, another one or more tuber would grow using this as the mother crop. Don’t worry rodents wouldn’t go near our beautiful yams because they’re toxic, remember?
You can watch the video here – https://youtu.be/7WRSptX0lQs
Next video and article are on Colocasia so make sure you click the bell icon next subcription button on Youtube. And PLEASE PLEASE comment and let me know what you liked or disliked.
Nani Namaskaram (Thank you)
Learning Your Roots 