Dear Friends, As an admitted "foodie", one of this list's CA members took pity on my request and sent me a pound of fresh, in season, Oca, Oxalis tuberosa. This is a tuberous vegetable domesticated by the Incans and other highland peoples of the Andes in South America. The only edible member of the genus, a favorite of some of this list growers. There are hundreds of edible varieties. The tubers were about 1/2 deep pink and bumpy, while the other half was medium yellow and smooth. They reminded me of fingerling potatoes in size and shape. I started with one pound and took out 2 medium tubers of each color to pot up - out of curiosity. After reading about handling, storage and preparation of this tuber, I decided to store them in the refrigerator vegetable drawer in a sealed zip-loc plastic bag. Theoretically this would improve the flavor and make the tubers sweeter in flavor. After 5 weeks in the fridge, today I took them out. Peeling them was a bit of a pain - they are small, the skin especially of the bumpy red variety came off in many small pieces and it took both vegetable peeler and paring knife to get a final 'product'. I heated a small amount of Olive Oil (EVOO) and sliced the Oca diagonally into about 1/4 inch slices and into the medium hot oil. I sprinkled salt, pepper and some granulated garlic. They browned quickly and became slightly crispy around the edges. I was surprised how quickly they became soft. I thought they might take as long as similar size potato slices, but these were much quicker. They shrank a fair amount as they cooked. They were served hot along with baked chicken breast and left over vegetable: Green Bean casserole (from T-Day), sauteed Kohlrabi and whole yellow Hominy. There were two diners, my companion and myself. The texture was very similar to a soft fried potato, but the flavor was very sweet and mild. No hint of oxalic acid (as expected) and no bitterness. Both of us thought they had excellent texture and flavor, and were delicious. We both said 'More Oca !' . These were definitely a tasty treat if only more accessible to my midwest wishes. I hope more people will try them. Thanks Liz. Best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +