Chufa nuts. Earth Almonds. Tiger Nuts. Good old Cyperus esculentus.
Should I even be talking about this for #seedsavingformarketgrowers?
We don’t actually grow any Chufa for our CSA baskets.
Though at times I have been surprised at the yield and wondered if we could make it work. (Still not curious enough to actually propose it to my @fermetournesol co-farmers.)
And Chufa nuts are related to Yellow Nutsedge. However, they are not necessarily the same thing as yellow nutsedge.
In our climate Chufa doesn’t produce seed or spread by dramatic rhizomes. And better yet, they winterkill. Chufa nuts are not invasive on our farm.
Yellow nutsedge on the other hand is a monster looking for a good opportunity.
I don’t know if Chufa would be a problem in warmer climates.
And yet I still feel like telling you about Chufa nuts. I love growing them on a small scale (about 50 bedfeet a year). It’s one of those uncommon vegetables that is much better than you think. And they are tasty.
As I said, Chufa doesn’t produce seed for us. So we replant the chufa nuts to get the next crop.
Is Chufa good for your market garden? Probably not.
The PROS of saving Chufa seed:
- Not a seed – no crossing problems
- Your harvest is also your seed stock
- Winterkills in northern climates
- Annual – from nut to nut in 1 season
The CONS of saving Chufa seed:
- Not a seed – nuts lose viability after a year in storage.
- Finicky to harvest
- Mice like to beat you to the harvest
- A lot of explaining when you tell your friends about it
SEED YIELD:
10 lbs to 20 lbs from a 100ft bed
SEED LIFE:
1 year
More posts about Chufa Nuts if you’re still curious
