Quantity 10 Seeds
Germination approx. 14-21 days at 24ºC
Jicama, mexican turnip seeds (Pachyrhizus erosus)
Pachyrhizus erosus is originally from Mexico and Central America and is grown there as food, only the tuber of the plant is edible. By the Spanish conquerors, the Mexican yan bean was naturalised on the fillipines, so today it can also be found throughout Asia and areas of Africa.
The tuber can be used raw or cooked. Typical is the use as a raw food snack in Mexico (with salt, chili flakes and lemon juice). The taste reminds a bit of kohlrabi, but is much juicier.
Jicama is a perennial climbing plant whose tubers can reach a weight of up to 20 kg. In cultivation, however, the plants are re-sown every year (probably because the tubers of older plants become woody), the annual plants have produced tubers of about 1.2 kg (without fertilizer). The plants area high water and heat demanding but are otherwise quite care-free.
Jicama is a very healthy vegetable, very rich in vitamins A, C, K and B, rich in minerals and fiber and very low in calories. In addition, an effective antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties.
Use as a medicinal plant for asthma, iron deficiency, skin problems and colds.