This is a quick reference to oca varieties by flavor, yield, and tuber size.
Yield categories are Low (1 pound or less), Intermediate (between 1 and 2 pounds), and High (2 pounds or more).
Rows in red indicate varieties that are known to carry viruses. I recommend not growing these varieties, even if you obtained them here. More details may be available on the variety pages.
| Variety | Tartness |
Sweetness | Photoperiod | Yield | Max Tuber Size | Tuber Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adele | 2 – Moderate | 0 – None | 13 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 4 – 5 in | 30-40 |
| Amarillo | 1 – Low | 2 – Moderate | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 3 – 4 in | 20-30 |
| Apilla | 1 – Low | 1 – Low | 12.5 hr | 1 – Low | 5+ in | 30-40 |
| BK08516.7 | 0 – None | 0 – None | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 4 – 5 in | 30-40 |
| BK08516.8 | 0 – None | 2 – Moderate | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 2 – 3 in | 20- |
| Black | 1 – Low | 0 – None | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 3 – 4 in | 20-30 |
| Blood Red | 2 – Moderate | 0 – None | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 3 – 4 in | 20-30 |
| Bolivian Red | 0 – None | 2 – Moderate | 12 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 3 – 4 in | 30-40 |
| Cherry Red | 1 – Low | 0 – None | 12.5 hr | 3 – High | 5+ in | 40+ |
| Crema de Rosa | 1 – Low | 1 – Low | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 2 – 3 in | 20- |
| Golden | 1 – Low | 0 – None | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 3 – 4 in | 20-30 |
| Hopin | 3 – High | 0 – None | 12 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 4 – 5 in | 20-30 |
| Hyak | 1 – Low | 0 – None | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 5+ in | 20-30 |
| Longview | 0 – None | 2 – Moderate | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 3 – 4 in | 30-40 |
| Manzana | 1 – Low | 1 – Low | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 3 – 4 in | 20-30 |
| Mexican Red | 2 – Moderate | 3 – High | 12 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 4 – 5 in | 30-40 |
| Mocrocks | 2 – Moderate | 2 – Moderate | 13 hr | 3 – High | 4 – 5 in | 40+ |
| NZ Heirloom #3 | 1 – Low | 0 – None | 12 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 4 – 5 in | 30-40 |
| NZ Heirloom Red | 1 – Low | 0 – None | 12 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 4 – 5 in | 20- |
| OE Blush | 1 – Low | 1 – Low | 12 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 3 – 4 in | 20-30 |
| OE Orange | 1 – Low | 1 – Low | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 2 – 3 in | 20- |
| Paloquemao | 1 – Low | 0 – None | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 2 – 3 in | 20- |
| Pascou | 1 – Low | 2 – Moderate | 12 hr | 1 – Low | 3 – 4 in | 20-30 |
| Pink Dragon | 1 – Low | 1 – Low | 13 hr | 3 – High | 5+ in | 30-40 |
| Puka Ñawi | 1 – Low | 0 – None | 12 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 3 – 4 in | 20-30 |
| Redshift | 0 – None | 0 – None | 12.5 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 4 – 5 in | 30-40 |
| Siwash | 3 – High | 1 – Low | 12.5 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 4 – 5 in | 30-40 |
| Sockeye | 2 – Moderate | 0 – None | 13 hr | 3 – High | 4 – 5 in | 30-40 |
| Sunset | 1 – Low | 2 – Moderate | 12.5 hr | 3 – High | 5+ in | 20-30 |
| Twilight | 1 – Low | 2 – Moderate | 12 hr | 2 – Intermediate | 4 – 5 in | 20-30 |
| White | 3 – High | 0 – None | 12 hr | 3 – High | 4 – 5 in | 20-30 |
| White Salmon | 1 – Low | 2 – Moderate | 13 hr | 3 – High | 4 – 5 in | 30-40 |
| Wishkah | 1 – Low | 1 – Low | 13 hr | 3 – High | 5+ in | 20-30 |
Hi, I harvested some Oca this week. They are super cute and beautiful. I want to know the oca you carry are the sour one or the sweet one? I saw online, that the sour one need to soak in water for a month to dilute the oxalate acid because they contain super high. How can I cook them? Any recommendations? Thanks.
All of our ocas fall into the sweet category, which simply means that they don’t require processing. Many of them are somewhat sour in flavor, but below the level of oxalate that would be considered a “sour oca”. As far as I know, there are no examples of sour/processing ocas available in the USA. You can basically cook them any way that you would cook a potato and you can also eat them raw. Because they dry out more easily than potatoes, I find that they are usually better with wet cooking methods. Slow cooking with meat or other vegetables is my preference.
Which one of the varieties is the one thathas a massive amount of iron in it?
Oca is generally high in iron. None of the varieties that I offer have gone through nutritional analysis, so I don’t know how they vary individually.
Bill, are any of your oca varieties more tolerant than others of the hot summers that I have here in Pennsylvania Dutch country?
Customers have reported that Redshift and Longview are a bit more tolerant of high temperatures than other varieties. But that’s relative. I wouldn’t describe any of them as particularly heat tolerant.
When are oca tubers back in stock?
I will not be offering any tubers in the foreseeable future – only seeds and in vitro plantlets. The field has been infected with a permanent soil borne disease that spreads by durable spores, so I can’t, in good conscience, sell anything that has soil contact anymore.