Tiger Almond - Chufa

Nutritious Tuber Produced from an Annual Grass Plant

One of the oldest cultivated plants going back 5,000 years. Tubers contain 20-30% oil with a composition similar to olive oil, 80 percent unsaturated fats. Flavor is remarkably like coconut. Small tubers can be eaten fresh or ‘juiced’ to create the famous “horchata” drink. Easy to cultivate.  This is not the ‘weedy’ or perennial nutsedge.  Sativus is the clump forming annual grass that produces large clusters of tubers just below the soil surface. It takes about 80 to 100 days to ripen completely. Any soil will do with this selection. Each tuber forms a 6 inch clump with foliage that reaches up to 2-3 ft. tall. In Michigan it is productive but not like you could make a living growing it for commerce. Florida was the last to do this and it is now not cultivated in the states anymore. 

To plant just push into the soil about an inch deep. Some growers soak the tubers 8 hours prior to planting which will speed up germination, but it is not necessary. Those who use weed mats may find this beneficial as the crop is more protected and the dark geo-textile material heats up more and helps with tuber maturity and yield. This is one reason it is grown in Spain and Africa. HEAT in the summer. Using the fabric makes it a more clumpy type of grass with little rhizomes. 

Easy to harvest, just pull out the clump and rinse with a sprayer. Will store for a long time once dried, easy to keep for the next season's propagation. No insect problems but voles may consume the crop if you are not careful keeping the grass away. Turkeys will dig around the plant and eat the tubers as they mature. Turkeys and ducks go crazy over this tuber which is one reason you see a version of it in wildlife seed mixes.No international sales with this tuber.