Lesson 6.5.1 CASSAVA - harvesting - Manihot esculenta
FOOD FOREST COURSE
CASSAVA - harvesting - Manihot esculenta
Harvesting
When is the
cassava ready to be harvested? That’s a good question. When I first started
growing cassava, I was so impatient that inevitably the tubers were nowhere big
enough. I was eager to harvest the
tubers, but cassava does take its own time. Obviously, a good average rainfall
will help to speed up production, but a dry spell will still produce results
although it will take longer. Under ideal circumstances cassava will be ready
to harvest no sooner than eight months.
The average tubers take at least 10-11 months to form and leaving them
longer is fine as well. There is no
hurry to harvest the tubers unless of course they’re going to be eaten by rats
and other wildlife. Even geese are known
to demolish cassava. People, who
traditionally eat cassava boiled, as with the yellow varieties, don’t like to
harvest their cassava too late, sweet young cassava is preferred. The older
cassava is very suitable for fermenting, and I’ve harvested and fermented
cassava that was planted up to eight years ago. As long as the knife can cut
through it, I found that the tuber is good for eating.
One way to tell if
the cassava tubers are worth harvesting is to give the base of the plant a
wiggle to test for resistance. If there is movement leave it alone for a few
months but if the base is very thick and there is plenty of resistance, then
there is sure to be a tuber or two or three to harvest underneath the ground.
Individual tubers can be harvested, and the rest of the cassava bush can be
left intact to grow the smaller ones for later on. When harvesting cassava,
make sure you are ready to process them within forty-eight hours, as they will
become toxic otherwise.
Always cook all parts of the cassava, never eat any part of the cassava raw. Text from the roots, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC studied with Bill Mollison,
MORE INFOS: Be more successful with our company as consultant in AGRO-ECONOMY. We reach 4 times more yields, click on the blog: https://atlas-development.blogspot.com
Join in on 150 lessons FOOD FOREST COURSE AGROFORESTRY you can easy start now. Click on https://food-forest-course.blogspot.com THE STANDARD you find there forever.
Find the 250 lessons, the basics of ORGANIC FARMING COURSE in fb on FAIREC forever. https:// www.facebook.com/FAIREC-Atlas-Developement-SARL-654505228040366/
Save daily 50 % water, energy, and fertilizer with us. Use also 2-wheel
tractors for easy and better farming. See 70 lessons of best SUBSURFACE DRIP
IRRIGATION for crops and trees Use our best T-Tape, click on the blog https://smart-farming-solutions.blogspot.com
#organicfarmer #organic #organicfarmingpractices #organicfarming #organicfarm #foodforest #syntropic #agroecology #syntropicfarming #agroeconomy #introductiontopermaculture #permacultureprinciples #creativethinking #permaculturehomesteading #regenerativefuture
Comments
Post a Comment