It is not yet well known in this country, the tigernut, which is also known as the tiger nut. The sour grass plant is native to southern regions, but can also be grown in the home garden or in pots. The small underground tubers are harvested in autumn.

After harvesting, the tiger nuts are dried

The tiger nut harvest begins in autumn

The tiger nut harvest begins in mid-October. It should be completed before it starts to freeze. Frost causes the tiger nuts to rot.

How to properly harvest tiger nuts

  • Pull greens out of the ground
  • Separate the tigernuts
  • Loosen the soil with a digging fork
  • Pick up tiger nuts by hand
  • Sieve potting soil

Like peanuts, tigernuts grow underground and therefore have to be dug up. First, the green is stripped.

Use the digging fork to loosen the soil around the mother plant. You will find most tiger nuts where the plant greens have covered the ground. But even 50 centimeters away from the mother plant, there can still be tigernuts in the ground. Pick the fruit from the ground.

If you have grown the tiger nut in a pot, harvesting is a little easier. Simply tip the bucket over and pour the loose soil through a fine mesh screen or rabbit wire. Then all you have to do is collect the tiger nuts.

After harvesting, let the tigernuts dry

After harvesting, clean the tiger nuts of adhering dirt. To do this, gently rinse them with water.

The tigernuts must then be stored in a dry, warm place until they have dried. They will keep for several months this way.

The fruit can be used whole, chopped, or ground into flour in any recipe that calls for nuts or almonds. Tigernuts can also be used to make tigernut oil or to prepare drinks.

Up to 500 tiger nuts on one plant

Tigernuts are very small and taste almost like almonds. They're about the size of a fingertip. A single plant forms up to 500 of the small, healthy tubers.

tips

The above-ground green parts of the tigernut plant also contain no toxins. They can be used as animal feed.

Category:

Herbs