Purple Yam bulbils – Ube – Dioscorea Alata

These Wild Yams were brought here by the Spanish in the 1500s. They escaped cultivation and grow wild here in Florida. They make the survival food list because like Sweet Potatoes they have great resilience and grow with vigor in warm climates. Many cultures know them as Ube.

How big do they grow? I have some 50 to 100 lbs yams in my backwoods. However the first year they typically grow 1 to 5 lbs. You can grow them without anyone knowing, yet have a good food supply for your family. About 1/3 of the world uses Yams as a primary subsistence crop. They are time tested. For a food supply, you do not need lettuce, you need calories first.

You can make ice cream out of Purple Ube.

The actual tubers look like some alien, asymmetrical and tentacle looking roots. But they are not from Mars but rather 100% homegrown American tasty ‘potatoes’.

Pests are a joke to these guys. They take one bite and run. Deer do not like the taste nor do rabbits (because you have to cook them). They can take drought and flooding. Stress seems to make them stronger and grow bigger.

They are an unstoppable survival crop. You grow them and no one will know you are growing them, they will assume it is a weird vine. It is not, is a substance food rich in nutrients. These are a specially cultivated variety. In any dysphoria post-apocalyptic world, you can imagine, you will survive with these growing. Corn is nitrogen pigs. Wheat and grains take work or machines (yes I know a scythe). Potatoes are subject to pests as they are cultivated varieties and grown as a mon-crop. Modern crops take a lot of work, Dioscorea Alta the wild yam is something ancient.

Not all Yams are edible. These are, I live in the oldest town in America, Saint Augustine, and thanks to Ponce de Leon and company I have them in the wild. By the way he was looking for the fountain of youth here, he did not find it, I know I was there.

Many people consume them because they are so rich in nutrients, they draw nutrients from the soil they allegedly stimulate hormone production. However, you can do the research on this yourself.

They are fun to grow because they are so easy. They are recommended by people like “David the Good”, you can look him up, he is an expert gardener.

• Do I fertilize them? I never have, maybe some mulch was thrown back there incidentally.
• What do they taste like? Like a creamy Irish potato.
• Why Purple? Purple Yams are the only ones you want. Purple is rich in polyphenols, flavonoids like anthocyanins. anthocyanins are the main antioxidant in blueberries. You can research this yourself.
• Do wild yams have hormonal benefits? You can research this yourself as I do not want to make any claims.
• Can you make ice cream out of Ube? Yes.

Staple food for your family

Again, this is the ultimate survival food coupled with Sweet Potatoes. It is on my list for a Martian Potato as it seems to grow no matter what. Zones 7 to 13 it grows great. In other zones, you can keep it in a warm area inside or in a greenhouse or by the house or on the southside of the house. This is better than any food bank or EBT in the sense you will always have a food supply and true independence.

Some sale restrictions on these Purple Yams

• I cannot sell these to CA,TX,LA,AZ or FL.
• I cannot sell these as a seed or something you plant but only as let’s say ‘pet food’, as they grow like crazy with little effort, e.g. FL classifies them as invasive for example. But invasive is good. That means they grow easily. Florida is really concerned with the wigged yam their cousin, not these fat lazy cultivated variety, but still, I can not sell them in FL.
• However, people that plant them get tons of Yams all over the world. 100 million tonnes are produced and are the primary crop in many countries.

How are Potatoes, Yams, and Sweet Potatoes related?

They are all plants that grow in the earth with foliage above ground. Then are Yams related to Sweet Potatoes? Yams are closer to beets than Sweet potatoes or potatoes, but since they grow in the ground, they share common life characteristics in the sense they draw nutrients from the soil in a similar way. Some people cure them. I do not. I store them as they lay in the ground. I eat them when I want and when I do not, they are happy in the ground to grow bigger.

When you cook yams, take the skin off and wash or soak them well. They have to me cooked. I make Yam fries and mashed potatoes as well as Yam chips.

Do not eat any yams you see growing in the wild unless you know what you are doing as there are 1000s of varieties. You can buy my Purple Yam bubils.