Kumara - From the Farmer’s Field to Your Plate
Have you ever wondered how it is that those delicious Kaipara Kumara wind up on your table? Well, it takes about six months for a kumara to go from being a young sprout to an appetising part of your family meals.
The first thing a farmer does before planting kumara is decide which variety to grow. Varieties differ in skin colour and type. For example, the Beauregard variety has a red skin with yellow flesh. Two other types of kumara are grown in New Zealand, Toka Toka Gold and Red kumara, (Owairaka) is the most widely recognised kumara in New Zealand and has a distinctive red skin, a creamy white firm textured flesh. Gold kumara (Toka Toka) has a golden skin and flesh and a sweeter taste than red kumara. Orange kumara (Beauregard) has a rich orange flesh and is the sweetest of the 3 varieties. |
The kumara itself is the seed. Each kumara root will produce sprouts, which are then planted to produce plenty of high-quality roots. Farmers must use quality plants. After the farmer selects a variety to grow, the next step is to bed the seed. Seeds are bedded during July, August, September so that they will grow mature, strong roots that will be ready for transplanting into the field during October, November, December in the Kaipara region of New Zealand. The most practical type of seed bed is a field bed covered with plastic.
Location of the plant bed is important. To avoid any carry over of disease or pests from a previous crop, the farmer must select a well-drained, sandy loam soil that has not been used to produce kumara for at least three years. Each bedded seed root will produce up to 15 plants.
While the seed are producing plants that will later be transplanted into the field, the farmer doesn't just sit around and wait for the plants to grow. Fields need to be prepared. Deep, sandy soils will always produce good-looking and the best-shaped kumara. To produce good volumes of quality kumara, the farmer must make sure that the soil has all the nutrients that it needs by adding the right amount and type of fertiliser.
While the farmer has been busy preparing the field, kumara seed roots have sprouted in the beds and are now ready to be cut. The first thing that a farmer looks for in selecting plants to be cut and taken to the field is that the plants must be insect free. Next he will look for size. The best plants are 25-35 cm long and have 8 or more leaves. Plants are cut above the ground and not pulled from the soil to reduce the spread of disease.
Transplanting to the field begins when the soil temperature is right. Once in the field, the farmer has to protect the kumara crop against both pests and weeds. One well-established and successful management practice is integrated pest management (IPM). IPM is a management practice that uses pests against one another. Insect problems can be avoided through good field management, crop rotation, a viable seed programme, use of resistant varieties, and proper harvesting, sanitation, curing, and storage practices.
Weed management is essential in plant beds and in the field. Kumara need lots of room to grow, and being crowded by weeds is not the ideal condition. Farmers carry out careful weed control throughout the growing season.
Approximately 120 to 150 days after planting, the kumara crop is ready to harvest. Unlike most other crops, kumara will continue to grow as long as the plant has green leaves and weather conditions permit. Harvesting can be done manually or mechanically. Mechanical diggers harvest kumara by exposing the roots of the plant so that they may be picked up by hand.
Once harvested, kumara are taken to the storage house where they are cured in temperature and humidity controlled conditions. Curing is the natural, internal conversion of starch to sugar. During the curing process kumara rapidly heal any cuts, bruises, and skinned areas that occur during harvest.
After they are cured, the farmer stores the kumara in the same conditions. Storage above the best temperature range will increase the development of internal disorders such as weight loss, sprouting, and pithiness.
Kumara are washed, sorted, and graded after storage and before they are transported to stores.
Kumara are good for you year round. In fact, kumara are one of the healthiest vegetable you can eat for your after-school snack. They are very high in beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that helps prevent cancer. They also have vitamins E, C, and B6 as well as potassium, iron, and fibre.
What does all of than mean? Well, vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps promote healthy eyes. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, and it also helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. Vitamin B6 is important because it supports more essential body functions, such as protein metabolism and cellular growth, than any other vitamin. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and aids in muscle contraction. Iron helps move oxygen to all body cells, and fiber helps keep the digestive tract healthy. Imagine, all that from just one kumara.
So be sure to eat kumara all year round. From the farmer’s field to your plate (and into your stomach), there simply isn’t a healthier vegetable.
Location of the plant bed is important. To avoid any carry over of disease or pests from a previous crop, the farmer must select a well-drained, sandy loam soil that has not been used to produce kumara for at least three years. Each bedded seed root will produce up to 15 plants.
While the seed are producing plants that will later be transplanted into the field, the farmer doesn't just sit around and wait for the plants to grow. Fields need to be prepared. Deep, sandy soils will always produce good-looking and the best-shaped kumara. To produce good volumes of quality kumara, the farmer must make sure that the soil has all the nutrients that it needs by adding the right amount and type of fertiliser.
While the farmer has been busy preparing the field, kumara seed roots have sprouted in the beds and are now ready to be cut. The first thing that a farmer looks for in selecting plants to be cut and taken to the field is that the plants must be insect free. Next he will look for size. The best plants are 25-35 cm long and have 8 or more leaves. Plants are cut above the ground and not pulled from the soil to reduce the spread of disease.
Transplanting to the field begins when the soil temperature is right. Once in the field, the farmer has to protect the kumara crop against both pests and weeds. One well-established and successful management practice is integrated pest management (IPM). IPM is a management practice that uses pests against one another. Insect problems can be avoided through good field management, crop rotation, a viable seed programme, use of resistant varieties, and proper harvesting, sanitation, curing, and storage practices.
Weed management is essential in plant beds and in the field. Kumara need lots of room to grow, and being crowded by weeds is not the ideal condition. Farmers carry out careful weed control throughout the growing season.
Approximately 120 to 150 days after planting, the kumara crop is ready to harvest. Unlike most other crops, kumara will continue to grow as long as the plant has green leaves and weather conditions permit. Harvesting can be done manually or mechanically. Mechanical diggers harvest kumara by exposing the roots of the plant so that they may be picked up by hand.
Once harvested, kumara are taken to the storage house where they are cured in temperature and humidity controlled conditions. Curing is the natural, internal conversion of starch to sugar. During the curing process kumara rapidly heal any cuts, bruises, and skinned areas that occur during harvest.
After they are cured, the farmer stores the kumara in the same conditions. Storage above the best temperature range will increase the development of internal disorders such as weight loss, sprouting, and pithiness.
Kumara are washed, sorted, and graded after storage and before they are transported to stores.
Kumara are good for you year round. In fact, kumara are one of the healthiest vegetable you can eat for your after-school snack. They are very high in beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that helps prevent cancer. They also have vitamins E, C, and B6 as well as potassium, iron, and fibre.
What does all of than mean? Well, vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps promote healthy eyes. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, and it also helps keep your teeth and gums healthy. Vitamin B6 is important because it supports more essential body functions, such as protein metabolism and cellular growth, than any other vitamin. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and aids in muscle contraction. Iron helps move oxygen to all body cells, and fiber helps keep the digestive tract healthy. Imagine, all that from just one kumara.
So be sure to eat kumara all year round. From the farmer’s field to your plate (and into your stomach), there simply isn’t a healthier vegetable.