Growing and harvesting ube
How does ube grow? From planting the vine to harvesting the tuber, growing the purple yam takes patience and know-how. Here are the main stages, from field to pouch.
A tropical vine
Ube (Dioscorea alata) is a climbing yam. The part we cook, the tuber with violet flesh, develops underground, while the plant unfurls a long vine above the surface. It needs a tropical climate, warm and humid, and loose, well-drained soil to thrive.
Ube is a plant that takes its time: several months pass between planting and harvesting the tuber. It is a crop of patience.
From field to tuber: the stages.
| Stage | In brief |
|---|---|
| Planting | Put in the ground in the warm, humid season |
| Growth | The vine climbs, the tuber forms underground |
| Maturation | Several months to develop colour and taste |
| Harvest | Careful lifting of the tubers |
| Sorting | Selection of the finest tubers |
In brief
The harvest, a delicate moment
The harvest takes care: the tubers must be lifted without damage, since an injured yam keeps poorly. Then comes sorting, where the finest tubers, with deeply violet flesh, are selected. It is this quality raw material that will make a good powder.
The quality of the powder begins in the field. A fine tuber, ripe and well coloured, is the condition for a powder with exceptional taste and colour.
The challenges of growing
Growing ube is not without difficulties: the fresh tuber keeps poorly and travels with difficulty, which explains its rarity outside Asia. Turning it into powder answers precisely this problem, stabilising the product while preserving its taste and colour.
- Ube is a climbing yam of tropical climates.
- The tuber forms underground over several months.
- Harvest and sorting determine the final quality.
- Fragile to keep fresh, ube is stabilised as powder.
See turning it into powder, the origins of ube, or the Kinampay from Bohol.
From the field to your cup.
Our 100% ube Kinampay powder starts from carefully grown and harvested tubers. All that work, for an exceptional taste and colour.
Your questions: growing and harvesting.
How does ube grow?
Ube is a climbing yam of tropical climates. The tuber with violet flesh develops underground, while the plant unfurls a long vine above the surface.
How long does it take to grow ube?
Several months pass between planting and harvest, the time for the tuber to develop its colour and taste. It is a crop of patience.
What climate is needed to grow ube?
A tropical climate, warm and humid, and loose, well-drained soil. That is why it is grown mainly in tropical Asia, notably in the Philippines.
Why is fresh ube rare outside Asia?
Because the fresh tuber keeps poorly and travels with difficulty. The powder gets around this problem by stabilising the product.
Does the powder's quality depend on the harvest?
Yes. It all begins in the field: a ripe, well-coloured tuber harvested with care gives a powder with exceptional taste and colour.