Did someone say Jicima?

The 2 Prickly Pears both love love love jicama!  We just can’t get enough of it. It is right up there with kale and fennel as something that is always in the refrigerator… if it makes it that far.

So here is what we know about jicima (HEE-ka-ma) is native to Central America, where it is also known as Yam Bean or Mexican Turnip. It is related to the pea family.  It is a crispy, sweet tuber. It is so versatile; because of it texture it lends itself to salads, cold wraps, salsas, fruit salads or just on the side with a sandwich.  Jicima can be baked or fried to make match sticks, added to stews, used in hash or added to cole slaw.

Fresh strawberries, pineapple, oranges, jicima topped with chia seeds

Jicimas can grow to be very large (50lbs) but they are normally picked when they are around 3 or 4 pounds.  When they become bigger the natural sugars in the jicima turn to starch and become somewhat woody in taste.

When choosing a jicima in a store, you should look for a medium size (3 or 4 lbs) with dry roots.  Make sure there are no wet or soft spots on them. This is an indication of rot.  Avoid large jicima as they may have lost their sweet flavor.  It is better to get 2 small ones if you are serving several people. Before eating, the brown skin needs to be removed.  Peel like you would a potato using either a potato peeler or pairing knife. The inside or eatable part of the jicima is white (watch for brown spots).  Jicima can be stored like potatoes for about 3 or 4 weeks but once cut you need to place the remaining piece in an air tight container or cover in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (again if it last that long!)

Jicima is great for those who want to add something more healthy to their daily diet.  It is fat free and loaded with vitamin C.  It is a great alternative to those celery or carrot sticks that get old after awhile.  It also contains healthy amounts of magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.

Jicima  plants grow best in warmer climate.  They prefer full sun and moderate rain and do not hold up well to frost making it difficult to grow in northern climates.  The jicima plant is a perennial and grows year round.  The plants sprouted in the spring tend to grow large tubers where the ones planted in the summer grow smaller ones.  An interesting fact about the jicima plant is that it has its own natural insecticide, keeping those nasty bugs away.

This is our favorite recipe using jicima.   You can’t get much more healthy then this!

Black Bean Dip

1 small jicama

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium sweet red (or yellow or orange) pepper, chopped 

1 medium sweet onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T olive oil

1 tsp red wine vinegar

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp ground pepper

2 medium ripe avocadoes, peeled and diced

2 T lemon juice

Chips for scooping

• In large bowl combine jicama, black beans, red pepper, onions and garlic.  
• In small bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Pour oil mixture of bean mixture and gently toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Just before service, toss avocadoes with lemon juice.  Add to bean dip and very gently toss.
• Serve with your favorite chips or crackers.  

We love watching peoples reactions in a cooking class when we introduce them to jicima.  They are never quite sure what to make of it but after tasting it a few times they say they are going to add it to the next grocery list.

Do the jicima dance :-)