Yacon Products
Yacon, as a wild plant, looks a little like a sweet potato. In fact it could be seen as a true sweet root vegetable since it is the source of the amazing Indigo Herbs Organic Yacon Syrup & Organic Yacon Powder. Yacon is refined a little like Maple Syrup to make a thick sweet syrup; or the root is dried and milled into Yacon Powder. Both can be an amazing alternative to sugar and honey to sweeten hot beverages and use in food preparation and baking.
As a wild plant Yacon has it's roots in the foothills of the Andean mountain range. It's history is as diverse as many South American staples which can be seen by its other name of Peruvian Ground Apple. Indigo Herbs has decided to add Organic Yacon Syrup to our range of sweeteners because of the benefits that come with this amazing product.
There's evidence to suggest that Yacon was consumed before the Incan Empire which means it's history stretches back into deep antiquity. Although Yacon root wasn't farmed on a large scale until the modern era, South American peoples have used the wild variety of Yacon in home gardens and as a source of water. Peruvian folklore tells of how Incan messengers would use Yacon root as a source of water during long journeys.
The Yacon plant comes from the same family as the perennial daisy. It has lovely yellow flowers which resemble smaller sunflowers. Leaves are arrow shaped, large with a fleshy texture. The roots, where the syrup is found, are of two sorts. The first are usually purple and are ground roots; the second are tuber roots that hold a large amount of juice. It's this sweet tasting juice that is refined to make Yacon Syrup.