Tiger's Nuts Farming

Tiger's nut is a popular nut that is eaten by so many people in the African region e.g Nigeria, Ghana,Togo and Senegal. It is also cultivated in some parts of Asia and Europe.
This nut is cultivated in a large scale in Northern Nigeria particularly in Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina and Kano States; mostly sold either dried or as a wet nut(after soaking in water overnight). Hawkers are seen everywhere on the street of major towns in Nigeria selling this nuts in a wheelbarrow or a cart.
The nut is all edible from the mesocarp. It's juice is milky, thick and white. The tiger nut milk is got out from the collection of many nuts by blending together, thereafter filtered to isolate the chaff from the the main milk if need be. The chaff can be used to feed farm animals e.g rabbits and chicken.
It can be taken as a beverage or mixed with other fruits as smoothie 🥤(refrigerated or not)

Cultivation of Tiger's Nut

Botanicals Name: Cyperus esculentus
It is cultivated in a well drained soil. Mostly strive in humus/laterite mixed of the soil. But the soil must be kept moist and with a temperature range of between 20°C and 26°C.
Before taking it to the soil, it must be soaked in water for 24hours, after which should be spread in a tray and sprinkles everyday with water until you notice white roots and green shoots starting to grow. This normally takes a week to occur. Thereafter, the germinating nuts should be taken to a soil that have been prepared for planting in the garden.
But mine was different because I was just making a trial planting. I planted four seeds in a sand-filled bag.

Then I kept watering it everyday except for rainy days. It growth rates was so rapid that by the end of the 1st 30days it's long, green spinny leaves had started dropping tails on the ground.

Harvesting of Cyperus esculentus

It takes Cyperus esculentus three to four months to mature. And the sign of maturity is that the leaves will turn brown and dry.
I planted mine in early February and harvested in late May.

The sweetness of the nuts may not be there immediately after harvest. But after four to five days, it will taste sweeter.
Rinse in water several times to remove sand, spread on a tray or bag to dry.

Hoping to plant more in the coming season. A trial has convinced me that it can also be grown in the Southern part of Nigeria.