Apropos of exactly nothing: Jerusalem artichokes

[Vort]

I saw a video on the Homestead Channel where the guy dug up a Jerusalem artichoke plant and got all these tubers, so I wanted to give them a try. When I had the opportunity, I brought home a couple of small Jerusalem artichokes. Today after church I cooked them up and tried them. I boiled one like a potato, and the other I sliced up and sauteed in butter.

 

They were excellent, both of them. Sweet but not like a sweet potato, and a mild artichoke-y flavor. Very pleasant.

 

So now I'm thinking of growing a Jerusalem artichoke plant in a five-gallon plastic bucket or some such thing. Anyone have any tips? Anyone else fond of Jerusalem artichokes? Ideas?

[Guest]

They're funny looking.

[classylady]

Sorry, I don't have any advice for you Vort.   I had never heard of Jerusalem Artichokes until two years ago when I got several of them in one of my baskets from Bountiful Basket.  I had to ask several people what they were.

 

And, I agree with Eowyn, they are funny looking.

[Palerider]

I have never had a desire to eat a artichoke. I will pass on any advice.

[Traveler]

Why on earth do people try to eat anything with choke or gag as part of its name?

[Vort]

I have never had a desire to eat a artichoke. I will pass on any advice.

Pale: Jerusalem artichokes aren't artichokes of any type. They are the root of a type of North American daisy related to a sunflower. The name appears to come from their Italian name, "girasole", meaning "sunflower" (literally "sun-turn"), which sounds something like "Jerusalem" in English. The "artichoke" part is because they have a lightly artichoke-y flavor. They are more like a potato, though I understand they don't mash up very well.

 

But if you don't want to try them, that's fine by me. I'm sure not everyone likes them. I was just surprised to find how tasty they are, and apparently easy to grow. ("Easy" meaning you can't get rid of the darned things. Or so I am told.)

[Guest]

Do you treat them like a potato? I'm intrigued. 

[Vort]

Do you treat them like a potato? I'm intrigued. 

My OP details the sum total of my experience with Jerusalem artichokes.

[Guest]

Jerusalem artichokes are like bamboo... they can overtake your entire yard! They grow to be 12 feet tall or something like that and you may think you've removed all the tubers at harvest, but you realize more of it grow next season spread through a wider patch of yard. You dig it all up, and you find out again more sprout up.

I say plant this in a some kind of a containment bed. Maybe something like the "hill potato" method where you put 4 5-foot tall posts, floor the bottom, and square up with deck boards on the side to form a box. Board up to a foot, plant the tubers inside and cover with soil. Then when the shoots go up to 2 feet tall, board up the next foot up and cover with soil up to the last layer of leaves, then you'll have enough soil for the tubers to go "up the hill" instead of sideways. When you want to harvest, you just knock off the bottom board and pull out tubers from there and board it back up. Next time you want more tubers, pull out from the next board up top.

I don't really know if this "board up" method would work - don't know of anyone who has tried it. The traditional method is just to section off a part of yard that you can mow around to contain them... any sprouts that show up outside of the area you want you can just mow down to contain the spread.

[Palerider]

Pale: Jerusalem artichokes aren't artichokes of any type. They are the root of a type of North American daisy related to a sunflower. The name appears to come from their Italian name, "girasole", meaning "sunflower" (literally "sun-turn"), which sounds something like "Jerusalem" in English. The "artichoke" part is because they have a lightly artichoke-y flavor. They are more like a potato, though I understand they don't mash up very well.

 

But if you don't want to try them, that's fine by me. I'm sure not everyone likes them. I was just surprised to find how tasty they are, and apparently easy to grow. ("Easy" meaning you can't get rid of the darned things. Or so I am told.)

This is something my wife would try. We are opposite in our likes and tastes for food. I still have no desire and would pass.

[Crypto]

Why on earth do people try to eat anything with choke or gag as part of its name?

 

Well, it's an art-to-[not]-choke. So Art.

 

(I really like artichokes btw lol, idk about The type they are talking about here though)

[Vort]

Sunchoke redux: I harvested three of my plants a month ago. Specifically, I harvested the ones I planted in a planter. Here are some pix:

 

 

I planted three pieces of tuber about the size of the end of my thumb in this planter. Never produced any flowers, but they did make large plants. They grew about seven feet above the soil.

 

 

Harvesting was a snap -- just dump and collect.

 

 

We got a lot of return on our investment.

 

 

Here's what we got, all washed and ready to prepare. All from three thumb-sized pieces.

 

 

I sauteed some, and one of my children made some sunchoke-chips out of one. They were all quite good.

[Guest]

Ohhh... this is something I could use my spirelli on!

 

I was never brave enough to plant these.  I was always worried they'd overtake my yard and I didn't think they'd put out tubers in a small pot!  Now I'm gonna have to try it.