Post by macmex on Dec 24, 2015 13:12:40 GMT -6
The Jerusalem artichoke is neither from Israel, nor is it an artichoke. The name originates somewhere in its history of European contact. Early French explorers found a lot of these being cultivated by Native Americans over much of the Eastern part of this continent. They took samples back to France, from where they were spread throughout Western Europe (at least). I find mention of England, France, Germany and Italy. I suspect they went further. The best I can make out about the name, is that it stems from Italian. I do not speak Italian. But here's my theory: in Italian, sunflower is girasole and articulation (like in knobs) is articolazione. My bet is that the Italians used some form of these two words to tag this plant. Then, later, as in the case of so many New World plants, some Italians brought some back here. English speakers, upon hearing the Italian name for this plant, were unable to pronounce it correctly. So they settled for a “close approximation,” … Jerusalem artichoke. Though the Jerusalem artichoke is native to North America, it has not maintained much popularity among our population during the last three hundred years. So, it is easy to imagine, say, a New Yorker, having an encounter with an Italian street vendor, and going home to the family with a sack of “Jerusalem artichokes,” not being able to replicate what the vendor called them.
Many being aware that the name, “Jerusalem artichoke” is far from accurate, have attempted to re-dub this plant as “sunchoke” or “sunroot.” I think “sunroot” is probably the best option. But by far, the most commonly used name continues to be “Jerusalem artichoke. The scientific name, is Helianthus tuberosus L.
This plant hearkens back to a time when people grew and foraged for much of their own food, and going out to dig some roots was considered a normal activity. I have heard that there continue to be large stands of these on the location of places which were used as winter camps by Native Americans. Sunroots, ground potatoes (Apios americana), acorns and cattails were all important foods which would have been very important, especially for winter eating. The line between foraging and cultivation was not so clearly defined by native peoples, as it has been by cultures derived from northern European sources. Our family observed this, when living out in the hills (Sierra) in Mexico. There, if a person wanted to grow tomatillos, for instance, they might simply toss some rotting fruit into their corn field. The tomatillos would come up in the spring, and they simply didn't weed them out. Then, for years to come, they had “food producing weeds.” This is pretty much the niche occupied by a good number of foods used by native peoples of this great land.
There are two reasons that it is hard to pry the sunroot from this kind of niche: first, no matter how thoroughly one digs and removes the roots, enough escape for the stand to grow back in the coming year. I rarely set out to plant a row of sunroots, as it is easier simply to let them stay, somewhere where they come up on their own. Secondly, sunroots do not keep very well when removed from the soil. We are all to accustomed to “Irish potatoes,” which may keep for months, when stored in a relatively cool place indoors. But sunroots, when exposed to the open air, will shrivel and spoil in just a couple of days. I have managed to keep them for months, if I place them in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel, in the refrigerator. But even in the crisper drawer, if left exposed to the air, they will quickly spoil.
On the other hand, sunroots, if kept in place, in the garden, will be perfectly palatable until they start sprouting in the spring. In fact, their flavor improves with exposure to freezing temperatures. And, I have actually chipped them out of frozen soil, and found that they are non the worse for wear! When I was a kid, growing up in NJ, my parents raised sunroots. We mulched in the fall, so we could easily dig them all winter. Here in Oklahoma, I don't even mulch. I can break them free at almost any time.
Jerusalem artichokes are nutritious. I understand they are good source of potassium and starch. They are rich in fiber and calcium, and they provide needed calories. They do, indeed work in the place of Irish potatoes, for most things. However keep in mind that they are not as easy to use. The main challenge to be faced is that their starch is not the same as that found in the Irish potato. It is a starch called inulin, which is harder to digest. This is an advantage for those who struggle with blood sugar. But it is very bad news for the person who lacks sufficient fauna in their digestive track to break inulin down. “Death by flatulence” is the term that comes to mind! Though I seriously doubt anyone would suffer real physical harm from eating these: pain, yes, emotional trauma,... possibly. The key to successfully using sunroots is to boil them, first, drain the water and then cook them however desired. This may mean boiling them again, baking, or even frying as French fries. Boiling and throwing out the water removes a fair amount of the inulin, making them less flatulent. I might also add, that I have used sunroot, completely, as a potato substitute, in a stew which was slow cooked all day. The result is absolutely delicious, and perfectly digestible. They are also tasty when eaten raw. Many say that they are similar, when consumed in this manner, to a water chestnut. I have never met anyone who complained about flatulence when eating them raw.
Sunroots can grow anywhere from 4' to12' in height, depending on growing conditions and the strain planted. There are a couple different colors of root available. They do produce seed, so it is not uncommon to have a volunteer pop up a good distance from the patch. A seedling will produce a full sized crop of roots its first season. Jerusalem artichokes can make a beautiful sight in the late summer or fall, when they burst into flower. Honeybees love to work the flowers, which look like miniature sunflowers. The sunchoke is a high producing plant. In my garden, one single plant can produce up to 40' of roots. They are so productive that often, the ground heaves at their base, from the bulk of roots forming there!
The only nemesis to this plant I have found are rodents. Rats, mice and voles adore the roots. One year a groundhog even made his tunnel in our sunchoke patch, unnoticed until several plants died. We lost a bushel or two of roots, perhaps. But the groundhog was delicious! Don't think that you can get away with growing these in a pasture with grazing animals. All ruminants adore them.
When does one plant Jerusalem artichokes? They can be planted anytime, from November until May. Here in Oklahoma, they start sprouting in April. But I have actually stripped off the sprouts in order to ship roots, and they re-sprouted and grew just fine. They are very easy to plant. Tilling isn't even necessary. One could simply use a breaker bar and punch a hole in the ground, dropping a piece of root into the hole, and tamping it shut with the foot. Plant these about 2-3' apart. Their roots will extend at least 2' out from the initial sprout. I have grown them along a fence, in the lawn, with no problem. They do even better in a garden with amended soil.
Some references
www.vegparadise.com/highestperch26.html
www.inuliflora.com/en/jerusalem-artichokes/
plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=HETU
Many being aware that the name, “Jerusalem artichoke” is far from accurate, have attempted to re-dub this plant as “sunchoke” or “sunroot.” I think “sunroot” is probably the best option. But by far, the most commonly used name continues to be “Jerusalem artichoke. The scientific name, is Helianthus tuberosus L.
This plant hearkens back to a time when people grew and foraged for much of their own food, and going out to dig some roots was considered a normal activity. I have heard that there continue to be large stands of these on the location of places which were used as winter camps by Native Americans. Sunroots, ground potatoes (Apios americana), acorns and cattails were all important foods which would have been very important, especially for winter eating. The line between foraging and cultivation was not so clearly defined by native peoples, as it has been by cultures derived from northern European sources. Our family observed this, when living out in the hills (Sierra) in Mexico. There, if a person wanted to grow tomatillos, for instance, they might simply toss some rotting fruit into their corn field. The tomatillos would come up in the spring, and they simply didn't weed them out. Then, for years to come, they had “food producing weeds.” This is pretty much the niche occupied by a good number of foods used by native peoples of this great land.
There are two reasons that it is hard to pry the sunroot from this kind of niche: first, no matter how thoroughly one digs and removes the roots, enough escape for the stand to grow back in the coming year. I rarely set out to plant a row of sunroots, as it is easier simply to let them stay, somewhere where they come up on their own. Secondly, sunroots do not keep very well when removed from the soil. We are all to accustomed to “Irish potatoes,” which may keep for months, when stored in a relatively cool place indoors. But sunroots, when exposed to the open air, will shrivel and spoil in just a couple of days. I have managed to keep them for months, if I place them in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel, in the refrigerator. But even in the crisper drawer, if left exposed to the air, they will quickly spoil.
On the other hand, sunroots, if kept in place, in the garden, will be perfectly palatable until they start sprouting in the spring. In fact, their flavor improves with exposure to freezing temperatures. And, I have actually chipped them out of frozen soil, and found that they are non the worse for wear! When I was a kid, growing up in NJ, my parents raised sunroots. We mulched in the fall, so we could easily dig them all winter. Here in Oklahoma, I don't even mulch. I can break them free at almost any time.
Jerusalem artichokes are nutritious. I understand they are good source of potassium and starch. They are rich in fiber and calcium, and they provide needed calories. They do, indeed work in the place of Irish potatoes, for most things. However keep in mind that they are not as easy to use. The main challenge to be faced is that their starch is not the same as that found in the Irish potato. It is a starch called inulin, which is harder to digest. This is an advantage for those who struggle with blood sugar. But it is very bad news for the person who lacks sufficient fauna in their digestive track to break inulin down. “Death by flatulence” is the term that comes to mind! Though I seriously doubt anyone would suffer real physical harm from eating these: pain, yes, emotional trauma,... possibly. The key to successfully using sunroots is to boil them, first, drain the water and then cook them however desired. This may mean boiling them again, baking, or even frying as French fries. Boiling and throwing out the water removes a fair amount of the inulin, making them less flatulent. I might also add, that I have used sunroot, completely, as a potato substitute, in a stew which was slow cooked all day. The result is absolutely delicious, and perfectly digestible. They are also tasty when eaten raw. Many say that they are similar, when consumed in this manner, to a water chestnut. I have never met anyone who complained about flatulence when eating them raw.
Sunroots can grow anywhere from 4' to12' in height, depending on growing conditions and the strain planted. There are a couple different colors of root available. They do produce seed, so it is not uncommon to have a volunteer pop up a good distance from the patch. A seedling will produce a full sized crop of roots its first season. Jerusalem artichokes can make a beautiful sight in the late summer or fall, when they burst into flower. Honeybees love to work the flowers, which look like miniature sunflowers. The sunchoke is a high producing plant. In my garden, one single plant can produce up to 40' of roots. They are so productive that often, the ground heaves at their base, from the bulk of roots forming there!
The only nemesis to this plant I have found are rodents. Rats, mice and voles adore the roots. One year a groundhog even made his tunnel in our sunchoke patch, unnoticed until several plants died. We lost a bushel or two of roots, perhaps. But the groundhog was delicious! Don't think that you can get away with growing these in a pasture with grazing animals. All ruminants adore them.
When does one plant Jerusalem artichokes? They can be planted anytime, from November until May. Here in Oklahoma, they start sprouting in April. But I have actually stripped off the sprouts in order to ship roots, and they re-sprouted and grew just fine. They are very easy to plant. Tilling isn't even necessary. One could simply use a breaker bar and punch a hole in the ground, dropping a piece of root into the hole, and tamping it shut with the foot. Plant these about 2-3' apart. Their roots will extend at least 2' out from the initial sprout. I have grown them along a fence, in the lawn, with no problem. They do even better in a garden with amended soil.
Some references
www.vegparadise.com/highestperch26.html
www.inuliflora.com/en/jerusalem-artichokes/
plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=HETU