Post by macmex on Dec 20, 2013 7:03:15 GMT -6
Jerusalem Artichoke
The Jerusalem artichoke is neither from Jerusalem, nor is it an artichoke. Rather it is native to North America and is a member of the sunflower family. It produces tubers which are edible and has long been recognized both by Native Americans, and the French, who recognized it's value when they came across it. Other names for this plant are “sunchoke” and “sunroot,” both, in my opinion being better than Jerusalem artichoke! But regardless of the name, this is an underutilized plant which deserves more attention.
Sunchokes are super productive and there can hardly be an easier crop to grow. In fact, one should be careful about planting them since they can become invasive.
The roots are high in ioline, a starch which is harder to digest than say the starch in potatoes. This makes the sunchoke a good potato substitute for diabetics and also a low calorie substitute for those on a diet. Unfortunately, it also makes it prone to cause flatulence (gas). Some individuals suffer more from this problem, when consuming sunchokes, than do others. So, it is wise to eat these in moderation and learn one's own limits. Probably, a person can develop more tolerance for them, just as one does with beans. To avoid flatulence problems it is helpful to boil sunchokes in two changes of water. This leaches out some of the starch. After boiling, they can either be consumed immediately, or they can be sliced and French fried, or even baked and served like a baked potato. They can be cooked exactly like these foods, without the boiling, but that may cause them to be higher in ioline. They are so delicious, it's hard to limit one's servings! I frequently boil them once and then slice them up and add to a stew, cooked slowly on our wood stove. Done this way they are almost indistinguishable from potatoes and do not cause any problems with flatulence.
Sunchokes should be planted early in the spring. They can be planted before the danger of frost has passed. But at least they should be planted when warm weather crops are being put in the ground, in order to give them time to mature. Plant the roots about 3-4 inches deep and about 2 ½ feet apart. Remember than most varieties get pretty tall, so don't plant them where they will shade other crops. It might be good to plant them on the northern side of the garden, or along a fence. They do make a good screen.
Some folk have reported success growing pole beans on sunchokes. I have not tried this. But I would suspect that one would have to plant the beans on them before the sunchoke plants got more than a foot tall. Otherwise the sunchokes will out compete the beans.
Jerusalem artichokes handle Oklahoma growing conditions pretty well. On a really dry year I have had scant harvests of small tubers. But, even without irrigation, they have survived to reproduce in the coming year. Their greatest nemesis is rodents. I have heard of folk losing their sunchokes due to burrowing rodents, which adore them!
Sunchokes can be harvested any time from early fall until they start coming up again, the following spring. They are sweetest after a good freeze.
There are a number of named varieties of sunchoke. They come with different colored and size roots. There are also different textures when cooked. They are all excellent eaten raw, like a water chestnut.
Oikos Tree Crops has a most fascinating selection of sunchokes. This one company is actually selecting for new strains and recognizes the great potential of this crop.
www.oikostreecrops.com/Perennial-Vegetables/Sunchokes/c-1-156-167/
Here's a picture of a really large tuber, harvested 12/19/2013.
s54.photobucket.com/user/macmex/media/sunchoke_plate12-2013_zpsa48cfec1.jpg.html
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The Jerusalem artichoke is neither from Jerusalem, nor is it an artichoke. Rather it is native to North America and is a member of the sunflower family. It produces tubers which are edible and has long been recognized both by Native Americans, and the French, who recognized it's value when they came across it. Other names for this plant are “sunchoke” and “sunroot,” both, in my opinion being better than Jerusalem artichoke! But regardless of the name, this is an underutilized plant which deserves more attention.
Sunchokes are super productive and there can hardly be an easier crop to grow. In fact, one should be careful about planting them since they can become invasive.
The roots are high in ioline, a starch which is harder to digest than say the starch in potatoes. This makes the sunchoke a good potato substitute for diabetics and also a low calorie substitute for those on a diet. Unfortunately, it also makes it prone to cause flatulence (gas). Some individuals suffer more from this problem, when consuming sunchokes, than do others. So, it is wise to eat these in moderation and learn one's own limits. Probably, a person can develop more tolerance for them, just as one does with beans. To avoid flatulence problems it is helpful to boil sunchokes in two changes of water. This leaches out some of the starch. After boiling, they can either be consumed immediately, or they can be sliced and French fried, or even baked and served like a baked potato. They can be cooked exactly like these foods, without the boiling, but that may cause them to be higher in ioline. They are so delicious, it's hard to limit one's servings! I frequently boil them once and then slice them up and add to a stew, cooked slowly on our wood stove. Done this way they are almost indistinguishable from potatoes and do not cause any problems with flatulence.
Sunchokes should be planted early in the spring. They can be planted before the danger of frost has passed. But at least they should be planted when warm weather crops are being put in the ground, in order to give them time to mature. Plant the roots about 3-4 inches deep and about 2 ½ feet apart. Remember than most varieties get pretty tall, so don't plant them where they will shade other crops. It might be good to plant them on the northern side of the garden, or along a fence. They do make a good screen.
Some folk have reported success growing pole beans on sunchokes. I have not tried this. But I would suspect that one would have to plant the beans on them before the sunchoke plants got more than a foot tall. Otherwise the sunchokes will out compete the beans.
Jerusalem artichokes handle Oklahoma growing conditions pretty well. On a really dry year I have had scant harvests of small tubers. But, even without irrigation, they have survived to reproduce in the coming year. Their greatest nemesis is rodents. I have heard of folk losing their sunchokes due to burrowing rodents, which adore them!
Sunchokes can be harvested any time from early fall until they start coming up again, the following spring. They are sweetest after a good freeze.
There are a number of named varieties of sunchoke. They come with different colored and size roots. There are also different textures when cooked. They are all excellent eaten raw, like a water chestnut.
Oikos Tree Crops has a most fascinating selection of sunchokes. This one company is actually selecting for new strains and recognizes the great potential of this crop.
www.oikostreecrops.com/Perennial-Vegetables/Sunchokes/c-1-156-167/
Here's a picture of a really large tuber, harvested 12/19/2013.
s54.photobucket.com/user/macmex/media/sunchoke_plate12-2013_zpsa48cfec1.jpg.html
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