First Sunchoke Harvest

[ChanellG]

I received a few sunchoke starts from a gardening buddy from a plant swap group I am on Facebook last year. After watching a youtube video that showed you could harvest 8 lbs of sunchoke (AKA Jerusalem artichoke) in a 3 gallon container I was eager to experiment.

I potted up the babies in three containers, and at one point I transplanted one plant to a large growers pot (30 gallons? The ones trees come in.) Naturally, the one in the larger container - which received more sun than the other two, had the most tubers.

I removed most of the tubers from the main clump in the largest container and then put the clump back. I prepared one of the bins I harvested the peanuts from to grow a new batch, but it started to rain before I could get them planted. Hopefully I can get back out to continue tomorrow ( I also want to prepare the soil first with molasses).

In the meantime, I have been looking at recipes and deciding how I want to prepare my harvested chokes. I think I've decided to roast them, as that's easiest, and maybe I'll even try to use some in a puree.

Have any of you ever grown sunchokes? What's your favorite way to eat/prepare them?

 

[Trellum]

Beautiful! At first I thought those looked just like ginger roots. Great job I bet you feel so satisfied after managing such a great feat! I hope I can one day do the same with my tiny space for gardening in the Netherlands

 

[IcyBC]

Oh I thought that they are ginger roots too! You did great and a fantastic harvest..

 

[majorcatfish]

for a experiment you did very well...

 

[claudine]

Haha, same here, I thought they're ginger roots too
I've never eaten sunchokes. What do they taste like? Can you eat them raw?

 

[CanadianLori]

Okay, what is a sunchoke?

sorry for my ignorance...

 

[splinx]

Okay, what is a sunchoke?

sorry for my ignorance...

Sunchoke: Another term for Jerusalem artichoke.
Artichoke: a European plant cultivated for its large thistlelike flower heads.
Jerusalem Artichoke: a knobby edible tuber with white flesh, eaten as a vegetable.
Jerusalem Artichoke: the tall North American plant, closely related to the sunflower, that produces this tuber.

Have any of you ever grown sunchokes?

No. I just knew about it now.

 

[headfullofbees]

I love them just scrubbed clean, but JA soup is good to.

First grown in Italy (in Europe), "Jerusalem" is a bastardisation of "Girasole" = sunflower, of which they are a variety.

Here they are commonly called "Fartichokes" and you will find out why!


They are fantastic, ChanellG!

 

[ChanellG]

I love them just scrubbed clean, but JA soup is good to.

First grown in Italy (in Europe), "Jerusalem" is a bastardisation of "Girasole" = sunflower, of which they are a variety.

Here they are commonly called "Fartichokes" and you will find out why!


They are fantastic, ChanellG!

I already know why They are actually natural/native to North America. I read something recently about when they were brought over to Europe, but of course now I can't find it. I've only ever had them in a puree. I need to hurry and cook them; they're still in a zip bag in the fridge...

 

[ChanellG]

Okay, what is a sunchoke?

sorry for my ignorance...

Haha, same here, I thought they're ginger roots too
I've never eaten sunchokes. What do they taste like? Can you eat them raw?

It's a tuber that (as you can see) looks a bit like ginger, but in taste in texture is more like a potato. I'd seen them used in cooking on TV, but I first had the opportunity to taste them locally at a restaurant two years ago. When I learned that someone from the plant swap was growing them, I naturally jumped at the chance to get some for my own garden.

Oh, and yes, you can eat them raw. They contain insulin though, so cooking may be a better idea unless you marinate them or use them in a salad with other ingredients (like lemon and garlic) that help control flatulence.

Here are a couple of links:

The Coolest Plant Ever
All About Growing Sunchokes

 

[ChanellG]

Oh I thought that they are ginger roots too! You did great and a fantastic harvest..

for a experiment you did very well...

Thanks! They are very low maintenance. Other than the need for a bit of water, they are very "plant and forget."

Beautiful! At first I thought those looked just like ginger roots. Great job I bet you feel so satisfied after managing such a great feat! I hope I can one day do the same with my tiny space for gardening in the Netherlands

I grew mine in containers. I was pretty confident in the harvest after seeing a youtube video where a guy grew 8 pounds in a 3 or 5 gallon container. I just didn't know how they would fare in our crazy weather.

 

[headfullofbees]

I already know why They are actually natural/native to North America. I read something recently about when they were brought over to Europe, but of course now I can't find it. I've only ever had them in a puree. I need to hurry and cook them; they're still in a zip bag in the fridge...

It may not be clear, but I didn't mean that they originate in Italy, but that's where the name originates from, as early European cultivation happened there.