Jerusalem Artichokes
Jerusalem Artichokes are actually a type of sunflower. They can survive and produce a little even in barren soils that a lot of other plants don’t survive in at all…. for this reason they are considered a ‘famine food’ that may pull a people through hard times while they wait for their crops to grow back, or foreign armies to leave. But it is best considered a one-year root crop, replanted in a new area each year, and the old area mown several times and water withheld to stop it regrowing in that spot. In some areas they can become an invasive weed… but in this dry area all we need do is withhold water for the summer. The second-year harvest is not as good from a patch, so start anew yearly in a fresh spot. If you really want some decent production, give it good soils, and a nice watering every week.
Ours have always had good success as far as resistant to pests… except for gophers which gnaw on some of the roots, but don’t do near the damage I’d expect.
These are Jerusalem Artichoke tubers fresh out of the ground. We always let the winter kill the parent plants. Then whenever we want to eat some of the tubers, I go and dig up a plant or two. I keep most of the tubers for eating, and plant the rest in another area already prepared so I can easily slip the tubers into the soil three feet apart. By March I’m seeing evidence of growth on the tubers I harvest from their ground storage…. that is the time to dig the rest up and re-plant them in the new area. Like any tuber, once they grow shoots you don’t want to eat them.
Notice the knobbly texture…. these things are ‘The Dickens’ to clean. You need a tiny paring knife, and plenty of patience. This is something you don’t want to clean a lot of. Really… the ‘clean/prepare-to-eat’ ratio on this plant is terrible!!! Another reason it is a famine food…. pretty-much, folks just don’t want to have to mess around for a long time to have a bite to eat… that’s why ‘Fast-Food’ is so popular.
