{"id":1548,"date":"2019-09-08T05:10:21","date_gmt":"2019-09-08T05:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=1548"},"modified":"2019-09-30T05:06:56","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T05:06:56","slug":"artichoke-jerusalem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/08\/artichoke-jerusalem\/","title":{"rendered":"Artichoke, Jerusalem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Helianthus<\/em> <\/em>tuberosus<\/em> <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong>: Jerusalem Artichoke\nis a tall perennial sunflower that produces edible tuberous roots. It is now\noften called the sunchoke when sold in stores, no doubt part of a marketing\neffort to popularize it with consumers. It is the only common (if you could\nreally call it that) vegetable crop that is native to North America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop value<\/strong>: Jerusalem\nartichoke is a very productive and easily grown plant and can be a very useful\nfood for self sufficiency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was widely cultivated by\nNative Americans, or perhaps I should say encouraged by them, as it doesn\u2019t\nreally need much cultivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutritional content<\/strong>: Like most members of the daisy family (Asteraceae)<\/em> Jerusalem\nArtichokes store their food in the form of inulin, rather than starch. Humans\ntend to have problems with inulin as we lack the enzymes to digest it in the\nsmall intestine, so (like beans) it passes into the colon where it is broken\ndown by bacteria. As with beans this can result in the production of malodorous\ngas (flatulence) and sometimes also stomach pains or even diarrhea. Apparently\nthis is worse when the plant is eaten raw. The severity of this effect varies\nbetween individuals, in some people it is bad enough that they never try it\nagain, while for others it isn\u2019t an issue at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tubers\ncontain useful quantities of B vitamins, as well as iron. calcium and\npotassium. Their energy content is about 300 calories per pound, but how much\nof that you are able to digest depends upon the individual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inulin is considered beneficial as it can increase the absorption of\ncalcium and magnesium. It may also encourage the growth of beneficial\nintestinal flora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nEase of\ngrowing<\/strong>: Jerusalem\nartichoke is very easy to grow, in fact sometimes most of the work comes in\npreventing unwanted plants coming back again the following year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/strong>: This plant can be grown almost anywhere in the country, but does\nbest in areas with cold winters and warm summers. It is very hardy while\ndormant and can take hard frosts and even completely frozen ground. It doesn\u2019t\nlike very cool summers and does best with a warm growing season of at least 125\ndays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About Jerusalem Artichoke<\/strong>  <\/strong>
Planning facts<\/strong>
Perennial in zones: 2 – 9
Growing temp: 55 (65 – 85) 95\u02daF
Plant out: 2 – 4 wks before last frost
Plants per person: 5
Plant height: 5 – 10 ft
Plant diameter: 12 – 24\u02dd  

Harvest facts<\/strong>
Yield per plant: 2 lb
Yield per sq ft: 1 – 3 lb
Days to harvest: 6 months
Harvest period: Up to 5 months   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 6.0 to 7.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jerusalem Artichoke can do well on almost any\nsoil, but it will be most productive when growing in a rich, moisture retentive\none. Like many root crops it does better on sandy soils than clay ones (and the\ntubers are easier to dig). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation<\/strong>: Though this plant will grow well almost anywhere, it is fairly\nhungry and will be more productive if given additional fertilization. If your\nsoil isn\u2019t very rich you should incorporate lots (3\u02dd) of compost or aged manure\ninto the top 12\u02dd of soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most root crops it doesn\u2019t need a lot of nitrogen, though it\ndoes like phosphorus and potassium. To provide this you might want to give it\ngreensand and colloidal phosphate. Some kelp powder would also be good (or a\ngood organic fertilizer mix).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong>: The tubers are very hardy and can be planted any time from late\nwinter to early spring. If growing as an annual it is good to get them in the\nground early (2 – 4 weeks before the last frost date) so they have as long a\ngrowing season as possible. They can go in the ground even earlier than this,\nbut if the soil is too cold (below 45\u02daF) they will just sit there until the\nground warms up. You can also plant them later, but the harvest may be smaller\nif they have less time to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong>: Jerusalem artichoke can be grown as an annual in the intensive\nbeds, but it is a big plant and takes up quite a bit of space. I prefer to give\nit a permanent bed, where it can grow for several years without interruption\n(except for harvesting). The tall growing plants can be quite ornamental and\nwork well as a deciduous summer screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These plants will be most productive when growing in full sun, but\nthey will tolerate some shade for part of the day. They can grow up to 12 feet\nin height (and become quite dense), so don\u2019t put them where they will cast\nshade on other sun loving plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vegetative<\/strong>: Jerusalem artichokes are not grown from seed, they are\npropagated vegetatively from tubers (or pieces of tuber). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t have many tubers, you can cut them into several\npieces, so long as each piece is about 2 ounces in weight and has at least one\nbud (preferably 2 or 3) on it. Plant them soon after cutting so they don\u2019t dry\nout. I use a bulb planter to make 4 – 6\u02dd deep holes for planting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing<\/strong>: A plant can easily get <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 – 10 feet tall and 2 ft in diameter, so it needs lots of growing\nroom. If the plants don\u2019t have enough room they can get overcrowded, which may\nresult in lots of small tubers (which are more inconvenient to use). More space\nequals bigger tubers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bed<\/strong>: Space the plants 15 – 24\u02dd\napart in offset rows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Row<\/strong>: Space the plants 12 – 18\u02dd\napart in the row, with 36\u02dd between the rows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also grow them in double rows, with plants spaced 12\u02dd\napart in the rows, with 18\u02dd between the rows. The advantage of this is that it is\neasier to earth them up and to give them support. The entire row soon becomes a\ntemporary screen and can even be used for decorative effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once these plants are established and growing\nwell you don\u2019t need to pay much attention to them. They are close to wild\nplants in their nature and will take care of themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering<\/strong>: Jerusalem Artichoke is fairly drought tolerant, but tuber\nproduction suffers if they don\u2019t get enough water. For maximum yields you\nshould keep the soil evenly moist at all times, which means regular irrigation\nin dry climates. If water is in short supply then save most of it for when the\ntubers are forming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeding<\/strong>: The plants should be weeded when young, but they can soon handle\nany weeds that come along. In fact they handle weeds so well they have been\nused as a smother crop to eradicate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earthing up<\/strong>: If you find your plants start to fall over, you should earth\nthem up, by piling soil against the stems. Ideally you should do this when the\nstems are about a foot high. This makes them more stable and less likely to be\nblown over by strong winds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earthing up has other benefits too; it gets rid of weeds, it may\nincrease the number of tubers produced and it makes them easier to harvest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch<\/strong>: This helps to make these independent plants even more\nindependent, by conserving moisture and feeding the soil. Put it down once the\nplants are up and growing strongly (too soon and it may keep the soil cold). In\ncold climates you might add more mulch in fall to keep the ground from freezing\n(so you can dig the tubers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilization<\/strong>: If you are growing Jerusalem artichoke in a permanent bed, you\nshould fertilize it annually. The best way to do this is with a top dressing of\naged manure or compost to supply nitrogen, and some wood ashes to supply\npotassium (or use an organic fertilizer mix). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support<\/strong>: These plants can get very tall and in wind prone areas you may\nneed to support them. Do this by putting strong 6 foot stakes in the ground at\n6 foot intervals. Run string along these and tie the stems to the strings.\nPlants supported like this can make a useful windbreak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also make the plants less top heavy by cutting off the top\nthree feet of growth. This shouldn\u2019t affect the resulting crop too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests<\/strong>: This crop is just too tough to die. When I planted it in my\ngarden in Western Washington, slugs ate the emerging spring shoots repeatedly\nfor about two months. Every time they sent up new shoots they would get eaten,\nyet by the end of the summer the plants were about nine feet high and produced\nwell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few other pests may occasionally eat some\nof the leaves, but the plants are so vigorous this is rarely a problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gophers will eat the tubers (though they aren\u2019t a favorite), so if\nthey are a problem you may have to grow it in an underwired bed, or wire\nbaskets. The latter can even make harvesting easier, just pull up the basket\nand empty it out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disease<\/strong>: Very few disease problems occur with this\nplant. Sclerotina (white mold) is occasionally a problem, as are downy mildew, rust and southern blight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eradication<\/strong>: Some people say that this plant doesn\u2019t\nneed any pests, because it is one. If any fragment of the persistent tubers is\nleft in the ground, it will sprout and grow. I haven\u2019t found this to be a big\nproblem however, as in spring the emerging shoots give away the location of the\ntubers and can easily be pulled up. If you neglect to remove them all, the\nplant will come back as strong as ever, so be warned<\/p>\n\n\n\n

.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plants flower in late summer and fall and can be quite\nattractive at this time. The tubers start to develop at the same time and\nmature about a month after the flowers have finished and the plant starts to\ndie back. They can be harvested from this point on, right through the winter,\nuntil they start to grow again the following spring, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flavor of the tubers gets better as the winter progresses,\nbecause exposure to low temperatures causes some of the inulin to be converted\ninto sugar, which makes them sweeter and more digestible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a good idea to cut down the stems after the plants die back,\nleaving about a foot sticking out of the ground (these make it easier to locate\nthe tubers later on). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvest the tubers as needed, by digging with a fork as you would\npotatoes (though some of the tubers may be further away from the plant). They\nhave thin skin which is easily damaged by rough treatment, so handle them\ngently. If you have a perennial bed you can just harvest the large tubers and\nleave the small ones\nbehind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/strong>: The tubers have thin skin and lose moisture rapidly after\nharvest, so it is better to dig them as you need them and store the rest in the\nground. If the ground tends to freeze, cover them with a thick mulch so digging\nwill be easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you must dig them all, they can also be stored in damp sand\nlike carrots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For short term storage keep the tubers in the fridge in a\nperforated plastic bag (to keep humidity high). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed saving<\/strong>: Jerusalem artichoke doesn\u2019t usually produce viable seed (though\njust today I found someone who says he has some), so it is always propagated\nvegetatively. You don\u2019t usually have to consciously save tubers for this, as\nsome will remain in the ground after harvest and grow themselves. However they\ncan be stored just like those you keep for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unusual growing ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screen<\/strong>: These tall plants have been planted in double or triple rows as\na deciduous screen (in windy areas they will need support). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cut flowers<\/strong>: The clusters of small yellow sunflowers can be used for cut\nflowers. Taking them won\u2019t affect tuber formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support plants<\/strong>: You can use the plant as a living trellis for pole beans (plant\nthese on the south side).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild garden<\/strong>: This plant is very independent and really can be grown with no\nattention at all. I grew it in my garden beds for a couple of years and then\ndecided to stop growing it. Being soft hearted and not wanting to kill it, I\ntransplanted the remaining tubers out into one of the wilder parts of my\ngarden. With no watering and no protection from gophers I forgot about them for\na couple of years. They managed to hang on though, and I recently rediscovered\na couple  of plants and brought them back\ninto cultivation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency food<\/strong>: This plant could be grown as an ever-multiplying source of\nemergency food by those who worry about the future. As a perennial it would\nnaturally grow in the same place for years anyway, so doesn\u2019t suffer much from\npests or disease (unlike the\npotato).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compost\ncrop<\/strong>: This fast growing plant can also be grown\nas a perennial compost material crop. It can be cut several times in a season\nand will regenerate itself without replanting. Of course this will have an\nadverse effect on tuber production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy crop<\/strong>: This plant can be very productive (as much as 20 tons per acre)\nand has potential for use as a source of alcohol for fuel. In Germany it has\nalso used for brewing\nrecreational alcohol in the form of schnapps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornamental<\/strong>: With its small sunflowers, this plant is actually quite\nornamental when grown en masse. Some varieties produce flowers very freely and\nmake good cut flowers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t a very widely grown crop so there aren\u2019t many varieties\n(and still less are easily available). If you want to grow a specific variety,\nyou will probably have to buy the tubers from a mail order company. If you\ndon\u2019t care it\u2019s easier and cheaper to buy them in a produce market. It doesn\u2019t\nhurt to use locally grown tubers where possible as they are more likely to be\nadapted to the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improved Mammoth French <\/strong>(American):\n<\/strong>More uniform and heavier yielding, it is the commonest commercial\nvariety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston\nRed<\/strong>: Large\nred, knobby tubers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuseau<\/strong>: Has long, straight, knobless roots, that somewhat resemble sweet\npotatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golden\nNugget<\/strong>: Also has\nstraight, smooth tubers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red\nFuseau<\/strong>: Similar to Fuseau, but red\n(obviously).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stampede<\/strong>: This very early variety matures in as little as 90 days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dwarf\nSunray<\/strong>: A smaller plant than most, it flowers well and is quite\nornamental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitchen use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently Jerusalem artichokes have become fashionable in recent\nyears and are appearing in various guises in expensive restaurants (just in\ncase you wanted to know).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tubers can be cooked in the same ways as potatoes, though they\nare sweeter. Peeling is optional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are good cooked for 10 minutes and then sauteed with chopped\nonions. If you cook them for too long they can become mushy and not very\npleasant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very slow baking converts some of the inulin\ninto fructose and makes them more digestible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike potatoes they can also be eaten raw in\nsalads and some people claim they resemble water chestnuts (though raw tubers\nare much more likely to cause digestive problems). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tubers have also been used to make wine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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