Sunchokes (Jerusalem artichoke)

[Alan_L]

I went to a gardening talk this weekend and the main speaker was praising sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus) as a dead-simple edible tuber to grow. He gave out tubers too, and said that you can plant them at any time. I'm going to plant mine right away, but I'm concerned about the deer. Since he was an urban gardener he didn't know if deer would eat them. Does anybody have experience with this?

[canadianplant]

Hey Alan

Jerusalem artichokes are a really good herbaceous windbreak. They are also really good at keeping soil together on banks. They do well to control some species that tend to sperad by roots. They smell good, and animals love them. They are praised on permaculture for multi uses!

Now, that being said, they are incredibly hard to remove once in their position. Even here, exposed, no protection they quadruple in root mass every year. They started to choke out wild day lily and bearded iris! THe good thing is that they are really, really easy to ID when they pop up, and can be pulled out, tubor ( or rhizome?) and all.

Dont be concerened about deer. They will control them IMO. THey make a good sitraction from your other plants, and inj permaculture, they are used as a "deer deflecting hedge", which guides deer around the plants you dont want them to go near. Even if deer do destroy them, they wont kill them. Trust me, on that one. EVen up here they are nigh impossible to remove, once planted, so be careful about where you put em!

[needmore]

Alan I see them on country roadsides here and have assumed they were indigenous but don't know for sure, if the deer eat them which I suspect they do, then they apparently cant eat all of them. I munch them raw but after a few bites start to find the flavor a bit too strong.

[ghmerrill]

I have not seen deer eat them, at our old place we had an unprotected patch. that being said, they are supposed to make excellent livestock forage, but I wonder if like bamboo, the wildlife will leave it alone.

We have a bunch growing. If I want to eat something that tastes like crunchy dirt, I'll eat dirt! Cooked, they taste like soft dirt. I guess that's why they say they make a good emergency food source- it would have to be an extreme emergency before you would eat them

[Alan_L]

Thanks for the comments. I think I'll give them a try, probably in big containers.

[canadianplant]

A quote from, "gaias garden":

"....me is that deer don't eat them in fact, the stems
are covered with a coarse fuzz that discourages
deer from poking through them."

"A hedge
of shorter plants can shelter garden beds, but
remember that these, too, can be multifunctional.
I've used Maximilian sunflowers and Jerusalem artichokes
around my garden, and I know of other gardens
protected by bamboo, basketry willows,
wildlife shrubs, or berry bushes.""

[benboo]

I have two plants growing now. I plan on letting them crowd out the weeds, and after a few years, I might have a huge supply of roots. I am also going to start some seeds this spring for even more plants.

[bamboothew]

A coworker grew some of these last year from tubers he got at the supermarket. He has a huge problem with voles and deer eating his garden but says the sunchokes have so far been unaffected.

Btw, sunchokes are high in inulin and cause *explosive* gastrointestinal distress for some people so it is suggested to only eat them in small amounts until you determine whether or not you are affected by this

I have heard sunchokes praised as a high-fiber, low GI potato substitute, both mashed and sliced/fried as chips (from what ghmerrill said, apparently dirt flavored schips ). Never tried them yet myself, though.

[Alan_L]

I just went and got a dozen more tubers (free) so I can experiment. The gardener I got them from said that they're "delicious". I think I'll taste one since I have so many.

(I also got about 200 lbs of coffee grounds from him too. Free fertilizer!)

[ghmerrill]

Oh.... well then, expect some along with your bamboos in the next box!

[bamboothew]

Oh.... well then, expect some along with your bamboos in the next box!

Awesome, I was planning on trying to grow some this year! Luckily I'm not very prone to intestinal fireworks! Now Mrs. Bamboothew, on the other hand, she's a different story... good thing she's not on the forum

[Alan_L]

I tried a sunchoke raw this evening, and I have to say that it was delicious! I'm going to get some tubers from Gene in a month or so and compare flavors -- maybe he's growing a less desirable version.

[bamboothew]

I tried a sunchoke raw this evening, and I have to say that it was delicious! I'm going to get some tubers from Gene in a month or so and compare flavors -- maybe he's growing a less desirable version.

Alan, most people I have talked to about them seem to at least find them agreeable enough, if not delicious. Now I'm dying to try some!

Gene, you did wash the dirt off those before you ate them, right

[Iowaboo]

Btw, sunchokes are high in inulin and cause *explosive* gastrointestinal distress for some people so it is suggested to only eat them in small amounts until you determine whether or not you are affected by this

True, the other common name people have for them is fartichoke.

[Iowaboo]

I've had one variety for a long time, and tried it, wasn't that great. One year, the voles must have been like lemmings, because they took out a whole plot of them and took all the tubers, putting them in little cache piles in their underground tunnel system.


Bought a different one from Oikos tree crops, they have a lot of different varieties. Also, native one grows around here like a weed, but that is inferior for tuber production.