Yes, I know they're not from Jerusalem, nor are they artichokes. ;-)

But, my spouse cooked up a fantastic soup with 'em the other night and it
was so good, I just might consider devoting a bit of garden space to them.

Anyone had experience (good or bad) with them?

--
Mike Davis

Mike Davis wrote:

Yes, I know they're not from Jerusalem, nor are they artichokes. ;-)

But, my spouse cooked up a fantastic soup with 'em the other night and it
was so good, I just might consider devoting a bit of garden space to them.

Anyone had experience (good or bad) with them?

--
Mike Davis


I don't think you can devote "a bit" of garden space to them. They
spread like weeds. They look sort of like wild sunflowers, to which
they are closely related. I don't remember what kind of yield I got
when I grew them in a former life.

Best regards,
Bob

An easy to grow sunflower. One plant produces numerous tubers. For some
they may become invasive, but since they are edible there is a 'natural
control'. A 'poor folk' food of the South, that has gone out of favor and
is every now and then rediscovered. Pick up some fresh, firm tubers at a
natural foods market and plant them out. Sandy, well drained soil. Lots of
sun. They get fairly tall so locate carefully in relation to other plants
in the garden. Give the base a clear 2-3' perimeter. When the plant dies
back, lift the tubers. You will inevitably miss some and will see
volunteers next year. They are good raw as well as cooked. Many complain
that they cause flatulence.
"Mike Davis" wrote in message
...
Yes, I know they're not from Jerusalem, nor are they artichokes. ;-)

But, my spouse cooked up a fantastic soup with 'em the other night and it
was so good, I just might consider devoting a bit of garden space to them.

Anyone had experience (good or bad) with them?

--
Mike Davis

They are quite invasive so you'd need to grow them away from your regular
garden area. They look like a sunflower variety. You dig them up for use
after the stalks have died, in very late fall or early winter. You can use
them in like chestnuts in recipes. My sister makes a wonderful relish with
them.

Genevieve in Mississippi

"Otto Jones" wrote:

You will inevitably miss some and will see
volunteers next year. They are good raw as well as cooked. Many complain
that they cause flatulence.

A masterpiece of understatement.
They are native to the Mohawk River valley of New York state; I see them
alongside a bike path, and I'm told that the original Americans used them
for winter food. They grow well in my clay soil, amended with liberal
quantities of rocks. Invasiveness isn't much of a problem, because roots
don't "run" like, say horseradish.

Anybody want a little horseradish?

(Distant chorus: "There's no such thing as a little horseradish.")


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G

"Mike Davis" wrote in message . ..
Yes, I know they're not from Jerusalem, nor are they artichokes. ;-)

But, my spouse cooked up a fantastic soup with 'em the other night and it
was so good, I just might consider devoting a bit of garden space to them.

Anyone had experience (good or bad) with them?

I planted them at the very end of my backyard, in a 10X10 plot (they
are not very productive per unit area) covered with wood chips. They
went well for 18 months, then the deer found them and that was the
end. If you can devote a relatively large plot to them, surrounded by
a mowing strip, they are a great vegetable to grow: perennial, tasty,
winter vegetable, drought resistant, needs nothing whatsoever. Like
sorrel or lemon balm. Unlike sorrel, you can start them from
storebought tubers.

Anyone had experience (good or bad) with them?


I have been growing then for a number of years now. They are a member of the
sunflower family and do grow quite tall 10 feet. The biggest problem is
keeping them contained. Make sure you get all the tubers when you dig them in
the fall. Any missed pieces or small tubers will come up in the spring.

If you live in an area where there is frost in the winter, leaving them in the
ground until they get frosted will make the tubers sweeter.

Anne

I live in Delray Beach, Florida - zone 10. I usually get 2 crops of Jerusalem
artichokes per year. They are sneaky little buggers - plant them in an out of
the way location. I planted then around the perimeter of my raised vegetable
beds. They grew around 1 foot taller than my 8' tall trellis and invaded my
vegetable bed. But my vegetable bed gets reworked every year so it wasn't too
much of a problem - it would have been a pain in the a** if they had invaded my
herb bed which is mostly filled with perennials.

I've made pickles out of them (just scrub clean, cut into small pieces and
store in flavored vinegar). I've also cooked them like mashed potatoes. So far
I'm the only one in my family that likes them. But I have gotten my husband to
eat edible flowers in salads so I'll keep trying.

Lynn Smythe
coming soon: www.butterflygypsy.com