Jerusalem Artichoke

Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunchokes produce an edible tuber. They are easily grown and will still crop in poor soils. A lighter, sandy soil helps the tubers expand.

Mine were planted in a sandy loam. They were planted at 30cm depth, which prevents the tall plants from blowing over in strong winds and improves drought tolerance.

At planting (late winter) each tuber was given one handful of rotted cow manure, watered in once and mulched with some straw. They were planted on the western side to shield other plants from the harsh, Australian summer.
The flowers smell sweet like confectionary and attract all sorts of insect life.
With no watering other than rain (weekly or fortnightly), they had reached 4 metres tall by harvest time. They made excellent shade and shelter for rest of the garden. I planted 3 tubers and got three 20L buckets.

They can be eaten raw or cooked. When steamed it has a waxy texture with an earthy smell. Best puréed and used to thicken sauces or simply cooked in stews. It has little nutritional value to humans as the carbohydrate is in the form of 'Inulin'. Unless cooked for more than 6 hours, the human gut cannot break inulin down for energy as it does with starch (eg. potatoes). Therefore it's a good potato substitute during dieting. Eating too much inulin can cause flatulence and bloating.

If you have livestock, they make great feed for ruminants (which can digest inulin). Even if you don't intend to eat them they are great as sun/windbreaks and for the sweet confectionary smell of the flowers. Happy planting.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• jerusalem artichoke
• artichoke
• sunflower
• potato substitute
• inulin
• complex carbohydrate
• stock feed
• windbreak
• drought tolerant
• lee soo young

[rinBnguyen]

haha ;) love it ♥

they smell like candy??

[TTLM77]

@rinBnguyen Thank you, glad you like it. The flowers smell so sweet they remind people of candy and confectionery. While i think they smell like fairy-floss, vanilla or caramel, a friend of mine swears they smell like chocolate.

[petitejeni]

=)