Jerusalem artichoke

[Boston_Joe]

aka:sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple

Never heard of them until today. Does anyone have any experience with them? From what I have read they can take over a garden if not properly managed. They self propagate well and even a little bit of the tuber will grow into a new plant if left in the ground.

My thought was to plant them in an area away from the house and garden that I wouldn't necessarily mind them taking over. The other drawback is the way the body digests them. Which is not very well. Bloating and gas are common side effects.

I'm wondering if all of the potential negatives outweigh their usefulness as an emergency food source.

[airdrop]

Wonder if taking beano would help with the gas problems , would preparing it in a certain way help stop it from being a problem. Mmmm I searched this and come up with this article on one way to prepare it that seems to take care of the gas problem, it also explains the problem .

https://agardenerstable.com/2014/02/24/taking-the-wind-out-of-jerusalem-artichokes/

[southernmom]

I grew a little patch and I guess the Florida heat was all too much for them. They didn't last long despite my attentions.

[W.Lynn]

You could try growing them in a large container, so they can't take over? If there are normal drain holes, you may need some big tiles, saucers, or a concrete slab under said container.

[W.Lynn]

I watch cooking shows sometimes, and right now, I'm watching a chef as they are trying to develope a recipe for Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes.) Turns out they even grow in parts of Texas, and very northern Florida too, and farther north than I thought.

1. Not an artichoke, related to sunflowers, and can get quite tall.
2. Harvest in WINTER. Waiting until after they've had 3 or 4 decent frosts reduces the gas.
3. Store them by not storing them. Leave them in the ground, any you don't use can be separated in the spring and spread out to grow next winter's harvest.
4. Even when you're going to use them, don't wash them until you're prepping for that meal, and be prepared to not enjoy that task, depending on your soil (the texture will hold on to a LOT of dirt.)
5. If things started looking really horrendous, you probably could keep them alive in deeper pots, they wouldn't be very happy. But they could be kept until you could put them out.

If anyone comes to more info, please share.