Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)

Eight foot tall sunchokes

Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes) are members of the sunflower family that produce edible tubers in their roots.  They are not related to the globe artichokes with which you may be familiar.  The tubers are similar to potatoes in texture and taste when cooked.  Eaten raw, they are similar to water chestnuts.  Unlike potatoes, they require virtually no maintenance once planted.

Stand of sunchokes growing amongst the weeds

We ordered 1 pound of Red Fuseau Jerusalem artichokes in the early spring.  We specifically obtained this variety because the tubers are straight and easy to peel.  More traditional varieties are tedious to peel due to thier shape.  On April 8th, we planted them 4" deep in the area of our property that we allow to grow wild.  That's it; no further attention was paid to them.  Just plant them in a sunny location.  They began to emerge in late April and grew to 7 or 8 feet tall.  In late August they began to put on yellow blooms.  Today, we dug one plant up early to check on tuber development and found 10 young tubers forming in the roots.  Each one was about the size of a quarter, but will grow to 3 to 4" long and 1 to 1 1/2" thick.  They can be harvested anytime, but optimal size and taste will be after a frost has killed of the top of the plant.

Root bundle with several small tubers

Developing tuber

Jerusalem artichokes are known to be quite invasive (i.e. easy to grow), so we aren't sure if they will require replanting each year.  We hope that they are like our garlic and will return even after being harvested.  This year we will conduct an experiment.  We will harvest all of the tubers we can this winter, then we will see if new plants emerge from missed tubers on the Spring.  If so, great!  If not, we will have missed a year of production, but will have learned something.

Putting up the Harvest:

Harvest from the soil as needed.  Store for short periods of time in the refrigerator.