Jerusalem Artichoke

McRazz · November 2023

Now in stock at Waitrose (and presumably elsewhere) - £2 for approx. 10-12 tubers. Good value if like me you intend to pot them up and add them to your borders next spring.

Joyce Goldenlily · November 2023

Be careful, very careful. Jerusalem Artichokes grow very tall, 6ft plus, and spread very easily from tiny pieces. They are difficult to get rid of in a mixed border. I planted some in my veg. patch, they did really well but I couldn't give them away. A lot of people do not, cannot eat them because of their effect 0n the digestive system. Windy to put it mildly!
I enjoyed them but there was only so much I could eat. It took me 3 years to clear them out of my plot, regretfully.
Of course, you may want to grow them as a decorative border filler which is a completely different thing.

McRazz · November 2023

Thanks for the wise advice Joyce! I have a couple of odd areas where I think they will fit in OK without causing too much trouble. I must admit, I've never tried them in a culinary sense but I'm susceptible to things like that so might give them a tentative try if the situation presents itself.

LG_ · November 2023

They are absolutely delicious, in my opinion. But I can't eat more than a little bit, unfortunately. They're known as fartichokes for a reason!

thevictorian · November 2023

I grow them down our allotment and they aren't that invasive in our soils and are easy to just pull up. In decent garden soil they could be really thuggish and as much as I like sunflowers, they arent particularly decorative because they can get 10-12ft and have a tiny flower on the top that's not very impressive (if they even flower, some years they don't for us). Since they are mostly tall stems they can get blasted by the wind and don't look very elegant. Yacon and mashua are more ornamental edible tubers and easier to manage but I still think dahlias are best, even edible though not particularly palettable from what I've heard.

Sounds a good price for jerusalem artichokes though.

Obelixx · November 2023

I grew them in my Belgian garden for several years and loved them tho friends who generally eat less fruit and veg and ffibre than we do suffered consequences and I confess their telling tales of a very uncomfortable night and thoughts of having been food-poisoned had me crying with laughter - she was fine but he was one of those know-alls that didn't know it all.

I tried them here but it was a summer of drought and heatwaves so now I just buy them to eat. Favourite dishes are gratin dauphinoise and Palestine soup. If you blanch them first it's easier to remove any gritty bits and the rougher bits of skin and that helps with the windy bits, as does a long slow cook.

McRazz · November 2023

Thanks for the advice folks. Sounds fun, for a variety of reasons. My garden is intentionally chaotic and quite experimental so I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform. Perhaps they'll inspire me to try other things too.

Joyce Goldenlily · November 2023

Artichoke soup is delicious.
I miss my artichokes but as above, the tiddly little flowers are not impressive, mine also used to grow to around 12 ft and then blow over in the gales we have regularly down here in Cornwall. My soil is thin and gritty which they seemed to love. I have no idea of the variety but they were quite smooth-skinned with no knobbly bits, I just used to wash them and cook them gently in salted water. They then pop out of their skins without any trouble. Serve with a knob of butter.

robairdmacraignil · November 2023

The variety I have growing is called fuseau and it is supposed to be one of the more smooth skinned varieties. When cooking them for myself I generally don't bother pealing after scrubbing off any soil or grit on them. Roasting helps bring out the best flavour when cooking with them and I think the effects on the digestive system are very much quantity related and find they are fine as part of a meal with other ingredients. They are meant to be very good for our gut microbes, but too much probably encourages them a bit too much, with the main type of starch they produce inulin, not normally broken down by our own enzymes and providing more food energy for our gut than many other foods. I particularly like adding a few to the baking dish when roasting a chicken.

Happy gardening!

CrankyYankee · November 2023

I was gifted (cursed?) some years ago and they've managed to stick with me through 3 different homes now. Every time I think I've finally pulled them up and got rid of them, I'll find another popping up. They'll spread like crazy in the right conditions. I have a friend who let them do their own thing, then regretted it and has been trying for years to eradicate them from her property. I've never tried eating the tubers even though I know other people who have.

myclayjungle · November 2023

I love their slightly nutty flavour! Due to renovating, I've been growing them in very large pots the past 2 years. I'm planning a dedicated bed though, with sides that go into the ground about 30cm, to stop spread outside the area. The 1st time I grew and ate them, I went a bit overboard. Artichoke soup for starter, duphinoise and then also roasted. I had a bloated and painful stomach all night!
In moderation though, they are absolutely fine and delicious. You can also eat them raw in say a coleslaw. This year I also grew yacon. I've only eaten 1 root, but it was nothing like the artichokes and almost tasteless!

Jerusalem Artichoke

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