CHAMBERS DESIGN
  • Home
  • Services
  • Projects
  • YardBlog

YardBlog

Plants to Plant: Edible Backyard w Jerusalem Artichoke

7/22/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is an under-the-radar edible plant that can give you great food and incredible flowers.  I was first introduced to the J. Artichoke when I shopped at the farmers market at Union Square (NYC) on Saturday mornings.  Don’t let the name foul you.  It neither has anything to do with the Holy Land nor is it actually a type of artichoke. It, like the tomato and potato, originates from the New World not Europe, but has become a cornerstone in countries like France, Italy and Russia.  The Jerusalem artichoke is a North American original that was cultivated by Native Americans in the Great Plains and, then moved eastward.  Stories persist of Lewis and Clark eating them for meals prepared by native women in North Dakota.  If you really want to know the etymology of the plant's name (Jerusalem Artichoke), you have to learn a little Italian.
Picture
Photo by Paul Fenwick
Besides the interesting and strange path of the vegetable’s name and origin, it is the distant cousin of the daisy.  A patch of H. tubersus will add color to any yard.  It has flowers that can grow as tall as 9 to 10 ft and can be as dense as a field of sunflowers.  The flowers are big and yellow with the leaves large and green. They can form dense areas of flowers with the prise of tasty roots just underground. But, the Jerusalem artichoke is not maintenance-free.  Be forewarned, you will have to keep them tamed. They are quite aggressive, and considered a weed by some.
If you want to eat them for years to come, you need to replenish the soil annually, or dig them up and move them to new soil. If you leave any of the tubers are left, they can overtake big parts of your garden or beds.  It's not easy to remove all of the roots, so prepare the area(s) you plan to use for them.  They are not shade tolerate, so full sun is required.   
Picture
What to Eat
Though they can be a bit of a pain to control, the plant offers a tasty bounty.  You can dig them up and eat the root raw.  You can cook them too.  A little salt is all it really needs. They have a nutty taste.   They are great for stews, a garish or as a side for a meal.  The last thing I should mention is that if you fest on them, you might have a bit of wind afterwards, so just FYI. This can come in handle if you want to have a laugh post-dinner.  
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About YardBlog

    The goal is to make this blog a resource for helpful tips and sustainable ideas.  I create original content that shows projects in progress and the behind-the-scenes of installation.  And, I try to have as much fun as I can doing it.

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

ABOUT
CONTACT
JOIN OUR TEAM
HIC# 13VH08327200
Photos used under Creative Commons from Just chaos, t-mizo