Growing Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunchoke) | Late Bloomer | Episode 1

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With original music by Jon Pileggi.

"Late Bloomer" follows Kaye's journey to grow food in her Los Angeles front yard and exists to inspire anyone to grow their own food. "I hope you enjoy this episode and share with friends and help me grow 'Late Bloomer.' Your comments are welcome. Thanks for all your support!" - Kaye

:31 - Photo of Red Fuseau sunchoke
1:23 - Sprouted Jerusalem Artichoke
1:43 - Borage
1:55 - Sunchoke flowers
2:10 - Goldfinches in sunchoke flowers, eating leaves and flowers
2:39 - harvest
3:47 - White Jerusalem Artichoke in handmade basket from her own homegrown willow.
4:35 - tasting sunchoke raw
5:02 - close up photo of large sunchoke
5:20 - baking Jerusalem artichoke in their own juices
5:30 - 1948 Frigidaire stove
5:49 - Eating baked sunchokes
7:31 - goldfinch animation
7:34 - Duck River Productions logo
7:40 - rat animation

With original music by Jon Pileggi.

"Late Bloomer" follows Kaye's journey to grow food in her Los Angeles front yard and exists to inspire anyone to grow their own food. "I hope you enjoy this episode and share with friends and help me grow 'Late Bloomer.' Your comments are welcome. Thanks for all your support!" - Kaye

Join me on your favorite social media sites:

Instagram: @latebloomershow

Twitter: @latebloomershow

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There are well over 400 recognized varieties of Sunchokes AKA Jerusalem Artichokes and Fartichokes, called by the Algonquins 'Kaishúcpenauk', a compound of "sun" and "tubers", scattered over the world. Kaishúcpenauk, from - (Thomas Harriot. A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (Kindle Location 273). Helianthus tuberosus are a native to Northeast America, from the Carolinas into Canada and west to the Great Plains. They were spread around the world during colonial days. They were a staple for the Native Americans and early pioneers and others until the 1930s when, probably because of the Great Depression and food shortages, they gained the reputation of being a poor man's food. What a shame. I friend of ours in Tasmania remembers her mother cooking them when she was younger. In Europe they gained the same popularity until WWI, when again, because of food shortages and over-use, they gained the notoriety of being a poor man's food. They grew on the farm when I was a kid. Neither my grandparents nor my parents wanted to do anything with them, but I loved to get into the patch and eat them raw. Today they're a high priced item in many gourmet restaurants and from most suppliers, up to a ridiculous $25 per pound! Closely related to the familiar Sunflower, all parts of the plant are edible. Other related varieties are Helianthus pauciflorus, normally found in the Great Plains and south-central Canada. These ones spread by tubers and by seed. They can apparently be cross pollinated with the eastern variety.

Start eating the roots in small helpings to see how they affect your gut, they aren't called Fartichokes for nothing! If you eat naturally and have a good helping regularly, at least twice a week, the gas issue(!) should disappear. If you eat processed food with any type of preservatives or take antibiotics, your gut flora will be 'off' and gas could once again be a problem if you take even a short break from regular helpings, perhaps a major problem. Small helpings of Kaishúcpenauk eaten regularly will help balance your gut flora and your health and reduce the gas to nothing. Long term cooking, several hours, will break the inulin down into fructose, much less likely to cause gas. Fermenting them like sauerkraut will also break down the inulin. Native Americans would build a pit fire, get the coals hot, cover them with dirt or leaves, sometimes the stalks and leaves of the Kaishúcpenauk, then layer on the 'chokes and cover them with dirt or leaves and allow them to cook for a whole day before eating. They are tasty and the long cooking converts the inulin, but then, you lose the good effects of the inulin.

Inulin is a prebiotic and is very diabetic friendly, even after breaking down into fructose its low on the Glycemic scale, better than potato starch for diabetics. If the Inulin breaks down however, you loose its prebiotic benefits. There is some evidence that regular use of Inulin may have a positive effect on blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.

I have three varieties. Two are knobby tubers, one white and one red. The white ones, Stampede, I bought from an online supplier, the red ones, Red Fescue possibly, I found in a small flower bed in town, DuBois, PA. There are a couple other patches in town too. I have no idea what types they are. Just proof that they used to be very popular, but have been forgotten. They both grow about 5' to 7' tall and the large, bright yellow flowers are tender enough to eat raw in salads. They smell like chocolate but taste like the roots. The third type I found growing feral in the woods near Punxsutawney, PA., home of the infamous Punxsy Phil woodchuck. I live in DuBois, about 15 miles north of Punxsy. The tubers on these look very similar to white carrots and are very easy to clean. Those flowers however, are too tough to chew raw. When either steamed or boiled, they resemble squash. The tops on these grow to 12'! Double the height of the other ones, need a privacy screen?

Once you know what to look for, they can usually be found most anywhere in the eastern half of the US. They can be found in old flower gardens in cities, towns and out in the country, and sometimes wild in the woods. They can be found in many other areas around the world where they've taken.

My varieties don't seed at all, but there are some that seed readily and others that rarely seed. They all spread very well from the roots. They are perennial from zones 8 to 4. Beyond zone 8 they need to be chilled below 50°F for a month or two for dormancy. Beyond zone 4 they need to be heavily mulched to protect them from the intense cold, then uncovered in early spring, or stored in warmer storage but below 50°F, then planted early, as long before the ground warms up to 50°F as is practical. They will spread throughout a garden and can be hard to get rid of if you decide to clean them out, so put them where you can keep them contained by mowing or with good borders and let them go! They're care free, disease free and the tender shoots in the spring are loved by deer, cattle, goats, sheep, groundhogs, rabbits, ducks and some chickens. The roots can be fed to chickens and pigs. The tops are tough, but can be fed as fodder to goats, pigs and cows. They have to be cut while quite green which can cut or ruin root development. Slugs and voles like the roots and can be a problem. Let some chickens or ducks patrol the patch and they'll take care of the slugs. Some chickens like mice and voles too, after all, they're mini-raptors! Any roots left on the surface after harvesting are appreciated by rabbits and chickens.

If you plant them and then decide to get rid of them later on, you can simply mow the area as you would your lawn. The roots will disappear in a couple years or so. If you want to revert the patch to other garden goods immediately, then you'll have to resort to spraying with herbicides. You won't be able to get all the roots out no matter now carefully you dig, unless you actually sift all of the soil through a sieve. Smothering with cardboard or landscape cloth or carpeting will also work, but you won't be able to use the ground for at least a year. If you want to grow Kaishúcpenauk, you will have to dedicate an area just for them. On the bright side, the Kaishúcpenauk can be used in place of corn or alongside corn in the Native American Three Sisters planting scheme. When the Kaishúcpenauk break ground, plant corn alongside or skip the corn and just use the Kaishúcpenauk for the bean scaffolding. When the corn or the Kaishúcpenauk are 6" high, plant the pole beans among the stalks. When the beans are up 6" and starting to climb the corn and/or Kaishúcpenauk stalks, plant your Squash. The tall stalks give the beans support. The beans give the corn, Kaishúcpenauk and Squash Nitrogen. The squash shade the ground and the roots conserving moisture for all. And if you plant a climbing squash or melon, you might want to keep them in separate hills from the beans for easier picking.

They can be dug in the fall or in the spring before they sprout. If your soil doesn't freeze, you can dig them any time throughout the winter from the time the tops die off until the roots start to sprout. When the soil gets around 50 to 55°F they're triggered into sprouting. Like turnips, they get sweeter after hard frosts or a long winter's freeze. The inulin breaks down into fructose as they age and freeze, this is what makes them sweeter and helps reduce the gas. Its claimed that they can be stored in a root cellar like carrots and other root crops, mixed with soil, sand or sawdust and kept damp but not wet. They will rot if too wet and they will wilt if too dry.

They're great raw, steamed, roasted, baked, boiled, mashed, chunked into soups and stews, pickled, fermented, baked, grilled, pan fried, and for some, deep fried. To some, deep frying doesn't make them taste good. To me, when added to soups and stews, they taste like turnipy potatoes but to my wife, they taste like grilled sweet corn! They seem to have a different flavor for some when canned plain! We've canned them like potatoes, pickles, relish etc. Goo-o-od! I'll dry some and see about making flour this year. Its a great thickener for stews and gravies. It bakes like Buckwheat flour so you have to mix wheat flour for it to raise, or make flat bread, which is OK too. A blend of 1/3 Kaishúcpenauk flour and 2/3 rice flour is supposed to be great and its gluten free.

I made wine from the flowers. Its very earthy, not bad, or for mixing with other wines. I also made wine from tuber broth. Its totally different for a drinking wine for my taste, but after it ages it makes a great cooking wine. The French and Germans make a liqueur from the roots that's supposed to be quite special. A brewer in the US also makes root liqueur.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cup raw slices
Calories 110
Calories from Fat 0
Amount Per Serving and/or % Daily Value*
Total Fat 0 g (0%)
Saturated Fat 0 g (0%)
Cholesterol 0 mg (0%)
Sodium 5 mg (0%)
Total Carbohydrate 26 g (9%)
Dietary Fiber 2 g (10%)
Sugars 4 g
Protein 3 g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 2%
Iron 25%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2, 000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Calories: 2, 000 2, 500
Total Fat Less than 65 g 80 g
Sat Fat Less than 20 g 25 g
Cholesterol Less than 300 mg 300 mg
Sodium Less than 2400 mg 2400 mg
Total Carbohydrate 300 g 375 g
Dietary Fiber 25 g 30 g

blaineclark

The birds are so cute...i have a cardinal that had babies and they were so sweet to watch in the yard. It's hard to get mad when your standing there smiling at how adorable they are.

sherylflowers

Very nicely done, Kaye! Thanks for featuring the clip of me and my sunchokes. I love your vintage oven!

OneYardRevolution

Just ordered some for planting. Can't wait to plant and taste.

mdspider

Thank You so much Kaye for this supportive post
Kaye . I did not even know you posted it till a lady called me about some plants and told me..!With the baked artichokes I bake them till they are soft. I use small custard cups or even parchment paper with them wrapped up as recommended by the Edgar CAyse Institute .This year is so much better than last in the gardens . I hope yours is fairing well too. I miss you!:)Sharon

dirtywhitehorse

I just planted my first sunchokes. Sure hope they will thrive.

maryjoegrant

very good informative video.I grew some sunchoke this year in one container and I harvest more then 10 pound.very nice feeling when you grow something by your own.thanks.

OrchidandKitties

So much fun digging up tubers, and potatoes, and pulling carrots too, while I'm thinking of it. lol. I haven't tasted a sunchoke before.

janiceb

So glad to see you again! Looks like your sunchokes turned out pretty well.

TheOntarioGardener

Thank you for this post now I have another plant added to my lists. I’m still bingeing your videos I watch 3-4 a day including advertisements😁

charliebaby

Wonderful to have you back Kaye . I hope you had a enjoyable time. Jerusalem Artichokes are nice roasted . As Tony from UK here We Grow mentioned - Be careful they can make you have a breeze from the heart.... others call it a f..t, Kindest regards. Patrick

meehan

I grew them in a fairly heavy duty plastic pot last year. They grew to 10 feet and the tubers split the pot open! I tried cleaning them and setting them out to dry. That's a "no go", they got moldy and had to go to the compost pile. I'm going to try to cook some that I haven't dug up since you liked them so well. Another great video Kaye!

joansmith

Wonderful to see you back Kaye! Sunchokes are some thing I have heard and learnt about on YT gardening channels . Very enjoyable episode as always, you bring a smile to many many out there👌👌.

mumbaibalconygardenerhobbies

I planted some this past October. Keep your fingers crossed they sprout! I caught one of my dogs trying to dig one up the little booger. I had to rebury it.

MsQuantized

Nice video as always, Kaye. I have grown these for 3 years now. I got them too shaded this year and need to harvest my Moringa to make more sunshine for the Sun-chokes. I will also try the simple baked recipe.

lennyhenderson