Master Gardeners Grow Jerusalem Artichokes
(You Can Too)!
October 2008
The Master Gardeners have just completed a trial of Jerusalem Artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) at their demonstration garden at the Elkus Youth Ranch south of Half Moon Bay. We started 4 plants from tubers in March 2008 and harvested 22 pounds of delicious “sunchokes” on October 28th. We found this plant to be very easy and worry-free to grow, and had absolutely no pest or disease problems arise. Although we grew our plants in zone 17, they should work equally as well in all of the climate zones in the Bay Area. Here’s a step by step description of how we grew our sunchokes:
Planting
March 1, 2008: We bought edible Jerusalem artichokes aka “sunchokes” from a well-known grocer’s veggie aisle and planted them in commercial potting soil in a re-used covered plastic container. This type of container is great for starting any seed or tuber. Plenty of holes poked in the bottom assures good drainage, and the covered environment is like a mini greenhouse for the plants, holding moisture in the soil for less frequent watering. We kept this container in a sunny spot, and kept the soil moist.
Transplanting
April 22: Time to put them in the Demonstration Garden at Elkus Ranch. We positioned 4 of the largest plastic pots we could find in a very sunny location in our Demo Garden. We chose to grow our sunchokes in containers because we had read that they are hard to eliminate from a bed or plot once they have produced new tubers. Any small or even partial tuber left in the ground will likely sprout again in spring. Our container soil consisted of:
1/4 sifted homemade compost
1/4 pretty fresh sheep/straw compost from the ranch
1/2 clay garden soil from on site
This was a well-draining and high-nutrient soil mix for our sunchoke trial. We planned on adding zero fertilizer to the soil after planting all the way to harvest. Any well-draining soil (such as commercial potting soil) mixed with reasonable amounts of slow-release nitrogen amendment (such as compost) should do equally well. We created tepee staking to give the sunchokes a little stability and we hand-watered them deeply once a week.
Growing
Harvest
The plants produced varying amounts and sizes of tubers.
Eating
Sunchokes can be prepared in a variety of ways. They are very knobby and so can be difficult to peel. We had success both soaking them in water and scrubbing off all the dirt, and also just peeling them with a vegie peeler. They are good chopped into 1 inch cubes, tossed in olive oil, and roasted in the oven until tender. They can be sauteéd. Our favorite method of eating them was as a soup. We simmered the cleaned chokes with onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme or oregano to taste in chicken or vegetable broth until tender. Then we pureed everything in a food processor or blender until smooth. Cream or butter can be added just before serving to make it richer, but this is really not needed. A dollop of creamy plain yogurt on top adds a nice tanginess. The soup has a nutty flavor. And yes, it is reminiscent of the flavor of artichokes!
The Master Gardeners encourage you to try you hand at growing Jerusalem artichokes. If you need any additional advice, call our Helpline at 650-726-9059 X107 or email us at mgvhelpline@ucdavis.edu. Have Fun!