Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: wivvles on March 10, 2005, 08:32:09
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Mother in Law has sent me 8 - 10 tubers. I've read a few things - but wondered if anyone here had any experience of growing them and any tips/pointers?
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They grow VERY tall, so good for a windbreak! (And for shading other plants too!)
And talking about wind, errrrrrr, they can give you a lot of it!
I had so many last year I couldn't give them away, from about 20 tubers, we had masses.
Make sure you don't leave ANY parts behind when you dig them up or they will become next years weed! ;D ;D
But I found them easy to grow, and absolutely brilliant at breaking up my rotten clay soil on a new bed, they were worth growing just to save my back! DP
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I think they collect the wind and release it later ;D ::)
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We grew them once: never again!
They are easy, they are tasty, they are VERY embarassing.
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:-X :-X They also spread like wildfire. Once you have them you will ALWAYS have them!
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It took me a year or so to cook with them successfully but I'm a convert to jerusalem far...sorry... artichokes.
They're just so hardy, nutritious and are abundant when little else is - like now.
I've got a recipe for nettle and JA soup if you want it: perhaps unbelievably it's very, very nice...
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I really should be packing but have to post.
JAs are gorgeous,nice with carrot and coriander(you have to bend the rules a bit to grow fresh stuff at this time of year)in soup.
Raymond Blanc has a good gratin-I think it is in his book `cooking for Friends`
But you do need to get them all out to avoid a forrest of runt growth-take the best tubers and re-plant anytime now.
Stephan
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Are the plant's themselves attractive? I've got a troublesome neighbor that I'd like to block out...
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Attractive? No - imposing is the kindest thing you could say about them. I've planted some to screen off my very nice but nosey neighbours...!
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"It took me a year or so to cook with them successfully "
I think you're overcooking them Max.
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doh!
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Hello everyone, new allotmenteer here.
But....Jerusalem artichokes, what a vegetable!
fantastic roasted with olive oil. Grow Fusea variety, described as dwarf but get to 6 ft, the other varieties are monsters.
if you dig them up and leave them as long as possible before cooking, the side effects are reduced.
My allotment partner brings them to work and offers them round without telling people what they are eating, then sits back and waits.
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Hi David R
Your allotment partner sounds like a barrel of laughs! :D
I find that JAs are best turned into soup with a little sliced and fried shallot and garlic and a small amount of cream added. The after effects are ever present, but the JAs are very nutritious and very filling.
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Fathers in Germany won't have a problem eating JA???
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(should be in recipes really but it kind of fits) Was speaking to a freind the other night, he is a sous chef in London. What he does is slice them in half, par boil them then toss them in butter on a frying pan. Bit of garlic, bit of salt, pepper... away you go. people pay loads for the pleasure.
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saw some in homebase, but three quid for a packet ... anyone know a cheaper source. i'd love to get some in.
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grocers ::)
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Jerusalem artichokes are very tall with yellow flowers similar to sunflowers but much smaller. They make a very good soup - google for Palestine soup and a delicious gratin if you follow a recipe for potato gratin dauphinois but swap the veggies.
I once fed them to some NZ firends who eat a lot less fibre than we do so their digestive systems went into shock. They were up all night with dreadful wind and were convinced it was food poisoning!!
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That made me laugh Obbelix! We grew them last year, and erm none in ground this year!! I couldn't give them away to ANYONE! Their wind producing qualities go before them! ;D But they are delicious!
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I did actually grow mine as a windbreak but forgot to keep any for the next year's crop so have had to do without for some time as they are hard to find here. However, I found some nice big round ones on Christmas Eve in a small grocers' and have planted those. The male NZ still talks about his night of pain whenever I confront them with some new fruit or veg. His tastes are a bit plain, shall we say, and his digestion more used to liquid refreshment.
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When I used to live abroad, I used to eat the heads of the artichoke.
I would boil it and make a separate vinaigrette.
Then let the artichoke cool down and dip the leaves into the vinaigrette - Luuuuuuurvely ! :D :P
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Jerusalem or globe Marianne? They are two different beasts. The globe is the one that produces that glorious big thistle like flower, the jerusalem produces those tuberous roots.
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Hi EJ,
Mine was the globe. Extensively consumed in Belgium and delicious !
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Once you have them you will never get rid!
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Why Chrispea, do they put out a large rooting system?
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Marianne, they produce lots of tubers, some of which invariably get left in the ground after harvesting. These then sprout forming new plants. The rule with these lovely beauties is to ensure you have every piece of root and tuber out before spring. Alternatively, if you are not using the bed for something till later in the year, any tubers left will identify themselves by sprouting, then you can dig them up.
I am a total fan and recommend them to all.
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When are the tubers ready for digging up and eating?
I have some but have never done anything with them and going by what you've all said I should be eating and enjoying them.
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Hi David R
Thanks for your response. I love them too. Not only for the pot but also in the border where they look fabulous!!
I will try and get some to plant this year.
:D
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Ani,
They can be dug up and eaten pretty much anytime, but you should wait until the plants have started to die back in September to reap the benefits properly. They can last in the ground over winter and still be dug up and eaten at the end of winter/early spring. I have even eaten tubers that have begun to sprout with no ill effects (excepting the one that has been much debated above!).