Jerusalem artichokes - a typical crop?

[weedin project]

I dug up one plant (out of a row of 6) yesterday, and managed to weigh it in at 11lb 14½oz (which is 5.4kg).  This is just one plant's-worth.

I've never grown JAs before, so I do wonder if this is this a typical return on one fairly small tuber planted in March?
If the other five come out the same, I suppose we've got another 27kg (59½lb) of these to dig :o

We'll be off to the local spice shop tomorrow to stock up on asafoetida :'( :'( :'(

[weedin project]

[Curryandchips]

No idea whether that is typical or not, as this is my first year too, but I picked a full carrier bag full off two roots ...

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've never weighed mine, but you get masses. Just leave the ones you miss to grow for next year's crop; there's no need to rotate them.

[OllieC]

I'd say it's good - I dug up one yesterday & got 4 3/4 lb (including mud!). Still more than enough for some JA soup for 2 over a couple of days - and anything else just hurts too much (it's not just the release, it's the build-up that creates agony during the night).

I had a whole row & a few including these were just under an oak tree & smaller than some of the rest, although 20 or so more plants & we're still looking at some serious local climate change!

[supersprout]

It's always variable, but this year's crop is also stonking here - didn't weigh, but the crop from one plant (Jennyms Fuseau) on Friday filled a 6-litre pressure cooker a five-litre bowl to the very top :o Easily the best crop I can remember :D

Robert, I was using JAs as a clearing crop <I'llneverdothatagainsmiley> so made every effort to dig em all up. They really went down a long way this year, and some of the largest were at the bottom ::)

There's always a lot of waste compost from JAs. Largest ones get peeled and roasted whole for luxury, the smaller ones get roughly scrubbed, steamed and squished out from their skins for humbler Palestine Soup. Yum yum but poor tum (forgot the asafoetida) :'( :'( :'(

[weedin project]

Supersprout - the Palestine soup sounds like fun.

We made a soup with some of it yesterday, but I think I was a bit shy with the asafoetida ::)
Yesterday's recipe was:
a couple of shallots & a couple of cloves of garlic lightly fried in a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add fairly finely diced JAs on top (how much? not sure, but maybe ½ pound?), fry for a couple of minutes, then top up with a couple of pints of water.  Bit of s & p and a teaspoon of asafoetida.  Brought to boil & simmered under a lid for about 2 hours over a low gas with a diffuser on it.
Eat with half a loaf of home-made bread.

[supersprout]

oo weedin I believe this is the first receep anyone's posted for JA with asafoetida :o thank you
right, so was that tsp rounded or flat, and how much will you use next time? this is a serious enquiry from an enthusiastic artichoke-eater btw ;D

[weedin project]

Supersprout - it was fairly rounded - but not heaped.

Next time I think it'll be 2x heaped :-[

The spice jar we're using is the sort of asafoetida you get that has turmeric mixed in with it.  I think there is probably quite a high proportion of turmeric. 
We've also got a jar of "pure" asafoetida as well (but not opening it until the open jar is used up - which will be very soon if last night is anything to go by ;D :'( ), so I assume you can use less of that. 
The pure stuff is quite expensive......  so the next question has to be "how do you grow asafoetida then?"

[cleo]

Can`t say if it`s typical or not but I just happened to be there when Supersprout dug one plant. OK I go to the gym and push a few weights-no wonder I got to carry the crop :)

[cleo]

I've never weighed mine, but you get masses. Just leave the ones you miss to grow for next year's crop; there's no need to rotate them.

I have no reason to disagree if that works,but I have found that after a couple of years or so I got a forrest of `runt` growth from the small tubers I missed.

I now select some of the best and re-plant somewhere else-but that`s just me and my soil-if leaving them works why not?

[saddad]

I find just trying to dig them all out gives them a thinning... if you don't you do get smaller tubers from the thicket!
;D

[Pete the Plot]

but I think I was a bit shy with the asafoetida ::)

Is that a Spoonerism  ;)

[supersprout]

roflmao well spotted Pete ;D ;D ;D

[Curryandchips]

Supersprout, is there a recipe up for Palestine soup? I like your idea of steaming then squeezing the tubers afterwards, the small ones are a pain to peel. My JA's are Fuseau too, don't seem to suffer any aftereffects here ... :)

I don't worry about the amount of 'waste' that my kitchen preparations create, it all gets recycled anyway. Makes me less frugal in the kitchen though.

[supersprout]

Just put one here Curry:

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,26288.0

:)

[Curryandchips]

Thank you for that supersprout ...

[weedin project]

but I think I was a bit shy with the asafoetida ::)

Is that a Spoonerism  ;)

If only I was that alert or clever.......
Well spotted Pete.

p.s. the variety we planted were Sainsbury's "Special Offer Near the Sell-by Date".

[supersprout]

No.1 son returned home with camera lead for computer today - I've been waiting to post these pics of last week's plants' worth :P ::)

Divvied into large and little for roasting and steaming :D



Artichoke roasties :D :D

the variety we planted were Sainsbury's "Special Offer Near the Sell-by Date".