Jerusalem Artichokes

[barkingdog]

I've just bought some Jerusalem Artichokes from our local farm shop. They were described as 'home grown' do you think they will grow okay if I plant them instead of eat them!!

barkingdog

[barkingdog]

[saddad]

Yes.... they can be very hard to get out again though so be careful where you plant them... are they very knobbly or spindle shaped?

[supersprout]

They sure will. I'd select the smoothest tubers to plant, irrespective of size :)

[Curryandchips]

Can't add any more good advice, except start searching all the recipes for JA's ... :)

Derek

[barkingdog]

they are quite smooth but they have been trimmed a bit, so maybe they were once knobbly!

barkingdog

[Tin Shed]

I also bought some JAs today at the local Farmer's market - some for soup and a few to grow. I checked with the stall holder aand they came from Lincolnshire so they should do OK in Essex. Do you need to chit them like potatoes or are they OK to stick them in as they are? OH and when should i plant them  - I have grown them many, many years ago and have forgotten.

[saddad]

They are almost indestructible Tin Shed... they don't need chitting you can bung them into any, not frozen solid, soil and plant asap as they don't like drying out!
;D

[supersprout]

they are quite smooth but they have been trimmed a bit, so maybe they were once knobbly!
barkingdog

oh ... I wonder if the trimmed ones will shoot? as long as it's a light trim and there's plenty of skin on, it's probably worth a try!
like dad say, plant as soon as you can. I allow 1m2 between plants, and feed em well :)

[okra]

Once established they seem indestructable and the smallest tuber left in the ground produces a strong plant. I wish I could get the family to enjoy them though, tried various methods and recipes but always get the same reaction - yuk.

[weedin project]

Dug up the last of ours yesterday (barring any sports for next year ???).
Tesco's sell them at £1.99 for 285g, which is just shy of £7 per kilo, or close to £3.20 per pound :o.  Considering they are that expensive in the shops I couldn't believe how much we got.
We found 13lb of tubers from the first plant in the row, and about the same from the one at the other end of the row; the ones in between were not so productive - probably averaged about 4lb per plant.  They were planted (unchitted) about a foot apart and four/six inches deep.  If you want maximum productivity it seems sensible to plant them further apart!  We didn't feed ours, and we didn't really water them either.  They just got on with it.

p.s. don't forget your supply of asafoetida :-\ :-\

[Curryandchips]

Six roots still in the ground, one will provide seed for this season, so it looks like I have loads left. Not sure how long they will keep in storage, so perhaps we need to eat more ... ?

Gnocchi again soon perhaps ...

Derek :)

[Barnowl]

Still digging up ours. I noticed some are already showing signs of sprouting - hope some colder weather slows them down!

[cornykev]

So you dig them up now and can replant some now, is that correct or am I reading it wrong.

[saddad]

That's right Kev... about the only thing they don't like is being allowed to dry out!
8)

[okra]

All you JA fans whats your favourite way of eating them?

[Curryandchips]

As stated in an earlier post, gnochhi !!! But there are loads of others that I haven't tried yet ...

Anyone tried JA chips?

Derek :)

[okra]

Tried JA chips but they were very greasy - they seem to act like a sponge to the oil

[supersprout]

All you JA fans whats your favourite way of eating them?

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,26627.0
:)

[Curryandchips]

Love the idea of the pancake with goats cheese - has a sort of Greek feel to it - rather topical for me at the moment ...  :D

I reckon this make appear shortly on our tables ...

Derek :)

[SKIP]

So does noone else suffer after they've eaten them?  I've only ever roasted them, & not eaten many at a time - but both of us had such bad stomach aches each time we've eaten them, we decided it wasn't worth the taste.

Am I wrong?  Am I cooking them wrong?  Is soup less painful? 

I do still have a couple that I kept in a pot last yr, so might be able to rescue a crop  .....