Allotments 4 All

Specially for Spurdie and these were only the ones from the surface I have not yet begun to dig them out.
We cannot eat them so what to do with them?
Some suggested giving them to the local old folks home. I can see the headlines now "Mystery of the exploding Pensioners!" Hmmm.

lordy that's a lot.

What are you going to do with them all?

And 'scuse my stupidity, but do they come from the same plant as artichoke hearts? What part of the plant are they? I don't think I've ever eaten those.

They are the tuberous roots of a form of Helianthus, nothing to do with artichokes nor Jerusalem.
The Artichoke proper is a cultivated form of Cardoon which is a thistle like plant.

Nice crop Eric-Aq,they are easy to grow but you do need to get every last one out unless you want a forrest of `runt` plants.

They make superb soup,or try a gratin,loads of ways to cook them. It`s true that they cause some folk a bit of `wind`-but hey ho -that`s life ;)

Stephan

they're a substantial crop-but what do you do with them if you don't eat them?!?!?

Wow, pretty amazing, although I'm getting negative vibes from this thread with growing Jerusalem Artichokes, I've never grown them before. A next door neighbour at the allotment gave me 6 Jerusalem Artichokes last weekend, should I plant them? (early spring is the recommendation in the book). What do they taste like? Sounds as if there are more problems than benefits. The books also mention that they grow high and can be used as a wind break, is this as a defence from people eating them perhaps!

Jamie

Wow Eric! You show off!  ;D
Have you tried making them into soup, as Stephan suggested? All you need is a bit butter, onion, artichokes, milk and seasoning. Nice with oatcakes on a cold day. Up here they are used as pheasant food - just boiled and mashed up! My mum and dad used to boil up any oddments of tatties in a big pot for the hens to eat and they loved them! Now there's a profitable suggestion for your poly tunnel - rear pheasants in it and feed them up with artichokes till they're nice and fat, then sell them to top London restaurants for silly money!  ;D
I grew artichokes as a temporary hedge - they reached 10 feet and were held in straight rows with canes and strings. No need for hedge trimming - just dig them up!
Seriously, couldn't you get your local grocer/butcher to sell them for you? They do that up here - if you've more veg then you need, they'll sell it for you in their shops. You can but ask!

We had mine roasted with olive oil and garlic this weekend! Yum  :) I grow the type Fuseau, not as knobbly looking as Erics. They do make a great windbreak, and have broken up my clay soil brilliantly! Jamie I would advocate try before you buy if you have never tasted them before, they are not to everyones taste!  DP

We have tried them in almost every way we can find to prepare them and it does not matter what we do, they cause us great internal pain! The hens refused point blank to eat them boiled and mashed. AND the ones in the picture are only those I picked up off the surface, there are kilo's of them still waiting the energy to dig. The plants are ones that grew from the 'wildlings' left in the soil last time I tried to clear them out. Finally the nearest shop which sells local produce, is over 5 miles away. Oh and there is little point putting them in a box at the front, we get about 3 cars a day past the house. Sad, but it is the bin for them!

can you grow next years from saved tubers from this years crop? if you can it might be worth thinking about sticking some on ebay? money for nothing if they're going in the bin?

Rather ironic that they work well as a wind break!

Try a souffle?
Think you have to cook them rather well into a puree (helps break down those indigestible whatsnames).

Sarah.

They are called "Jerusalem" as a corruption from the french "girasol" ie. turning to face the sun - because they are a type of sunflower relative.

Yummy but yes they can cause gastric upset!

Perhaps you should donate them to all lottie gardeners on your site?

Ten x

I cannot understand why the hens refused them ,I used to grow them and mash them down with some bran for the chickens.They loved them, and the goats produced some really good milk when they ate the tops.

Heritage, maybe Eric's hens have seen the effect the artichokes have on HIM!  ;)  :P

http://www.organic-power.co.uk/organicpower_five.htm

Now this could be a useful use for them if the side affects are as bad as they are stated.