Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunchokes
When I married my husband and settled into our little red farmhouse in the spring of 2022, I inherited a lovingly landscaped yard and well established garden area. The garden already had several perennials, the most prolific of which has proven to be the Jerusalem Artichoke.
What are Jerusalem Artichokes?
Jerusalem artichokes are a tall plant reaching anywhere from 4-12 feet tall. In late summer they bloom in clusters of beautiful golden flowers that look like a cross between sunflowers and daisies. In fact they are considered a type of sunflower, with their scientific name being “Helianthus tuberosus” and sunflowers scientific name being “Helianthus annuus”. They also produce tubers that you can eat.
I found out another name for Jerusalem Artichokes is Sunchokes. My husband and his Dad have always called them Jerusalem Artichokes. I like how the name Sunchokes sounds prettier, and is not as long to say. However for the rest of this post though I will call them Jerusalem Artichokes because that is the more common name for them.
Reasons to plant
- Native to North America
- Drought tolerant
- Beautiful for Landscaping
- Beneficial for bees and other pollinators, provides late season flowers
- Birds like the seeds
- Livestock love the greens; my husband and his Dad have pulled up extra ones or chopped some down to give to our cows
- Provides a good dust break from dirt road traffic
- Is easy to grow, naturalizes and spreads easily (usually considered invasive or aggressive)
- Roots produce tubers you can eat tastes like a cross between a potato and a water chestnut
A Reason not to plant
They take over! The ones along the fence at the back of my garden have not really been an issue but the ones along the front fence have been competing with some of my thornless blackberries, asparagus, and rhubarb.
Where to plant to avoid problems
Plant them where you are okay with them naturalizing and taking over the area . For example:
- A field that you don’t want to mow
- A place where you are trying to outcompete something else invasive or even harmful
- A place where livestock can graze on them
- Along a fence that borders a dirt road, they can provide a dust break as well as look beautiful along the the fence
- Along a fence you don’t plan on planting anything else against
- Any other place you don’t mind them spreading
I intend to transplant my problem ones that are along my front garden fence to the fence that borders the dirt road we live on. My husband already planted a short row there with some of them and it looks very nice. They seemed to catch the dust from traffic better than the weeds that have been growing along the fence. So the thicker they grow along our fence that borders the dirt road the better I’ll like it.
Bloom time
They bloom in my area (Southern Missouri) from mid September through early October. So right now we are enjoying a bouquet of them Timberlynn and I picked on our kitchen table.
Harvesting
The harvesting of the tubers starts after the plants die back (usually after the first frost) and is done throughout the winter until they start growing again in the spring. Just dig up what you need when you need it and what you don’t use will grow back in the spring.
I’ve enjoyed the Jerusalem Artichokes’ blooms every year but have only eaten them once when my husband’s dad picked them for me to try. My husband, Carson says his favorite way to eat them is as fresh pickles. His mom would just slice them into the pickle juice of a jar of pickles they had finished and keep them in the refrigerator.
This fall-winter my goal is to use them a lot more. I want to try different recipes with them. Stay tuned because I will probably let you all know how that goes here on the blog.
“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”
Malachi 4:2