Easiest Plant To Grow To Sustain Your Family!
I believe this is the plant that takes the least time and effort to grow of any food for difficult times.
If you want to buy some Jerusalem Artichokes here is a link.
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The Long video was 32 minutes not an hour. My bad. I had not edited the long video before saying that it would be about an hour. Sorry about that.
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If you want to buy some Jerusalem Artichokes here is a link. amzn.to/3r6am8j This is an amazon affiliate link. I get a tiny cut but it costs you nothing extra.
excluding areas that are wet. that is why the irish grew potatoes instead of these.
Thank you!
DOESN'T SHIP TO CA😢
We grow them where i work commercially. The short and simple: not many like it due to its heavy impact on your digestive tract. Flatulence is the milder impact in this case xD. As for it being a great and easy plant to get high production, sure, but be absolutely sure to rotate your crops, because otherwise the yield of this sunflower related plant will drop significantly despite adding fertilizer. Save a portion of the yield for replanting on a new patch and weed the old one (there will be gorrilions of them trying to regrow where you had them last year) The greatest part is that they stay good in the ground untill they start a new growth cycle in spring and shoot roots from the tubers.
It says they can't be shipped to my area
A friend was telling me a funny story about her Jerusalem Artichokes one time. Her husband was going to rototill their garden so she told him to stay away from the spot where her JA were planted. He forgot and tilled through them. She yelled at him and he said, "Oh no, did I kill them?" She said, "NO! You spread them EVERYWHERE!!!" 😂🤣🤣🤣
👁️💜‼️
It is a heaven sent to see peace in Jerusalem, always! Let’s keep it respectful that way! Another ‘Have a Hearties!’
😂
.that's very true. be careful were you clean them, the smallest tuber will grow and in a couple of years you will have a new garden full of them.
So they're like dandelions, or fireweed/great willowherb.
He's not wrong, I grew some in grow bags with just standard compost and left them and did nothing else. They're now a 10' tall wall of leaves about to flower. No pests, no disease, they are literally the easiest thing I've ever grown bar nettles. I can literally live off nettle and Jerusalem artichoke soup for ever for free straight out my garden. Amazing plants.
Is it actually possible to grow nettles from seeds? I'm asking and never thought I'd have to worry about that; but I just can't find stinging nettles here. 😞
@@thekingsdaughter4233I would be shocked if it does not set seed. have you searched the Internet? lots of ppl value nettle and your likely to find someone who has seeds to share
How do you enjoy the nettles ?
@@mkx9095pureed as soup is delicious
@@mkx9095 best in soups. Nettle soup is super nutritious. Just fresh nettle leaves preferably young ones, onion, potatoes and garlic boiled up and seasoned to taste. I'll probably replace the potatoes with sun chokes. Cheers J
For me, after eating them on a regular bases, the 'wind' effect, only occurred the 1st time or two I ate them. After that, it was no issue at all! I look so forward to fall and winter and being able to dig up a day or two's worth at a time! One way to also serve them up, is sauted in a frying pan with a bit coconut oil with thinly sliced pieces like potatoe chips! They are delicious this way!!!! Thanks for the video!!!
Definitely your microbiome in your gut just adjusting. Once you eat it you help to introduce the necessary bacteria to digest it. Usually the first couple go arounds for new foods will produce gas. Once your gut has the necessary bacteria it can digest it more efficiently and with less gas.
I'm sold. Most "survival tips" are garbage. This is convincing
Garage?
Garbage
Some people plant Jerusalem Artichoke in weedy areas. Once they have taken hold, they turn the pigs in on the place where the Jerusalem Artichokes are planted. The pigs will root up everything -- including the weeds -- trying to get the tubers. So the people get weed control and fattened hogs.
That’s brilliant.
@@Agapy8888 I understand it is particularly good when you have blackberry vines. The pigs will root up the ground to such an extent that the blackberries will be gone.
@@CCoburn3possibly, but pigs are quite picky eaters. If weed clearing is your goal, goats are the go.
@@benwilkins2998 I have two pigs. They have rooted up their part of the pasture until it looks like a plowed field. And it only takes one strand of wire to keep them in. I’ve had goats too. They will certainly eat the weeds to the ground, but the weeds just grow back. And once they figure out that they can jump the fence, it doesn’t matter how tall you build the fence, you’re not going to keep them in. Though I understand that hair sheep don’t jump fences. They are worth a try.
Ingenious!
My wife planted jerusalem artichokes in a 6' stock tank one year. They grew like weeds. This was quite an accomplishment because she usually forgets to water her plants. We got such a big harvest we didn't know what to do with them all. She thought she had harvested them all but the next year even more came up. I enjoyed learning a little more about them, thanks!
A great way to keep them contained.
I’ve never heard of them until this video. What would you recommend for a small family size container worth? I currently have 6’x3’ boxes
@@thehimself4056 We had them in one 6' X 2' container that is 2' deep and had a good harvest the first year. I thought we had harvested most of the tubers but the second year we had an even bigger crop. I wasn't aware that they would have stored well in the ground or would have tried that. My wife wanted to plant something different in the container and so we took most of the soil out of the container to try to get them all but still had to pull out quite a few young plants the third season in order to eliminate them. Now I'm thinking about planting them again. Good luck !
@@thehimself4056 They go by a number of names, including sunchoke, sunroot, earth apples, and more. You may have seen them and didn't know it. I confirm everything he said in this video: They're prolific, low maintenance, and spread easily. I also really like the nutty flavor. They do like soil that drains, so a stock tank seems to work very well to contain them so long as it doesn't pool water. I think @noyopacific may have benefited from his wife not watering the tank often. I would probably perforate the container to ensure drainage. In my case, I was planting in heavily clay soil, which I amended in several ways to improve drainage under the plants, but I left the planting holes narrow so I think the plants benefited from being surrounded by wet clay soil while still being able to drain adequately. This year, the 16 new sunchokes are doing well in much looser soil, but they're not quite as tall and bushy as the 3 volunteers in last year's clay soil location. So more water is good so long as they can drain away.
You'll never get rid if them lol
Helianthes. Sunflowers, edible roots. A flower garden AND a vegetable garden. The best of both worlds.
I like the windy affect, the solitude is my reward.
When i was a kid, some kind neighbors gave us Jerusalem artichokes for our garden and they grew and grew. We harvested so many that we had them with dinner almost every night just to get rid of them. I got so sick of eating them as a kid because i ate so many. Now that im older and dont have a childs taste in food, i think ill try growing them myself! Thanks for reminding me of this wonderful plant!
you can torture the next generation :D
How did they get prepared?
Hundreds of ways, @@strawberryme08 Anyway you can prepare potatoes will work, except for fine cut or shredded 'chokes. They are much 'wetter' than potatoes so you should press quite a bit of moisture out of them for hash browns or latkes. Soups, stews, roasting, grilling, frying, stir fry (they're texture is like Water Chestnuts), sliced raw into salads, boiled and mashed. One of my favorites is a 50:50 mix with mashed potatoes and a dab of garlic butter. I've made wine from the water after boiling them. Make it on the sweet side and the first taste on the lips is almost like honey. The second taste just can't be described. The aftertaste is almost like Hazelnut. I've dehydrated raw chips and made flour. It's heavy like Buckwheat flour, won't rise by itself, best mixed with other flours. They're packed full of a soluble prebiotic fiber called Inulin. In unbalanced (unhealthy) guts it can cause extreme gas, hence one of their nicknames; Fartichokes! There are five ways to deal with Inulin; Freezing, fermenting, extended cooking time, cooking with an acidic ingredient. Our fall harvest goes mostly into pickles and relishes. The vinegar and shelf storage converts the Inulin into Fructose. Our spring harvest, after the deep freeze of our zone 5 winters also converts the Inulin into Fructose and makes them good for eating raw or most any other methods. They can be fermented exactly like cabbage into sauerkraut, refrigerator pickles or into kimchi. You name it, they can probably be prepared that way. Ah, the fifth way to deal with Inulin is to take it as a daily gut treatment. Talk it over with your doctor first, after you've gathered some good info on how to take it as a health supplement. It can help neutralize gut inflammation which can lead to polyps and colon cancer. You'll no doubt find articles about it curing diabetes. It might for some, but not for me. It has improved my gut health.
Did they REALLY taste like artichoke?
It's been ages since I had globe artichokes @@NeoN-PeoN There may be some similarity, but there is a clear difference. And that depends on how they're prepared.
I live in East Texas, zone 8. We have had a drought and excessive heat this year. Of the plants that survived and thrived, one was the Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes). We have sandy soil. It is like sugar granules. After planting, we piled hay with cow manure over the area, and walked away. They were planted early in the Spring, and they are still putting out blossoms in Sept.! Cutting them up, soaking in lemon juice and water, then freezing, them will eliminate gas. They get sweeter after a frost! Or you can cut them up after freezing. We got the smaller variety, as they dont need to be peeled! The skins are tender. We just scrub them with a stiff brush, air dry them, freeze them on a cookie sheet, then put them in freezer bags for storage. They are excellent cut into slices and fried in a good olive oil! Use them as you would potatoes. We dig them up as needed, the day before we cook them, to let them freeze for 24 hours. Happy trails!!
I am glad to hear that, I live in Texas too and was worried will they grow in our heat
I grew them in the Longview area.
You live southernly enough that they might even produce seeds. I live in the Netherlands, and it's too northernly for the flowers to reach maturity in time, though they still produce tubers. That freezing them would help convert the inulin to sugars makes sense. Potatoes convert starches to sugars as well when they're kept too cold like in the fridge, which is a proces the potatoes use to maintain their temperature (as potatoes are living organisms!). Though with potatoes that does make them taste worse.
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Thank you so much....going to give it a go Naples TX area
As a po' Alabama boy who lives off his land, I'm extremely grateful for your content Great information, extremely helpful and nice presentation
I've grown Jerusalem artichokes for several years now. The cramps from the gas nearly sent me to the hospital. I've found that waiting until early spring to dig them helps me very much. I have canned (pickled) them, and like them that way, but am still experimenting with their various uses. Also, Jerusalem artichokes, while prolific and invasive, they do better if the roots are at least disturbed, if not dug every year. So they are not totally maintenance-free. The flowers bloom late in the season, when most of the garden is done, so they are good to have around for the bees. I never thought of the fact that they can be cut down if necessary, for concealment. A very good thing to know in these times! I enjoy you videos.
He said to possibly add lemon to it. I wonder if apple cider vinegar (1 Tbsp./cup of water) consumed 30 minutes prior to meal would assist your stomach acid & digestion.
@@Pamela.BOr saurkraut, yogurt (I like vegan yogurt), kefir, kimchi...
@@Pamela.B, hmm. Cooking them in an acidic ingredient converts the Inulin into fructose but drinking acidic goodies before eating them?? I might have to give this a shot.
Agreed treat these guys with caution I ate a small amount and the sheer pressure it caused me was INTENSE. If someone ate a bunch of these without knowing I genuinely think they could send themselves to the hospital.
Me too, total agony, never again!
The worst thing about JA's is when digging them up carelessly you get a chunk under your fingernail. The best thing is the taste when simply washed, scrubbed, cut in half lengthways, rubbed with oil and sprinkled with salt and left in a low to moderate oven to roast until caramelised on the outside and gooey in the middle. They are amazing. Better after being left in the ground for a bit as the inulin converts and they aren't so devastating for polite company. I've had them up to 10 feet high and they produce huge, beautiful tubers. Cheers :)
Another plant to consider to sustain your family is Stinging Nettle, the most nutritious plant to have on hand. Vitamins: Vitamins A, C, K, as well as several B vitamins Minerals: Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium Fats: Linoleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid Amino acids: All of the essential amino acids Polyphenols: Kaempferol, quercetin, caffeic acid, coumarins and other flavonoids Pigments: Beta-carotene, lutein, luteoxanthin and other carotenoids I do have to say, however, that the Jerusalem Artichoke is a prettier plant. lol P.S. Source; HealthLine P.S.S. Avoid if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Use with caution if you're elderly because of the potential of causing low blood pressure. Use stinging nettle with caution if you have diabetes because of the potential that it may lower or raise blood sugar levels. Edited for additional information. As in all things moderation. And, do your own research.
and rosehips/brambles wild apples pears stew with sugar and bottle
Do you happen to know the best practice for preserving stinging nettle? I'm thinking that blanching and then freezing it would be good but I'm not sure. I know it can be dried and used in soups, stews and in tea
@@julyjoy6756 I've only ever used it dry and steeped it as a tea.
@@eileenspamer Rosehip Jam is my all-time favorite, however, since learning that sugar dampens the immune system, and is not good for your health, I've been looking for better ways of making/setting jam/jelly. Apples and pears are just two of the fruits high in pectin. There are ways to use fruit instead of sugar, which would be much healthier.
@@julyjoy6756 There is a great you tube channel called Rain Country. This lady is amazing when it comes to herbs and preservation. Also, stinging nettle is one of her favorites. Cheers :)
I have grown Jerusalem artichokes for decades😊
Very cool! Here in central Florida, the Ube yam is #1 for me. You can leave it in the ground or harvest it each year. It has plenty of seed potatoes in the fall to replant in the spring. It can produce hundreds of lbs. if several are planted. The leaves are edible. It provides shade with its Jack and the Beanstalk growth rate. There are dozens and dozens of delicious recipes for it (mostly desserts). Also, it has a beautiful deep purple color which adds interest to whatever dish it's in. The pancakes we made from it were the best we've ever had!
Native Americans claimed there were 9 ways to propagate JA. I know of 4. We dry all of the leaves & flower and make awesome hot tea throughout the year. The tea not only tastes great but also significantly lowers blood sugar levels. We also dry the leaves & flowers, put them in a blender, and make baking flour out of it. Also with the tubers. We use every bit of the plant. Rabbits and all livestock love the greens & stems, even after they've been dried. Tubers are great pickled and retain their crunch if you eat the within the year.
I had no idea there were no many uses. Now I might consider keeping mine :P Do you cook the chokes before you pickle them?
@@egregius9314 Just wash them, slice them, and pickle them in a water bath. Glad you're going to keep them!
Does taking off the leaves affect the tubers or do you just take some from each plant? I'm not sure if it's just me, but I really enjoy chopping the dead stems back to the ground and chopping them up for compost. Maybe I'm missing a trick by not using the leaves and I wish I'd known rabbits like them when we had a rabbit ...
@@ameliagfawkes512 my dairy goats LOVE them even more than the rabbits!! I think the leaves are about 28% protein also.
Thanks for this info!! Whst are the 4 ways you propogate them? Do you have trouble with any wild animals or bugs eating them?
I used to grow these while I lived in Germany. They were massive tubers. I grew them is sandy soil and would use a green fertilizer made from fermented garlic peels, onion peels and stinging nettle. The harvest was heavy with large number of tubers some weighing over a pound. Matthew
That sounds like a great compost tea, thanks for sharing!
Hi did you actually eat them? If so, how are they prepared? Boiled maybe?
When making the compost tea place your bucket in the sun add cut up stinging nettle, garlic peelsand onion peels. Fill with water stir vigorously with a stick each day. This mixture will foam up for 10 days. When ready dilute 10 to 1.Added benefit this discourages garden pests. Matthew
@@debragarrett5110 Hi yes we did infact eat them. We would steam or boil them . Add a little butter and ealt.Enjoy. Matthew
Thank you Mathew!!!
The sunchoke is a warrior! I didn't believe it when I read you couldn't get rid of it. I dug it up and was sure that I got it all. Grew back next spring and the harvest was massive.
You are very interesting content creator. Not only the topics are always very well centered on sustainability but also, perhaps foremost, the culture that you build around it is remarkable! Thank you man!
I grew these in Michigan and used a meat grinder to grind up the washed roots. this gave juice and pulp. I mixed the pulp with hamburger and made an excellent meat loaf. Even my mother liked my meat loaf.
Did you consume the juice? Raw?
I was 29 at the time, I tasted the juice and poured it out. I'm sure it would make a vegetable broth. My mother said that she would not be afraid to serve that meatloaf to any guest. I think it was 50/50 hamburger and pulp.@@lifeisgood6765
Yum!!!
You can make wine out of that juice! Simple wine is 'choke juice, mix about 50:50 with water, add sugar and I use raisins for natural yeast. You can follow most any wine recipe.
Can you post the recipe for the meatloaf?
We have grown these in a greenhouse without one drop of water for 12 months and they produced abundantly.
That is incredible!!! Why did you decide not to water thrm - as an experiment?
@@flowersafeheart We were trying to get them to die. They had taken over so many areas of our garden & greenhouse that we wanted to kill off some of them. The ones we did not water were 12+ foot high. We have pics of my boyfriend cutting them down with a chainsaw to keep them from going through the top of the greenhouse.
@@flowersafeheartI also desperately need the back story 😂
I'm new to growing food. Can you help me with a perhaps foolish question? I don't quite understand how to attain new seed tubers while also eating your harvest. Let's say you have ten tubers, you eat five, but you use the other five to grow again for the next season. Does this not mean you must gradually diminish your crops until nothing remains? As in, it is one tuber for every one plant, and one plant only produces one tuber. Or do they also grow from seed?
@@SilverC3ll with Jerusalem artichokes do you plant one tuber and you get . An average of 3 to 5 lb of tubers for each one you plant. Also you don't have to put any more in the ground because it is impossible to dig them all. Some are going to remain in the ground and come up again the following spring. So your crap is not going to diminish it's going to do the opposite of that and multiply exponentially every year so that within a few years you're going to have more Jerusalem artichokes than you possibly know what to do with.
I have a section of my property (in Massachusetts) where Jerusalem artichokes were planted twenty years ago. Every September, they reach 12 feet and show off their golden flowers until October. The tubers can be harvested for food any time of year, as long as the ground is not frozen. They are an amazingly beautiful plant!
"Jerusalem" was a misunderstanding of "girasole", the Italian word for "sunflower" (gira = turn, sole = sun; as in, a flower that tutns toward the sun).
Last year I grew 2 sunchokes. They produced a volleyball-sized amount of tubers (total), or about half a 7-gallon bucket full. I ate many, gave some away, and this year planted the rest. I now have 16 new plants growing along a fence, along with 3 volunteers from where I thought I had harvested all of it last year. They are indeed prolific. Also a bonus note: Our local health food grocery in Colorado sells sunchoke tubers for about $20/lb, depending upon the season. The two plants from last year yielded about 7 lbs total from amended clay soil.
Which store exactly? I live down in Pueblo County, and would love to support local business and get started on sunchokes.
@@Chuklz70Im from further east, I call it the armpit. I'd also like to know where they can be gotten
Yes, where can we get them? I have a spot I'd like to get green
Try farmer's markets.
Amazon
Hey, just letting some know You can also eat the leaves ! In a salad or even cook ! 💛🖖
We grew and ate them when I was a kid and I still grow them now in my 60's.
Yep! Our stealth garden crop! We have food hidden in plain sight! I appreciate this plant and our neighbors love our pretty yellow flowers.
Italian settlers in the United States called the plant girasole, the Italian word for sunflower, because of its relationship to the garden sunflower . Over time, the name girasole was corrupted by English-speakers to Jerusalem. Girasole is pronounced "jee-rah-SOH-lay".
Ah jeerahsolay artichoke💡
@@faigee3493 in Germany we call that plant Topinambur, in Latin Helianthus tuberosus
In our house we call it the fartichoke, for obvious reasons. Make a pan of soup with them for guests and check out the results
@@psalm919 ah yes soup, that would retain the fart fuel. gotta dump the water or use them after fermenting them would be better
@@psalm919 Need an airplane for vertical takeoff with all the gas produced. I love eating them raw
Great video! Thank you. The reason they are gassy is because your gut bacteria are not used to them. Start with small portions at regular intervals to promote the gut bacteria that can digest them well. Probiotic drinks such as Yakult and kefir can help as well.
Oh, awesome! I hope you're right that the body can adapt. Maybe fermenting just some of them too and eating a combo of fermented and unfermented could help. And various forms of prebiotics and probiotics. I imagine cooked are easier to digest than raw too.
@@flowersafeheart I have never tried fermenting them. 🤔
Indigenous just left them in the ground longer...the inulin lowers itself that way
Interesting! I was wondering if I was doomed to eat small portions of them, even as I love the taste. That's good news.
Don't know if anybody has already talked about it, but im from Germany and i was like "What the heck is this called and how can I aquire it for growing" and then i learned its latin name and realized, im already growing it. So everyone on the same search : Its also called Topinambur. Grow em with rhizome barrier in the ground. Theyll grow like crazy and they survived the harsh summer we had. They will go into a sort of hibernation and come back with the first good amount of rain. You can also water them of course if possible.
When I was a kid, my Dad suggested digging up the JAs in our back yard to sell in the neighborhood. Became a great addition to my paper route earnings. Note: JAs and homemade milk kefir pair well for a healthy meal.
In Poland, we eat that tuber fermented. You can also fry or boil fermented Jerusalem artichoke and it's delicious. Lacto fermentation makes this tuber easily digested but don't drink water from the fermentation.
What happens if you drink the water?
@@gmw3083you turn into a fartichoke 😝
diarrhea strikes @@gmw3083
@spoolsandbobbins 😂😂😂😂😂 I...I can't stop laughing!
Thank you very much for this! I planted some last spring & thought it was a failure, but now they're coming along.😀 Good to know what to do with them!
I bought some at a grocery store. Out of 6 roots we got 2 plants that were tiny. This year we have like 30 of them.
Topinambour....yes...you can make gourmet soups...a very subtle artichoke flavour
Good to know that handling the stalks can result in severe skin irritation!
Put them whole, with the skins, in the oven in a deep pan of sorts and put plenty of butter on them and salt & pepper...roast them like you would potatoes, turning them a couple of times, until they are lovey golden and crisp. They will be perfectly mushy on the inside and crisp on the outside...Delicious. They can also be boiled and mashed like mashed potatoes..served with lots of butter. Take the skins of before mashing. Mmmmm....Yum
One of my favorites is 50:50 mashed potatoes and mashed 'chokes with a dab of garlic butter. The skins on mine are so thin I leave them on. They almost disappear when well mashed.
I Once worked for a couple who had inherited his father's property. They had lived there for 30 years and had never cultivated the artichokes but they still flourished every year. I think i was the only person to cook them along with their amazing asparagus which they also did not use. I suspect they are still flourishing 50 yearslater.(NSW, Australia)
I've never, in my whole life, eaten an Artichoke of any description and did not know that the Jerusalem variety is not actually an Artichoke. Stumbling across this article has just changed that. I intend to plant some JAs ASAP. Thank you for this info. 😊
Yep, we grew it in one of our big garden beds down here in South Texas a few years back.. It took off great in our dense clay soil, required minimal water, tolerated the scorching climate very well, had no issues with pests, and popped right back up in the spring even after harvesting what we thought were all of its tubers. We were thrilled with how it did, until we discovered that I and my oldest son were allergic to it. Haha.. Ahh, well.
What was your reaction? Hives? Trouble breathing?
@@backyardrebel2149 It was minor; just a bit of swelling/itching in the old bronchial tubes. I have a similar reaction to sunflower seeds, which in retrospect makes sense given that the sunchoke is closely related.
@@MechMan0124 Thank you for sharing. Not sure if any in my family would be allergic and it's good to know what to look out for when we try JA.
@@backyardrebel2149 If you're in a hot/dry climate with not-so-great soil, you might try growing Golden Amaranth. The drying and winnowing process can be tricky the first couple of harvests, but it's an impressive producer of grain once you get the hang of it. It was once the staple crop of many Pre-Columbian central American cultures. It's very hardy and easy to grow, and the harvested grain stores well.
@@MechMan0124 I'm on the west coast. It gets pretty wet. Lol. I'll look into it though. Would love to have a bunch of options for easy to grow food
Oh my. We have them in our garden from previous owner. I just thought it was a flower. ( just recently learning about medicinal plants) I gave sadly composted tubers. I have nice patch and will take GOOD care of it from now on. Thank you so much for this video.
I love mine, just a half inch is all you need for new plants, very delicious sautéd with onions and garlic, they’re great for those who are diabetic
My wife planted courgette seeds 4 months ago and they’re still growing and providing beautiful and versatile courgettes. Everyday there’s a new, ready to pick, handful of pure joy and with lovely big yellow flowers. As well as the obvious salads and soup, the courgette is great in a cake, adding moistness to a lemon cake. Bees love the flowers also. Our growing patch is only 2 square metres.
I started with like 8 of them in small line in my garden, I harvest as much as I can each year - It grows back double the next. This really is hard to restrain. Oudside of the english speaking realm those are also known as "Tobinambur" which is reflecting more on their indiginious heritage.
You can convert the inulin (a type of carbohydrate, not to be confused with insulin, a blood sugar regulating hormone) in the tubers into fructose (the same type of sugar found in many fruits) by exposing them to freezing temperatures, either naturally or artificially.
Interesting! So they become less healthy frozen? Or is that sugar helpful for anything?
@@flowersafeheart Well, more or less healthy is subjective, depending on your perspective. As I understand it, inulin is an example of what's called a resistant starch, meaning that it cannot easily by digested by the human body, because the carb is instead digested by intestinal bacteria (hence the windy characteristic). If you're looking for a low-calorie foodstuff, I suppose that could be a benefit. If you're looking to keep yourself fed from a small plot of land, breaking the inulin into fructose is more useful. I was thinking recently about tuberous nasturtium, also known as mashua in that context, because it has similar characteristics - maybe that vegetable would interest you as well.
Living off fructose as the main source of calories would be very bad for your health, but it would prevent you from starving if there was no other choice. A food that can be stored in the field in frozen ground is obviously advantageous, but I wouldn't recommend it for homesteaders as a primary crop.
@@edwardkuenzi5751 True. An additional issue is, as I understand it, that they have little nutritional value. The same could be said for yacon, tuberous nasturtium (mashua) and other similar crops.
@@collinvickers2345the guy in this video was saying that it would make a great staple crop, that it's a complete protein (and in the correct proportions) and that it yeilds as many calories per unit weight as potatoes. Not sure if the calories part was woth the inulin or with it converted to fructose.
An old (scandinavian) home remedie for digestive gas problems, is tea made of cumin or anis seeds. 1 tsp seed + 1 cup of water. Let it soak for 10 minutes. Drink. It's good to drink it right before or after a meal that can cause digestive problems. (You can eat some of the seeds too, if you like, or you can just drink the tea). 😊🌸
Very interesting. Fennel seed tea works for me.
@@mollygardens6646 Yes, fennel is also used to make this tea! 👍🌸
Ginger honey, chamomile. Ginger family for chai herbal tea are all aphrodisiac and testosterone boosters that have other healthy effects. Roobis red chai if you want to double the price of this extremely cheap tea. Add a tiny bit of tumeric to it and put hair on your ovaries.
I don't mind gas brings me much joy.
@@Foxhound1Nine"beans, beans, good for the heart..."😂
Great information, I will consider planting them in a green space next to my property so they take over the weeds
I didn't realize it but they grow wild in my yard. The only thing I've known to do with them is artichoke relish, which is very similar to bread & butter pickles. I hope to find other recipes now that I know how beneficial they are! Thank you!!
I had such a stressed-out day. KZhead suggested this video. I never knew of your channel. I am a history nerd! This video eased my stress away! I'm totally subscribing to your channel!! Thanks and God bless!
Always grow ton of it. Can even turn it into flour and make delicious bread. Also it's good pickled.
With just Jerusalem artichoke flour or do you add wheat flour?
Yes, I too am interested in the flour you make with it. I'm assuming it performs like other gluten free flours...? And you pickle it with vinegar...? Or have you tried fermenting it?
How do you dry it enough to make flour?
Flour! I'm definitely going to look into that; thanks for the tip!
@@Maddy_might, it's a heavy flour, like Buckwheat flour, best mixed with other flours. Wheat, rice, any lighter flour does well. My preference is 1/4 'choke flour to 3/4 other flour. It adds a stiffer texture - makes pizza crust not so droopy for example. It adds a nice earthy-nutty flavor.
This video has been totally tubular!!! Thanks.
I appreciate all the references to your sources, and not merely repeating the first web search results!
Your close-up and wide-angle views of this plant are so helpful! I started some tubers in pots. When about 2. inches of stalk emerged, something ate them down to ground. The tubers didn't grow back. but just rotted in the soil mix. I believe the culprit was a roof rat or a mouse, so gardeners should be ready to protect the small plants from small varmints. In central Texas, you can get the tubers at specialty grocers for about $9 per pound. I have paid the price because they are so delicious and there are amazing recipes online. Now that I know what they look like, I'm so looking forward to having my own crop, embedded in my urban landscape. Now that you've shown me what to expect, I can better pick a location to start them in-ground. Thanks for the boost!
My experience was similar. Had these in a pot last summer. They grew to about 2 feet with no sign of flowers and a bug ate em or something. Never really came back. In the spring, I found a mushy tuber in the pot. I'm in north western Canada. There's no way these would make it through the winter in the ground here. I'd like to try them again, though....
Emphasis on "grows well in sandy soil, not so well in wet soil."
@@Horus2OsirisGood point. I'm also in central Texas, and we have very clay-heavy soil in my area.
@@gmw3083 Try putting them in the ground. You will be happy with the results.
We have a lot of deer and ground hogs. I was told grow them. Nothing can kill them. They were doing well. Then they were always eaten to the ground. Eventually, killing them
Love les Girasoles. My mom planted these 10 years ago I Montréal. Every year she harvests over 35 pounds. It lasts her until April of next year.
Please how do she preserve them
@@biafranwarriorprincess She washes them in cold water. Let’s them air dry. Then she stores them in the refrigerator.
Thanks for the great info on growing Jerusalem artichoke! With all the information you provided, I was surprised that you didn’t mention the leaves and flowers are also edible.
I bought a couple tubers a couple years ago. I just replanted some of the tubers all over the yard (the garden) after harvests. Now I have more plants than I can count. I am in Southwest Florida, zone 10. The soil is awful, just sand. It's hot. But they grow great! No maintenance. They taste great. And we haven't even noticed a gassy effect eating them.
I wonder if that's cause your body got used to them? Were you gassy at first? Whenever I got them at stores I didn't get any gas, cramps, or burps. That was raw too though after this comment section I wouldn't eat them raw again, would cook (maybe a long time) or pickle or ferment.
@@flowersafeheart no idea. I know nearly all people that tell me about sunchokes haven't ever actually eaten sunchokes so I wonder about their facts. The few who have grown and eaten them also wonder about their facts.
We can buy them fresh or in dried slices here in Japan. Here they’re called chrysanthemum potatoes. I’ve had them growing in a forgotten corner of my garden for years, but I’ve never harvested or eaten them before.
They have a nice nutty flavor.
Perhaps that is a good thing. If you had dug them up they would have multiplied.
We have a strip of poor soil between our garden and the road, and planted Jerusalem artichoke there last year. We let them overwinter and haven't harvested any yet, but they're 6-8' tall now (in soil that even comfrey struggled in). We hope to try fermenting them to see if it reduces the gas effect.
The fact that they grow in such poor soil is one of their best characteristics.
Fermenting lessens the fart factor quite a bit.
This plant can solve world hunger. It is hardy in most soil and weather conditions. The blooms are lovely and attract many insects. The tubers can be ground for flour, ideal for individuals with Gluten sensitivities. It is also invasive, so plant it carefully!
Regular, close mowing, beyond whatever spread they have will keep them contained. I've had three varieties. One grew 12' tall with white/tan skinned smooth carrot sized and shaped tubers. They looked great BUT they had an obnoxiously strong turnipy-herbal flavor so strong they stunk up the kitchen when cooked, blech! They also spread over 4' from the crown! I had a bear of a time keeping them from spreading. I mowed close and regularly over a 6' border around them. I got rid of them. On the other hand, I have one that's white/tan skinned, super knobby under a 6' stalk that only spreads around 1' from the crown and another that's a red skinned, smooth tuber under a 8' top that spreads around 2'. The white knobby one produces super well with a few near baking potato size. Most of them are around tennis ball sized. the red skinned ones don't produce anywhere near as much or as big, think of small, red sweet potatoes for size and shape. They taste much nuttier than the knobby ones so they're worth keeping. I've collected these locally in west-central PA. I've made tuber flour. It's a heavy flour, like Buckwheat flour, best mixed with other flours. It'll stiffen pizza crust very well and adds a nice earthy-nutty flavor. Cubes or kind of thick chips go great on pizza too! The flour stores really well. I've thought about boiling, mashing and dehydrating for instant mashed 'choke flakes. I've saved some of the dried chips and chunks whole. They reconstitute in soups and stews very well. They're easy to spread if you mulch the stalks and spread the mulch anywhere but in their own patches. One bit of root or thick stolon will sprout. They're allelopathic like walnut trees. They contain chemical retardants that prevent or stunt the sprouting or spread of a lot of competitors. That's why established patches don't have many weeds and why you don't want to spread 'choke mulch into your regular gardens. Mammals aren't affected by the chemicals at all. The leaves and stalks contain trace amounts of salicylic acid which is raw aspirin, and coumarin which is raw coumadin. Teas have been used for minor pain relief. It takes quite a bit of extracting and concentrating to get anywhere near medicinal amounts. The gas causing fiber Inulin ... my wife and I take a daily powdered supplement for gut health. With our guts conditioned and balanced, we can eat the fall harvest no trouble.
It's called Tobinambur in my place. Once you have them in your garden it's difficult to get rid again. This plant has some kind of sugar in it which gives me a lot of flatulence.
Look into the use of the leaves and flowers for tea. It is sold in Europe so to get information you can Google Jerusalem Artichoke tea and European sources are available. The benefits are amazing. ❤❤
My mother in law used to cook these and I just loved the taste. I love the fact that they look great growing, and being able to eat the tuber makes it a bonus. Yes they do taste like the artichoke heart. Thank you for posting this.
Grows easily in sandy soil, doesn't need watered often...that's my kind of edible 😂 Our backyard is mostly clay and big rocks, sounds like we need to dig a trench and fill it with cheap topsoil, and toss in some of these plants! Thanks for this video.
well you can get raised soil bed soo.. you dont need to dig anything yeah? and there are chance for the root to air your soil abit.
I grow them, and the deer love them, i mean they eat them down to the stalk leaving a tiny little sad looking chute. The deer eat them first, then they get my spinach, corn stalks, and even bean leaves, DEER are Woods goats. Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes can be boiled through 2 clean waters and that helps with digestion and gas.
SUPER EASY TO GROW. My first year growing jchokes and they have crushed it they are as tall as the edge of my roof.
I put some in the ground this spring and they are currently over 12ft tall and havent even started flowering yet! I pulled one to try "early" tubers and it was excellent. I got a fantastic yield from just one plant, im excited to harvest the rest of them in a few weeks
@@esteedle ay me too man I haven't tried them yet but they just starting to flower.
Amazing presentation! Thank you! When I moved to Ireland I planted some tubers immediately - just in case - it was shortly before the feared year 2000 with crashes and even the end of the world myths. Ever since I have both: my super easy going, even spreading fartichoke as a quite abundant emergency food (I cannot digest them easily), and the stunning flowers (this week saw the first bloom). My soil is bad: too acidic, too compacted, too wet, too peaty. With just a bit of sand and some mycorrhizae they flourish so much easier than most other plants.
Fartichoke 😂😂😂
Fartachoke! 😂
Such interesting and valuable information thanks 👍 keep the knowledge coming
Wow. This is so exciting. Thank you so much. Eva
Great info! We planted some this year and have used it to make chips. Also, great restraint from using the term "fartichoke"...
Yeah, that is their other name.
😂
Oh dear... I laughed so hard I actually spit out my coffee 😂
@@HealthAndHomesteadDigested Artichoke
We have these everywhere! I planted 2 and ended up giving away a ton of them. Best eaten roasted with seasonings. Thank you for this video.
AMAZING info! I don’t grow anything, but just as a curiosity I’ve always wondered what the most nutritious, most resilient, easiest to cultivate, best plant that could be harvested especially in hard times and THIS has answered my question.
Much love to you & yours. Thank you for sharing such live saving information. What you do matters. Peace love & light my brother ❤️
We planted them as a survival crop for multiple years, but the digestion issues they cause are really startling. If you eat enough to feel full, you will pay for it for hours and hours! We love the productivity and their ability to grow on marginal land, but now feel the best use for them is to raise for pig feed, and then eat the pigs. Beautiful footage and good explanation - thank you. We always keep a patch in the gardens.
I’ve never eaten them, but have some stomach problems…your comment makes me hesitant though I was feeling eager to plant some (urban garden, no livestock)
Those digestive issues go away if you eat them regularly. I dried slices and regularly had some as chips for healthier gut flora.
@@jeffhutjens thank you!
Saw a comment somewhere that the roots can be soaked overnight to reduce the gas issue.
Loved the comment The pigs eat the artichoke and we eat the pigs .😂
For the corn/nitrogen problem, it's best to do a 3 sister's garden.
Do 3 sisters in a garden?🤨
@@Nick-gh5bi you plant beans, corn and squash in the same mound at the same time. The corn stalks shoot up first, giving the beans something to climb and the squash provides ground cover keeping weeds away, moisture in the soil and pest deterrent with their prickly bits. Then the beans take the nitrogen out of the air and put it back in the soil by their root systems, feeding it to the corn and squash root systems. Then when you harvest them and cook them together the combined amino acids make a complete protein making meat as a protein redundant, even though they still ate fish, venison and bison and sometimes added those to the stew. The traditional white corn had a complex carbohydrate that made it easier to regulate blood sugar spikes. Really the very best of companion crop practices. The Natives called the Corn, Beans and Squash the 3 Sisters and it was a huge part of their diet.
I grew some in my garden. Saying topinambourg is prolific is an understatement!!! Jerusalem artichoke will over take your garden!!
Just don't dig them. It slows down the process a little. And don't put them anywhere near a fence. They will grow underneath and whoever's on the other side will not be happy with you. They will also lift asphalt.
I planted my first ones last fall!!! I can't wait to see them come up in the spring! ❤
Thank you very. I read that it is one of the best pre-biotic, but can't find them anywhere in grocery stores. Will be growing them next year. From WebMD: Jerusalem artichokes are not related to globe artichokes but are a vegetable with an edible tuber that comes from a type of sunflower. They are rich in fiber, especially inulin, as well as antioxidants. Jerusalem artichokes help support your colon health by increasing healthy bacteria and can fight off a variety of diseases. They can be eaten raw or cooked.
Asian markets.
@@trashtrashisfree Thanks, there are 2 aisan markets near me!
My wife and I take a daily supplement of powdered Inulin for gut health. My wife takes it to help with diverticulitis - at least 1/2 heaping tsp per day. It's made a huge difference! I take it because I got a double whammy from both parents regarding colon issues - at least one heaping tsp per day. BTW, my last several colonoscopies were polyp free and most importantly, inflammation free. Inflammation is what causes polyps and cancer. My doc dropped me from a high risk every three year 'scope to a five year 'scope schedule!! Anyone who wants to start this - First, do some research on Inulin and gut health and talk it over with your doctor. Second, if your doctor agrees, start low and slow. Start with no more than 1/4 tsp per day, and you may have to drop to 1/8 tsp per day if you have a mucho gas reaction. Every 10 days, or as your guts will allow, double the dose, ie: 1/8 to 1/4 to 1/2 to one, etc. If you have IBS or Crohns or similar, be prepared, your symptoms will get worse at first, but if you can hang in with it, improvement will come. That's another strong reason to consult with your doctor. DON'T do this alone. The Inulin will actually culture the bacteria present in your small gut, where it doesn't belong and move it down into the large gut where it does belong. This culturing then migrating of the bacteria is what stirs up the gas reaction. You might want to talk to your doctor about the antibiotic Rifaximin. It can help start the eradication of bad bacteria in your small gut in a safer and easier manner. Once your bacteria are properly balanced, no more gas trouble except for the normal, if you eat other gas causing foods such as beans you'll have gas. Some pharmacies will order Inulin for you or you can find it on Amazon and other online sources. As with anything bought online, read all the reviews, good AND bad, and pick the most respected supplier. I can also say that we've been healthier in most every way since starting daily Inulin around 18 years ago. Less colds, milder flu and more. We both had Covid over Thanksgiving 2020 and wrapped it up in about 5 days with no serious after effects. I was 65, my wife was 70, and she has asthma which should have had her in the hospital. Better gut health means better overall health.
I planted some of these before Y2K. They are naturalized around the house. Definitely takes some effort to integrate into menu and convince others to eat.
This is great. Thank you for sharing this knowledge
I am impressed! I really really like how you SHOW your resources! I subscribed! Yes, show long vid on it!
I LOVE Jerusalem artichokes! I've discovered no grocer sells them EVAR here. I DID find out they're easy to grow, as you said. While I researched it, I then discovered the plant is extremely hardy (even stubborn to destroy) & crawls EVERYWHERE which is why most landlords & neighbors don't want it near their backyards for fear it'll take over.
Those landlords and neighbors would probably appreciate it in an emergrncy or if they knew more about it!
Containing the spread is fairly easy. Determine how far your variety spreads from the crown and keep a border mowed to prevent their spread. I had three varieties. One only spreads about 16" from the crown. One spreads about 24" and the one I got rid of spread well over 48". That last one was a bear to keep contained unless kept in the middle of a lawn or field.
What is EVAR an acronym for?
They struggle where I live, the deer, moles and voles seem to like them a lot. I don’t worry about them being invasive because the white tail deer around here will eat them down to the ground if the protective cage is removed. I have had really good luck with lambs quarters, green purslane and winter purslane (miner’s lettuce). All 3 are a good addition to a salad, have to protect them from the deer as well.
Thanks for that info. I was thinking of getting some to grow outside my fenced garden but we have an abundance of all the critters you mentioned so maybe I will pass.
I have the same problem. mine didn't come back the next year and this year I couldn't get them to sprout.
In Indiana, deer on your farm are fair game, no bag limit. I need to remember to plant some of these Jerusalem artichoke! Then get people to donate to release the cute meat bunnies instead of harvesting them. Stream the rabbit release live. Then hunt the exploding coyote population at night.
I wish they would invade and spread but the deer just love them. I can only grow them in the dog yard where the deer fear to tread.
I wonder if I grow some in my big half barrel planter next year, I won't have to fight off the groundhogs, moles, etc. That way it won't spread where I don't want it to either. On in the Northeastern US, not too far from Albany
This guy and his channel is awesome. Subscribed.
This is a great and fun video. Keep them coming and keep up the great work. Thanks
I tried storing them on a vege rack, and in the fridge, in the dark and in the light. Whatever i did they always quickly shrivelled and were wasted. Then i accidentally left some at cool room temperature in a clear plastic bag on the vege shelf. They kept perfectly for at least three months. (Once i realised that they werent shrivelling i was interested to see how long i could leave them). The bag was just folded over but not sealed. Apparently they make good food for pigs, and the pigs can do the digging too.
We kept pigs for about twenty five years. For most of that time we kept a large area of the garden growing JA. It was something the pig ate with gusto. We seldom gave the pigs the roots but did give them the above ground plants. Besides cutting down on the feed bill these stalks and leaves in their diet greatly reduced the small of the manure.
Caraway seeds help with indigestion. They also taste good used with cabbage, (roasted) potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes etc.
Thank you, one of the most informative videos on food security I have ever seen❤
That was an awesome video very informative & interesting stuff thanks so much for posting 🙏🕊️
Found on the net: Modern science concurs: “Boiling Jerusalem artichokes in an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar will hydrolyze the inulin to fructose and small amounts of glucose,” Rastall advises
Gets rid of the gas
So, high fructose corn syrup is evil, but high fructose fartichoke (or Camassia for that matter) mush is great. Got it, but don't believe it. You do you. This plant is biomass and possibly forage, not food in my book.
You can also steam the leaves and eat them.
Love this information thank you thank you blessings to you and your family❤
heh, "windy", we'll need to start using that one. Thanks for sharing about this interesting plant.
Love this. I've been eating them for years for health (gut) benefits, but they can be hard to find except in a health food store. You've convinced me to grow them!
I've seen the tubers selling in a Colorado health food market for up to $20/lb, so if you can grow them in quantity you'll have good nutrition source and possibly a little income.
So interesting you eat them for gut benefits - yet so many comments saying thry can be hard to digest (gas, cramps, maybe burping). I'll keep researching this! One comment said after eating small, gradual amounts the body can adapt to them...
From one small gifted tuber last spring, I harvested enough in the fall for a couple of meals and replanted the rest in other areas. I thought I was only leaving a couple of roots in the original spot but this spring they came up over an area of several square feet in that location. Since they do not store well except in the ground, I am interested in preserving some by pressure canning them. I have only found one source online with information on canning them. I’m hoping someone will chime in here with experience in canning them.
Canned in quart mason jars like any other pickled vegetable... Add a couple hot peppers, garlic, etcetera...
I have heard about people making them into chips, so maybe you could store them that way.
Could you make a mash and freeze it
I've heard when you pickle them the inulin reduces and so they're less gassy as well
Why not dry them & store as a powder.
I just discovered your channel while looking for comfrey salve videos and low and behold you have this fabulous Jerusalem artichokes video too! I've been going on to everyone I talk to this season about both plants seeing that in my area (North Eastern Canada) not many know about them and all the wonderful reasons to grow them. This is my second year growing both and I've been propagating both like crazy and sending them home with people who stop to buy animals from my homestead. I have been doing lots of experimenting with the animals and feeding with high hopes for more next season. I am very much looking forward to your nerdy hour long deep dive into more details. I'll be referencing both these videos to people. Thank you kindly for making the time to share 😊
Most of the time you have gas from something it is because of the undigestible fiber and the bacteria in your gut having a hard time breaking down the fiber. Over time, as you eat more and more fiber, your gut bacteria will naturally select for bacteria that can break down the foods you eat. If you eat a lot of low fiber foods, adding in fiber will cause gas. If you slowly add in more and more fiber it will build up the bacteria that can break that down and you will have less and less gas as time goes by.
That sounds good in theory. But it's an oversimplification that doesn't apply to sunchokes. I eat lots or fiber and legumes every day. I eat 100% plant-based. I found that I've had much better tolerance for legumes as time went on. Minimal bloating or discomfort. But that's not going to magically protect you from the impacts of eating a couple pounds of sunchokes. Most people will find that they can't "SURVIVE" off of this plant due to the ridiculously high inulin content.
uh - he said SLOWLY adding the fiber to your diet.... not 'magically' adding 2 lbs a day.
We tried some jerusalem artichoke and although they compare very well against potatoes in terms of calories, their geometries make it very difficult to eat nearly 100% of the tuber. Potatoes can be eaten with the skin. Jerusalem artichoke skins were much harder and due to their shapes, peeling them resulted in a significant loss of tubers. If I were trying to survive by working every season, I would rather plant potatoes. If I were setting up a survival garden with minimal work, I'd probably start off with these and leave them until needed.
Next time, try blanching them. You can rub most of the skin off that way.
@@BluetheRaccoon Thanks for the tip! I will give this plant another try on plots that will require some height to receive adequate sunlight.
There is no need to skin them, even when boiling and mashing.
Are the skin of jerusalem artichoke not edible?
They certainly are, @@walden6272 I never peel mine.
Loved and enjoyed this video. This is my first video from your channel. I immediately liked, subscribed. But most importantly, I also shared it.
Fascinating.