Come along with me while I harvest Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes) and whip up an easy side dish your whole family will enjoy. #Sunchokes #Gardening #PrepperPotpourri 👀 • SUNCHOKES: Grow, Harve...
I just grew these for the first time. Harvested 6 plants, and got well over 5lbs of tubers. We will be eating some tonight, gave some to our kids, and the neighbors.
Four years since you posted this video, I loved it. I've planted a raised bed of Sunchokes. I can't wait to harvest them an try your recipe. Thank you for posting.
Try them canned as pickles and relishes. We prefer them to cukes. I dried some raw chips and ground them into flour with a food processor. It's like Buckwheat flour, you have to mix it with wheat to get it to rise, or with any other flour for flatbread. It's a great thickener for gravies and stews. As dried chips or flour is a good way to store them for long term. We've tossed them into soups and stews, on roasts in slow cookers, pan and deep fried chips with salt and pepper or herbs or other seasonings. We've sliced them and used them like bamboo shoots in stir fries and we've chunked them and used them like water chestnuts in stir fries. Chips tossed on a pizza gives you a new flavor and a crunchy texture! I've made wine out of flower broth that's pretty good straight or blended with other wines for an added earthy flavor. I made wine out of tuber broth once. It was really stout for a drinking wine, but it's a great cooking wine! When we get the tuber wine used up I think I'll make another batch for cooking. Next time around I'm going to boil and mash some, dry it and see if I get instant 'choke flakes. Thinking of boiled and mashed, a 50:50 mix of mashed 'chokes and mashed potatoes is great. Toss on some chives or mix in a bit of garlic and that's even better! We had a 1/2 gallon jar with pickled beets and eggs in the fridge and I tossed a handful of raw 'chokes in. After a couple weeks I pulled one out and within three days they were gone! A nephew who was in Korea loves Kimchi and wants to try fermenting some this spring. I've heard that shredded 'chokes can be fermented just like sauerkraut and they're supposed to be fantastic. That's a couple more items for the things to do list. We love experimenting with them, they're the best!
These are definitely on my garden growing plan (if ever i get a true garden); Mostly because, staple type foods (starches) take up a lot of room, and beside Potatoes and Corn, there isn't much easily grown starch available (wheat or something takes even more room!); let alone something that doesn't look like food at first (as corn and potatoes would), and actually looks pleasant in the garden as well due to the flowers.
I just harvested mine today here in PA Nov 5th and I was averaging about 4 pounds of tubers per plant. I had only 3 plants that I got off of Etsy in June. So I was very surprised by the harvest. The variety I got was called Stamede.
So helpful- we are harvesting our first batch of sun chokes- wasn’t sure best cooking method. Wife read an article- Slice thin & add to a salad. We did that last night- it was great 👍🏻 just crunchy. This morning we will try baking and use for breakfast. Thank you very much 😎
Whenever I see a food item like this, I marvel at the brave person (or persons) who first dared to eat it. It must have been dire necessity, especially if, as you said, the wild growing choke is much more difficult to dig up. Although there's no similarity in appearance, this reminds me of the artichoke in that both have so little edible portion. Certainly seems to be worth the effort considering the nutrient benefits. Thanks, P.P. That was very interesting.
The kill was roasting in the cave by the open fire and you got a piece if you brought some greens or roots. If the consumer after roasting and eating started vomiting or died. Then those vegetables or roots were no longer wanted. There were a lot of very toxic wild leaves, roots, fungus's and vegetables. So the older surviving cave dwellers really did know. If the cave man had to rush out of the cave clutching his stomach after eating something then he/she would very likely quickly learn.
All good reasons to "Johhny sunchoke seed" these plants across the landscape for SHTF. Same for sweet potatoes (in which you can also eat the delicious stems).
Make your beds at least 12 inches deep.. deeper would be better. If they make you "windy", lay them out for a few weeks and most of the inulin will turn to starch (at least that's what I've learned). All recipes are appreciated. :)
Usually they are cooked, by double boiling them or triple depending on cooking time and headiness, tossing out the water after each boiling. This cuts down on the gas you get from them. I like them with butter, parsley and sage and sometimes unions and mushrooms.
What a silly thing to do!!!!! Why cook all the good out of them! It doesnt cause 'gastric distress'. It causes flatulance. But ONLY if your digestive system is out of wack. Sunchokes are a PREBIOTIC. Which is a good thing. They are good for diabetics, because they don't stay in your system long. And because of the inulin.
I have them in my garden in wild cornerfor many years and did not That I can consume them I throw them every year in the garbage till this fall and they are delicious and I am diabetic thank you for the receipts
I just planted some American groundnut (Apios americana) in my sunchoke bed. I'm hoping the vining groundnut plant will climb the sunchokes. They both have edible tubers and can be harvested at the same time of year. Now there will be two aggressive native plants duking it out I'm my garden next year. I love growing edible things I can't kill. :)
@@PrepperPotpourri Sorry to hear that! I have no idea if mine will take or not. Crossing my fingers. I think we're both in a similarly cold climate. If you want to try again, and if you have a P.O. Box or delivery address you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd be happy to send you a few tubers, since I have some left over. (I'm hoping they're not too dried out.) P.S. I like that your channel is really practical and that you don't spew hate or spread conspiracy theories like so many others do. You just share the stuff that matters. You, Praxis Prepper, Survival Lily, Prepper Princess, and Canadian Prepper are my favs.
I mixed some Red Fescue 'chokes that I found nearby into a well established patch of Stampede. After three years of the Fescue not doing well, I researched and found out that 'chokes are allelopathic just like Walnut trees and some other plants. That means they spread a chemical that retards germination and sprouting of competitors. 'Chokes may not be friendly companion plants and they don't like competition from other varieties of 'chokes either.
Insulin is a man made product, notice the "similarity" between that name and inulin, which JA contains in substantial amounts. They are not the same thing, one is man made, the other natural, but in cases, like now when insulin is in short supplies, you really need to check it out. They grow in most of the US. I grow them, allow then to spread beyond my fence (still part of my property). Here it goes down to -35 F, they survive under ground just fine. If covered with a large amount of mulch, they can be harvested in the middle of winter, without any problem.
I never heard of them, sounds pretty good, btw I bake Butternut squash the same way. I like your cooking videos! I might upload a rustic bread pudding recipe soon for the Holidays.
Sunchokes are so good for you, if you are diabetic (type 2) they can help your organs to function much better so your body can use the insulin it does produce more efficiently. Inulin is natures plant based insulin can help regulate your blood sugars.
LOL you have large tablespoon visions with that sprinkle of olive oil! Also known as poor man's potatoes in spite of not being potatoes. Excellent tutorial.
WOW 200+ VARIETIES??? OUTSTANDING!!! To clean, can you soak them in a little lemon water... use only a little bit of lemon in your water... for a little while... then use a good sprayer to blast all the dirt off... or use a soft long bristled scrub brush!?! I've never used the chokes!!! Great info!!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!
The gas comes from their fiber which is Inulin. Extended deep freezing, long cooking, cooking with acidic ingredients or fermenting them coverts the Inulin into Fructose. You'll read that a hard frost will work ... meh. It should be a hard freeze of at least a week or two.
My neighbor gave me a "ginger root" one year. 5 years later I have a bed full of sunchokes. If I didn't put them in a raised bed I would probably have a yard full. Loose soil and they will multiply.
The Inulin is essential for gut health and gut health means brain health! Inulin is a non-digestible starch used by the bacterial in the Colon. Thanks Great Video!!!!
Just for spits and giggles, look up 'Nemechek Protocol' on YTube, facebook and online. I eat quite a few 'chokes and I take a daily Inulin supplement partially because I have a history of colon cancer from both sides of my family.
I've heard of these before but no one i know grows them here (Northern Oregon).... i may have to give it a try...those invasive plants tho...hard to plant something that I need to keep in check again...i have a hard enough time with my bamboo and lemon balm!
I plant mine in big 'cattle nutrient tubs'. Just drill holes in bottom and layer some loose rock and mulch in bottom before adding growth medium. No worry about it escaping.
@@sparrots1 I also plant some things in cattle/horse water troughs....all different sizes and often farmers practically give them away once they develop leaks. Great minds think alike Re Becca~
I just got some that I ordered. I'm in Colorado. Should I plant them now? FA says last frost will be May 4th. But we can get snow after Mother's Day. I have a small bed set up for them away from other beds.
@@maryjanegreen7601 you can plant them any time from fall until early spring as long as you can work the soil. it takes 50°F soil temp to trigger them into sprouting. Generally by the time the soil is 50°F chances of frost should be slim, but they are light frost hardy and if hit by a killing frost, the tubers will simply resprout. They're a hardy perennial and over winter easily in zones 8 - 4, even zones 3 - 2 with heavy mulch which should be removed during the spring.
@@geshsharah2649 There are 200 or more varieties. If you can get this info from the seller, find out if they have a variety that has short stolons. Stolons are the rhizomes the tubers grow on. I have three varieties. One has stolons that cover 18"+ and I doubt they'd do well in any container smaller than a silo! I have another that has 8" stolons, better, but I think they'd do better in something at least the size of a 55 gallon drum cut in half lengthwise. The third variety has very short stolons and the tubers clump close around the base, These ones I'd guess would do best in containers, but considering they can clump a good 16" bundle, it's still going to take a good sized container.
I've got friends who pull off leaves and feed them to their rabbits. If you cut about 1/3 off the top, the green stalks can be fed to horses, cows, goats and sheep. Cutting 1/2 or more of the stalks may stunt the tuber harvest. The leaves are hairy but I've heard they can be used like grape leaves in Mediterranean dishes. I haven't tried that ... yet. I've made wine out of the flowers. I pull the dead and dried stalks when I harvest and use just what tubers come with the stalk, then I put the stalks through an electric chipper and scatter the chips over the patch. Later when I get out the sod fork and dig for more I turn the chips under and they compost into the soil and build it up nicely after a few years. Another good thing with scattering the chips on the patch is that I don't worry about piling the stalks somewhere to compost and having volunteer 'chokes growing where I don't want them!
I want to plant some sunchokes. I saw some growing in the woods behind a local gas station. I thought about getting some, but with 200+ varieties, i may just buy a good variety. What type do you have?
Hey neighbor! I'm from Dubois, 100 mile marker on I-80! Around DuBois we've got dozens of patches. I've got three varieties. I've made picture-based ID on them so take this with a shaker of salt as many varieties look just like others, or else they're the same tuber with different names; Stampede(?) is a white/tan very knobby tuber under a 6'+ top. They have an earthy, veggie, potatoey flavor and the flowers are tender enough to toss in salads. The flowers taste a bit stronger than the tubers. The flowers can be boiled or steamed and resemble squash. With a bit of butter, YUMM! They are cousins of the annual Sunflower after all. Red Fescue(?) is a red skinned tuber, white inside with a more pronounced nutty flavor than Stampede. The tops are 7'+ and the flowers aren't as tender, but boil/steam well. Fuseau(?) is a white/tan carrot sized and shaped tuber, very easy to clean. They have a strong turnipy potatoey flavor, strong enough that when you cook them the smell rolls through the whole house. In roasts, soups and stews just a few go a long way, just like turnips. A friend of ours in Tasmania remembers her mother cooking with Fuseau and smelling up the house! These have a 12' top and make great late summer privacy screens. These flowers are super tough and a bit tough even when boiled. I've used the flower broth to make wine and it's pretty good. There are four ways to convert the Inulin to Fructose and lose the gas; In zone 5, after a long winter freeze, they get so sweet they're like eating candy out of the dirt! Extended freezing works, don't just toss a batch in your freezer for a day or two, it takes a while. Fermenting. Use any sauerkraut recipe, let them work and then let them rest after you freeze or can. Time is of the ... essence ... pardon the gas pun, whatever method you use. Kimchi is one I'm itching to try. Cooking for an extended time as in a crockpot or slow cooker for several hours. The Native Americans made pit fires, covered the coals with dirt, then layered on the 'chokes, covered them with more dirt and let them cook for hours before uncovering. Cooking in an acid such as vinegar or citric acid. This will shorten the above cooking time, but it still takes a bit of time for the acid to work. We can the majority of ours as pickles and we prefer them to cukes. The vinegar in the pickle mixes does the trick and the gas is gone. There is a fifth way to avoid the gas and that's to take a daily Inulin supplement. I do, and I can dig up a mess of 'chokes as soon as the tops die, tear into them raw and not have much if any of a gas reaction. Two years ago I chipped and dried some Stampede and made flour in a food processor. It's like Buckwheat flour, you have to mix it with other flour to lighten the texture and if you want it to rise, you have to mix it with wheat flour. I plan on boiling, mashing and drying some to see if I get instant 'choke flakes. It seems that whatever you can do with any other veggies you can do with 'chokes. They are just about the most versatile veggie I've ever seen. Friends of ours harvest the leaves and trim off up to the top half of the tender stalks and feed their rabbits. They don't take any more than half of the stalk early in the summer as that tends to affect the tuber growth. The 'chokes don't just spread like weeds, they're allelopathic. That means that like Walnut trees, they spread a chemical that retards germination and spreading of competitors like grasses and weeds. That also means they aren't compatible with other types of 'chokes. When I first got the Red Fescue I mixed them in an established patch of Stampede. The Reds didn't do well at all, they were small, didn't multiply well and didn't look healthy. I separated some Reds and put them in a patch by themselves. Mowing a 3' border around the patches keeps them well contained. Don't toss the stalks into a general mulch pile! Any bit of tuber or stolen will spread those suckers to wherever you spread that mulch!! Mulch the stalks by themselves or do as I do. I got a small electric chipper and as I pull the dead dry stalks I chip and spread them over the patch. Later when I grab the sod fork and start digging for the deeper ones I mix the stalk chips into the dirt where they came from.
Mentioned to Christa about her ginger peeling, ... but also working with other ground vegs, such as (grocery store) dried ginger tubers, dried garlic bunches, sunchoke/artichoke tubers, potatoes/sweet potatoes/yams ... consider using a small pressure cooker and steaming basket. Modestly pressure-steam the vegs and skins. Easier to slip the garlic cloves from their skins (easier to store garlic cloves in oil). The steaming slightly dehydrates the tubers, making for an easier skin peeling event (like steamed tomatoes, apple skins). The steaming also helps process breaking open the cells (without turning the veg to mush), making for a sweetened veg (turning back starches into sugars), still with full calories and nutrition. Steaming helps break down the inulin into sugars and smaller edible proteins - like breaking down bean gassy long-chain triglycerides into non-gassy short-chain sugar carbohydrates. Then any further mandolin slicing (or knife cutting) into smaller/thinner pieces for other products (candied ginger slices, potato/sweet potato/yam chips ....).
They're like turnips, the longer the freeze, the sweeter they get. Before a frost you get more of an earthy, nutty, potatoey flavor. They're chock full of a fiber called Inulin that breaks down (converts) into fructose under four conditions - below. Inulin can cause issues(!) such as gas and sometimes a lot of it! Inulin is a prebiotic, not a probiotic. Prebiotics feed Probiotics. It's actually quite healthful and some doctors will recommend it for some gastric problems. Bean-o works on protein, not fiber, so Bean-o has no effect on Inulin! Of course, the more Inulin gets converted to fructose, the sweeter they get. Here, in zone 5, after a long hard winter they're almost like eating candy out of the ground! 1) Extended freezing. A good frost helps, but the longer they freeze, the sweeter they get. 2) Extended cooking. A few hours in a slow cooker with stews, roasts, etc. 3) Cooking with an acid such as vinegar or citric acid. We can most of ours as pickles and the canning process plus aging in the jars with vinegar converts the Inulin very well. 4) Fermenting. Fermented exactly like sauerkraut or in kimchi or as refridge pickles.
I never knew about wild vs. cultivated varieties. Mine must be a wild variety because the tubers are small and away from the stem. What is a good cultivated variety?
I've got three varieties that I've gathered locally from flower gardens and along the road. My identifying of them is from pictures so take this with a shaker of salt; Stampede is a white/tan very knobby tuber with a nice earthy, nutty potatoey flavor. They grow under a 6' top and on short stolons (rootlets). They'd probably make the best container plant. Red Fescue is a red skinned kind of knobby tuber under a 8' top with stolons about 8"+ long. Probably a bit much for containers, but they have a nuttier flavor than the Stampede. The other is a Fuseau, a white/tan carrot sized and shaped tuber under a 12' top. Easy to clean with no knobs, but they have a strong flavor that some don't like. They've got sort of a turnipy flavor and strong enough that like turnips, they make a very noticeable smell in the kitchen when cooking. They have stolons that are easily 12" long. Because of the long stolons these ones can spread far and wide in just a couple years and I don't think they'd make a container plant, not unless your container was a pool!!! I'm on a 1 1/2 in-town lot, not a lot of room. I grow enough for the two of us and don't sell. When I do have extra, I take them down town to a mission kitchen.
@@PrepperPotpourri I made them like sugar cookies, and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top!! I used them like peanutbutter...boil them then mash them before adding to wet ingredients.
@@annettefluit3496 yes!! After you boil the sunchokes...peel them and mash them to a smooth creamy texture, like peanut butter. Conversion is 1 to 1...
the stems are widely used as stakes. they are very rigid and dont bend much. all you gotta do is trim it down to bare stalk and dry it away from any rain or moisture. if you leave them outside in the garden unprotected they decompose and get flaky.
