I have never been successful in growing things that I can actually eat. My rather large strawberry patch produced one puny berry this year and in consecutive years, my husband and I killed three rosemary bushes. But my luck has changed!
This spring, a friend gave me a sunchoke plant. I was apprehensive but optimistic.
I love sunchokes and was very excited at the prospect of being able to grow my own. The best thing about these plants is that they are regenerative. Just leave some in the dirt and the next spring, another plant will grow.
At any rate — my plant took off and grew like crazy, towering over our 8-foot tall fence. I was so proud!
Once the sunflower-like flowers died, it was time to pull the plant up and see what it produced. Here’s what I found nestled in the ground:
Can’t wait to do some cooking!
Unusal taste, but delicious!
yes, definitely unusual. And a pain to clean, but so worth it!
impressive! oh man, i wish i had a yard. someday 🙂
Thanks! Even though I hate mowing it, I do love my backyard. My next project is working to grow more than 1 single strawberry!
Wow, that’s great!! I’ve actually never had sunchokes before. I’ve heard them talked about on the food shows (people always seem to make sunchoke purees), but never knew what the actual plant looked like. What are you planning on doing with it?
I sautéed some in butter and they were delicious. Thinking of roasting the rest up tonight. I wanted to make a soup but I’ve just been too lazy! They are really amazingly tasty considering how easy they are to grow.
Sounds great! What is their texture like? Similar to a potato?
Texture wise, think water chestnut. Flavor is slightly nutty. They are also known to cause painful gas in half the people who eat them! Thankfully I am part of the lucky half! =)
oh my gosh, that made me laugh out loud 🙂 thanks, needed that!
I’m *totally* envious of your sunchoke harvest. I love their crunchy, coconutty taste. It hadn’t even occurred to me to try growing my own.
I’m sensing a new project on my horizon…
You totally should! They are so easy and low maintenance! I was nervous when my friend gave me the plant because I thought for sure it wouldn’t grow (i have really killed a lot of plants in my life) so when I uprooted it, I did a little happy dance. =)
Pingback: Rhizome Roulette: Are sunchokes worth the gamble? | Attempts in Domesticity
I love sunchokes! It’s something that I’ve been wanting to grow but haven’t, so thanks for inspiring me…maybe I’ll actually plant some this year!