Flower Friday: Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus Tuberosus)

On By MischenkoIn Cooking, Flower Friday, Health, Plants and gardening

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I discovered Flower Friday while visiting Lorilin@Bugbugbooks. I decided to start sharing some flower pictures from our gardens along with some information about them. Please check out Lorilin’s blog if you haven’t already for book reviews and more!

Today’s flower is the Jerusalem artichoke, also known as sunchoke, sunroot, and earth apple.

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I started growing these about 4 years ago for the tubers mainly, but the flowers are really beautiful too. These belong to the sunflower family. Notice the resemblance?

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Jerusalem artichoke can get over 9 feet tall and sometimes need to be staked. Luckily, most of ours haven’t broken or blown over. They have fairly strong stems. These have multiple blooms and branch out. They bloom late summer to fall.

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The tubers are edible and they’re similar to potatoes in texture, but they have a somewhat nutty taste. They’re super healthy–high in potassium and iron. You can boil them like potatoes or even roast them in the oven, but I’ve only had them raw in salad. They’re surprisingly sweet.

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Be sure to leave some tubers in the ground for next year though! These will spread quite easily and continuously produce food in your garden.

  • Family: Asteraceae
  • Species: H. tuberosus
  • Genus: Helianthus
  • Native to North America and Canada
  • Zones: Perennial in all zones

Thanks for checking out Flower Friday! Are you already growing these or others in the sunflower family? Please share your thoughts below in the comment section. Have a wonderful weekend!

♥️ Mischenko

 

 

47 thoughts on “Flower Friday: Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus Tuberosus)”

  1. stephanie haddad

    Amazing! Don’t think I’ve actually noticed this flower before your post. I think it’s very interesting that they can be boiled and eaten like potatoes. Thx for sharing! 🙂

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    1. That’s so cool! It’s amazing how easy they are to grow and they don’t take much care really. Thanks for your positive comments! That means a lot, Mackie! Thank you for checking it out. ♥️

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  4. Of course I love this smart post. I showed it to my mom and she remembers growing them but she doesn’t remember the pretty flowers. I love that you can eat them raw and that they are good in salads. The flowers are so pretty, and your pictures are lovely. Well-done, favorite M! ♥️ Happy weekend! Xoxo

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  5. I started reading this post and thought these are pretty flowers and I had never heard of them before, then I got to the end and thought Wow. I love that they have a sweet, nutty flavour. I wonder if they would make a different tasting potato salad? Great share Jen.

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    1. That’s a good question, Carla! I’m not sure, but I do think it would work. I’ll have to Google it and see if anyone’s tried. These are super easy to grow though and I’m pretty sure you can grown them where you are too! ❤ Thanks!

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        4. I bought some squash that had been started at a local nursery a few years ago. It was supposed to be butternut. I got the strangest looking fruit. It looked more like a gourd and was really hard. Even buying locally, you can get messed up.

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        5. That’s so funny! 😂 It must have been cross pollinated. That’s what I love about growing different pumpkins and then saving seeds. You never know what you’re going to get! It’s like an early Christmas.

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  14. Oh my goodness, I love this meme! A couple years ago, I started up my first vegetable garden, and I’m mentally preparing for the upcoming season (our season is short, so I’ll start several things from seed inside). I haven’t delved much into unconventional edibles (i.e. can’t find it at the grocery store, most people in the U.S. wouldn’t realize you could eat it), but I love learning tidbits like this. Lovely pictures and wonderful information!

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