Spring is such an exciting time – and I’ve never felt it so much as this year. Jerusalem artichokes being a new venture for me, I was curious to find out both how long they would take to sprout and what the plants would look like when they arrived. And here they are.
I can’t believe how quickly the shoots have grown. It has only been a matter of a month since I planted them but this is about 7 inches of growth altogether considering the depth the tubers were planted at.
The next thing I want to see is the flowers – how like sunflowers are they going to be?
© Helen Butt, April 2014
Growing out of chaos 
So that is what a baby artichoke looks like. I am surprised that it only took a month to sprout leaves. If you had asked me to guess what vegetable this was, I would have been stumped.
Honey
Should you decide to grow some you will know now, too! They don’t look that exciting at the moment but all being well…
lovely post Helen hoping to see some at the garden centre at the weekend
Hope you find some, Linda!
so do I will let you know if I do they make nice chips so a programme I was watching the other day said
I didn’t realise they could be used to make chips! That would be good to try.
It will be an interesting crop to grow…it looks like it is doing very well.
Yes, I am very pleased with my artichokes. Thank you for your comment, Karen.
After reading some of the comments, I’m wondering if readers realize that there is a difference between globe artichokes and jerusalem artichokes. I like both but I haven’t seen them in the grocery store for a long time. They must not ship well. The jerusalem needs to be peeled, if I remember correctly. They look similar to potatoes but are much smaller. The globe artichokes are green and I eat them all the time!
I can imagine Jerusalem artichokes don’t travel well, going on how quickly my tubers shrivelled after I had received them through the post. They don’t actually need to be peeled, which makes things a lot easier. I never worked out how to eat the other sort of artichokes, but I’ve seen other people at the plot growing them. These certainly look a magnificent plant!
It’s been a long time since I’ve had Jerusalem artichokes so I don’t really remember if I peeled them or not. I think I did though. I know I liked them a lot! The grocery price on globe artichokes has become ridiculous – $1.25 for one artichoke! I bought and ate 8 of them last week when they had a sale: $1.00 for one artichoke. They are delicious stuffed with garlic and breadcrumbs and drizzled with olive oil. Many people serve them with a lemon dipping sauce. (you dip the leaves in the sauce.) The only part of the artichoke that I don’t eat, and the part that is inedible is the “choke” (the hairy part in the middle). I eat the stem, the leaves, and the best part, the heart. Still, I would like the option of eating Jerusalem artichokes again. If they grow from tubers, I wouldn’t worry too much. If anything, tuber plants are hard to get rid of! So, I think you will be OK!
Yes, I have heard the tubers are hard to get rid of! I know you can peel the Jerusalem artichokes but it is fiddly, hence my not doing it. Good that you found some globe artichokes at a reduced price. Happy eating 🙂
I checked yesterday and the price went back up: 3 for $5.00! That’s outrageous – and they didn’t even look that good!
Shame you couldn’t get anymore at a more reasonable price 😦
I just looked up their flyer online and starting Thurs., tomorrow, the price went back down to $1.00 a piece. I hope they aren’t the sorry looking ones I saw the other day!
Fingers crossed!
I made them last night! Delicious! I was afraid they would be dried out, but no! How do you prepare your Jerusalem artichokes?
I usually put them in my slow cooker and ‘roast’ them, then whizz up with some milk, so that I have a soup. I might need to get inventive now I have my own supplies (I hope), but first I will see what this winter brings 😉
Yum! I love creamy soups! I hope you have a surplus!
Thank you!