The Wordsmith's Forge

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. The current batch features landrace gardening.


Landrace Gardening: Sunroots

Sunroots are the edible rhizomes that form under a species of sunflower. They are also called by other names such as Jerusalem Artichokes and Sunchokes. I do not use those names because they are not from Jerusalem, they are not artichokes, and I consider it bad marketing to choke the people I feed.

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I grow these, and I usually call them sunchokes. Whatever. I got mine as seed-grown tubers from Oikos Tree Crops, which has sadly gone out of business. These are huge prairie sunflowers (often over 10 feet tall) that put out scads of small flowers with small seeds that rain everywhere and sprout like crazy. The birds love them. I haven't actually dug up any roots yet. They are more droughtproof than weeds. At times when weeds were wilting and grass was crunchy underfoot, my sunchokes were going, "Shine on me!" Gotta love native edibles, they give zero fucks about harsh weather.

Sunchokes are also the escaped agricultural crop of lost civilizations. Native Americans have been cultivating various sunflowers for thousands of years. They're now mixed in with wild ones. When you find a plant that has really convenient features for humans, like large smooth roots, it's probably descended from a field crop. The ones that were never cultivated tend to be smaller and knottier. Sunchokes are suitable for Turtle Island cuisine if you're into decolonizing your diet.

These tubers contain the prebiotic soluble fiber inulin. That is great if you are being kind to your microbiome by seeking a high-fiber diet. For people not used to such ingredients, however, sometimes it causes gas or indigestion. If you have this problem, remember: introduce new foods gradually so your body can adapt. Sunchokes mix well with many other foods; you can add a few to mashed potatoes, stir-fries, stews, and so on.

They're a great survival food because you can plant them and ignore them. Tubers may be harvested in fall after the tops die off until spring whenever the leaves sprout. In the warm season they don't have tubers because the plant is using all its energy to grow, flower, and then set seed. Tubers begin forming in late summer to early fall.

There's a debate over whether they won't set seed, or reseed like mad. This is because sunchokes are often cloned and won't set seed from the same or closely related plants. Mine came from seed-grown tubers so weren't closely related, and they are growing all over the damn place by now. If you can't get seed-grown tubers, then buy several different cultivars, which are usually divided into white or red varieties. If possible, choose from sources that say theirs reseed. Growing from seeds, rather than planting tubers, will get you more genetic diversity. As in creating any landrace, get as many different types as you can find, throw them together, and hope for promiscuous pollination. Mine are super popular with bees and butterflies, so this should be easy.

The seeds are small but very high in oil. If you want to get any, you will have to bag them. Otherwise the birds will devour them. These plants basically turn into giant birdfeeders in late summer.


Jerusalem Artichoke, Chinese - Cultivariable

Jerusalem Artichoke, Dwarf - Cultivariable



1 lb Jerusalem Artichoke - Northwest Seed & Pet

3 tubers Paleleaf Woodland Sunflower Sunchoke Helianthus strumosus Var Aurora Rubin - Etsy

Artichoke Jerusalem - Prairie Gardens (Canadian)

Jerusalem Artichoke - Vermont Bean Seed Company

Jerusalem Artichoke Seeds (Helianthus tuberosus, Sunchoke) - Etsy

Jerusalem Artichoke Seeds (Helianthus tuberosus, Sunchoke) - Oak Summit Nursery (Canadian)

Sunchoke Helianthus tuberosus - Food Forest Farm

Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes (weedy) - Tree Eater Nursery (Canadian)

Sunchoke seeds & tubers - Etsy

SUNCHOKE/TERRASOL/JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE (HELIANTHUS TUBEROSUS) TUBERS 5 CULTIVARS - Edgewood Nursery


Jerusalem Artichoke: True Seed Production - Cultivariable

SUNROOT, SUNCHOKE, OR JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE — HELIANTHUS TUBEROSUS