permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@intrex.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] Jerusalem Artichokes, An Overlooked Market Crop
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2008 17:30:49 -0600
From: Nature's Pace Sanctuary <herm.naturespace@EARTHLINK.NET>
Nature's Pace Sanctuary <herm.naturespace@EARTHLINK.NET>
Organization: Nature's Pace Sanctuary
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU


Jerusalem Artichokes, an Overlooked Profit Center
By Herman Beck-Chenoweth
Director, Resilience Research Farm
Hartshorn, Missouri

        One of our primary areas of focus here at the Research Farm is the
development of farm enterprises that are easy to manage, have a low
fertility requirement, provide added income in otherwise slow seasons and
produce a high level of income per hour invested.   One of our most
interesting projects has been with Helianthus tuberosus commonly known as
Jerusalem Artichokes.

        Jerusalem Artichokes will grow throughout most of the U.S. from Zone
3 to Zone 9. The 6'-9' plants are related to sunflowers.  The knobby tubers
have a crisp texture, much like that of water chestnuts only a little
sweeter.  They resemble carrots in texture and have a nutty taste.  The
tubers can be eaten out of hand, sliced raw into a salad or cooked, boiled,
baked, roasted or fried.  When cooked they have a taste similar to potatoes.


        Directly after harvest the carbohydrates are in the form of inulin
and are excellent for dieters and diabetics.  They may stored out of the
ground but the inulin changes gradually into starch and then should be
regarded more like the starch in potatoes.   Therefore, just store your
artichokes in the ground and dig them as needed when the ground is thawed.

        Growing Artichokes is easy: as soon as possible after the tubers are
received cut or break each one into sections with one or two eyes.  Plant 4"
deep 12"-18" apart in rows 3 feet apart.  Do not allow the seed pieces to
dry out prior to planting.  Almost any soil will do whether wet or dry.  The
plants do need full sun and can stand moderate drought.  It is imperative
that you harvest the tubers annually or they will become crowded and tuber
size will decrease.  These plants are perennials so site them accordingly as
they  your beds will bear reliably year after year.  After the first
planting you will not ever have to plant again unless you want to increase
your yields because the few tubers you miss at harvest will replace the ones
you harvested and make next years crop.  We have never experienced any pest
or disease problems with our test plots (unless you call deer pests) so they
are perfect for organic growers.

        Artichokes have a moderate need for fertility.  Organic growers
should spread well rotted compost over the bed at initial planting and again
each spring before the plants appear.  Conventional growers should work a
10-10-10 fertilizer in to the soil before first planting and broadcast the
same fertilizer in early spring of each following year.  With proper care a
tremendous yield of as much as 5 bushels can be expected from each 100' row.
You will enjoy the profusion of yellow sunflower-like heads in late summer.


        In the fall, after the first killing frost cut the plants back to 1"
and harvest can begin.  In extremely cold areas you will want to mulch with
a thick layer of straw.  Tubers are best after chilling and maintain their
sweetness through the winter harvest season.   While you can harvest them
all at once and keep the tubers in cold storage at 85-95% humidity and at 34
degrees F for several months they will not remain as high in inulin or as
sweet as those left in the ground and harvested as needed.
        While you sure can grow these for your own family's use,  the
commercial value of this crop makes it a fine candidate for market growers
to add to their list of enterprises.  In fact, it makes a wonderful
"training crop" for youngsters to begin as it is easy to manage and learn
gardening skills at the same time.

        Since there hasn't been a "Jerusalem Artichoke Council" to promote
the tubers the public is not very much aware of this plant.  It will be
imperative to offer free samples wherever you start selling the product.
The astounding fact is that I have sold tubers to every single customer who
has tried them. Be sure you offer free samples at your market stand or
provide your stores with "freebies" for customers to sample.  While you can
offer them at the farmer's market in bulk you will receive the highest
prices for tubers packaged similar to mushrooms.  Your tubers should be
scrubbed well after harvest and before packaging.  While the tubers are
fairly hard to damage care should be taken when handling them to avoid
skinning, cuts and bruises that decrease value.  At the present time a 16
ounce package is retailing for $5.49 to $8.00.  For a product with low
production costs and easy harvest you can see there is a high potential for
profit from this enterprise.

        As you may remember from my previous talks and articles customers
don't buy products, they buy benefits.  In the case of Jerusalem Artichokes
there are several that you should make your customers aware of.  First, they
just plain taste good and are a crunchy treat any time.  More importantly
they actually feed the healthy bacteria in our stomachs and are good for us!
They are a good source of iron and potassium, are low-fat and low on the
glycemic index.  Since they are high in potassium they help to lower high
blood pressure.  You could put together a sheet for diabetics just on the
benefits to them.  They store well in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Since they are completely edible there is no waste whatsoever.   To the
store selling your product this is a locally grown fresh vegetable available
from October through May and the loss due to spoilage is low.  You could
also develop a mail order business or web business as they ship well at
normal temperatures.

        If you decide this project is for you here is what you need to know
about seed tubers: There are few distinct varieties known.  The Indians
planted them along the trails they walked each day.  They probably helped to
increase the size and improve the taste by replanting the biggest and
tastiest tubers from each plant.  While literature and some catalogs mention
varieties these are probably actually strains.   Ours were originally wild
crafted (harvested from the wild)at our Ohio farm and improved through
selection at our Research farm here in southern Missouri.  They are of good
size and easy to clean after harvest.  Since you can save your own tubers to
increase your future plot size I suggest you start fairly small and increase
your production after finding your best market area.  If you are interested
in more free farming articles like this visit the Resilience web site at
HYPERLINK "www.Resilienceonline.org  " www.Resilienceonline.org

Resources

        Organically grown tubers produced by the Resilience Research Farm
are available on the web from the Seed department at www.Back40Books.com or
by mail or phone order.  Your order will include a re-printable information
sheet suitable to hand out to your customers.  Here is order information if
you are interested in trying this profitable farm enterprise:



Web orders:  HYPERLINK "www.Back40Books.com" www.Back40Books.com, click the
side index listing for "Seeds" or enter "Artichoke" in the search box.

Phone orders:   866.596.9982 toll-free

Mail orders: Back 40 Books Order Department, Resilience Research Farm, P.O.
Box 8, Hartshorn Missouri 65479.

Prices (Post Paid): 1 ½# $23.50, 4# $42.40.   Each pound of seed tubers will
divide into about 25 plants.    Limited quantities available, 1st come, 1st
served basis.  Tubers are fine to eat if you want to try out the taste when
planting.

        Copyright 2008 by Herman Beck-Chenoweth
Herman Beck-Chenoweth
Resilience Research Farm
Hartshorn Missouri 65479
573.858.3559