Jeralursalem Artichokes !!!!!!!!

According to my veg book - you should leave the stems on - they will die back when they get the frost - at this point cut back to 6" above ground. The Tubers will survive quite happily in the ground - just dig them up as and when needed. (and don't forget the kite!!!!!! )

 

Leave the stems as they will still be feeding the tubers. My book says cut back to about 3 feet when the leaves turn brown.

Must be the tallest veg I've ever grown - they have to be about 8 or 9 feet at present. It will be interesting to see just what's lurking at the bottom of the stems.

 

Absolutely, I leave on the stems until they fall over. Reminds me. I must go out and mark the positions with stakes since I always forget to.

 

Today we had our first taste of our very artichokes,dug this afternoon, Just boiled them in their skins and wow simply delicious. Incidently the plants got up to 14 feet back in the summer, Some Veg!! Thanks for all the advice.

 

Shiney - they sound just the job for screening off my rather unsightly compost area. Only trouble is that it is against a hedgeline with quite a few tree roots where I would want to plant them. Can they compete?

 

Now harvesting the second years crop, once again very successful, Incidentally my wife has found a super recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke Souffle in a cook-book called "Starters" by Shane Osborn,Very tasty and as far as I can tell windless!

 

Fancy, I know where you are coming from with the dietary concerns for your husband, but I have Crohns and I rely very much on my (f)artichokes to help me keep my blood sugar level (there are cells in the colon that help regulate this, and obviously they are prone to damage). There is no "universally safe" diet for CD sufferers, you just have to try things and see what works ok; what's great for some can be actively bad for others.
You will probably find though that too many JAs in one go can cause nausea...that's universal, I think. :cnfs: