I just dug up some Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes and thought I should bring this plant up for the new preppers. This is Oldschool Survivalist stuff and one of the first plants taught to me by...um....oldschool survivalists. Plant it and forget it. It is invasive to extremes so do not put it anywhere near your garden unless its your only option. I was surprised to find some on our property...so I dug up some of the tubers and spread them around a bit. An old farmer asked me what I was doing and that it was only a troublesome weed. I pointed out that it is like a potato...but you don't have to keep planting it. There is hundreds of pounds of tubers just sitting there that I can totally ignore until I actually need them. No food rotation, no weeding, no watering, no tilling. Its also one of the few plants that would realistically work as a guerilla garden. If you find an abandoned cleared space, planting a few bulbs and promptly forgetting about them insures a supply of food stored away from your home that you can fall back to if needed. Its best to harvest them after the ground has frozen and thawed a couple times but most people harvest a few weeks after they flower. That said, they can be dug up at any time. Even if you dig up the entire crop, you will miss enough of the small tubers that it will be back next season. There is plenty of online info on the subject so I wont bore you and you can look it up yourself. I just wanted to point it out for those that know nothing about it
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
Pretty unassuming. No one is going to steal this. Ninja food storage. You cant see it. Its invisible
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
Thanks for the info. Something I am now going to look into. I dont want to admit that I knew nothing about this....but...I didnt. 🙂
https://www.internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=7738
Have a neighbour who makes his living growing maybe an acre of organic sunchokes. They are suppose to be a good potato replacement for diabetics as they are low in starch.
And you eat those like... Potatoes?
I guess I was negligent not to point out one thing about this plant. It will give you mass gas. Thus its nickname, the Fartachoke. The gas can be neutralised by cooking it with the perennial herb, winter savory. If you are guerilla gardening, remember to plant winter savory in the same area.
MrsC5 is pickling some today.
This is also a plant to keep in mind as animal food for pigs, goats, etc
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
That is too bad about the " GAS " 
I already have to watch eating beans ....
That is too bad about the " GAS "
I already have to watch eating beans ....
Ah, the truckers delight... 😮 I have been a chili maker & eater for most of my life and have cooked most of my taste buds to prove it 😆 I did discover a means to making a fartless chili though along the way. No kidney beans! As much as they belong in a chili, they are the culprits that make it all happen 😡 So next time you make a chili, use brown beans (in molasses) only and no spaghetti sauce either...use Hunt's canned sauce as it's less sweet and works better. That's it...I don't know much more about cooking unless it's outdoors ...otherwise chili and KD ( and sometimes together in one pot) 😀
Thanks for the heads up. I've never heard of these.
Could this be something that you plant in the back corner of your yard and completely forget about until you need it? I guess what I'm asking is do these have to be harvested every season or could you let the plant sit with minimal maintenance for years if need be, until the day you actually need them?
Just curious.
But I'm definitely going to look into these 🙂
DaScribbler
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Depends on how big your yard is. Its an ugly, invasive plant, especially in winter. Once its in, you will never ever get it out so be sure. You cant change your mind and just till it over. Ild recommend starting in buckets and seeing if you like it first. Yes, Its plant and forget. No maintenance needed. Its not the ultimate food (did I mention mass gas) but that's its main selling feature. Back up food.
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
Depends on how big your yard is. Its an ugly, invasive plant, especially in winter. Once its in, you will never ever get it out so be sure. You cant change your mind and just till it over. Ild recommend starting in buckets and seeing if you like it first. Yes, Its plant and forget. No maintenance needed. Its not the ultimate food (did I mention mass gas) but that's its main selling feature. Back up food.
That's a good idea. When I bought my house the previous owner had left behind all kinds of Planters. I've never used them, they just take up space in my Garage. I guess I now have a use for them 🙂
Thanks 🙂
DaScribbler
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I do remember reading that pigs love them. If you have a spot where you have sunchokes that you don't want or just want the ground tilled, just let some pigs loose and they will root out every one and completely till the ground.