Monday, January 3, 2011

First Harvest of 2011

We dug up our first Jerusalem artichokes on Sunday.


Just one go with the garden fork brought up all these lovelies. I was thrilled that our first attempt at growing these tasty treats resulted in such perfect specimens. Despite my neglecting them after the initial planting--they had to endure drought, aphids, and cattle trampling without any human interventions--they did exactly what they were supposed to. We now have knobby, crunchy tubers that are fun to munch.


Since they are quite happy to stay in the ground, we can harvest just what we need throughout the winter. Any that we miss or don't get around to harvesting will just make more for next year. Admittedly, we won't eat a ton of these but I love the idea of winter vegetables that don't require a greenhouse.

3 comments:

  1. Wow! That is amazing. I guess your ground doesn't freeze... do you eat them raw?

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  2. I prefer them raw but many people cook them. They do need a good freeze before harvesting but it makes them easier to dig up if the ground isn't too hard. We grew them in Illinois when I was a kid but I think our loamy soil here in western NC is ideal as it doesn't get impossibly hard (or at least thaws frequently throughout the winter).

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  3. I'm impressed. I also wish my thumb were a little greener!

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