Planting sunchokes

Yesterday, we planted sunchokes, which are also called jerusalem artichokes.

Here's a picture of someone else's sunchoke flowers.  We took the picture from www.makeitmissoula.com

The edible part of the sunchoke is the tuber that grows underground, like a potato.  We ordered a bag from a seed catalog.

In order to grow sunchokes, we divide the tubers into parts.  Each piece needs at least one eye--the part of the tuber that will sprout a new stem--and enough of the tuber to provide energy for the growing plant.

Malachi divides a sunchoke.

Walter and Brian plant sunchokes by adding compost to the soil and covering the hole with mulch.

Brian and Walter show sunchokes to the boys and girls in Vocel, an early childhood center that is housed in CJA's building.

The sunchokes will be dormant over the winter.  In the spring they'll grow into plants with yellow flowers, up to six feet tall.  In the late summer and into the fall, we can dig up the roots to harvest the tubers, which can be eaten raw or roasetd.