Foraging and Growing Jerusalem Artichokes For Free!

Across northern fields I grow untamed, yet still by gardeners’ hands I’m claimed. With a borrowed name from a faraway place, I’m not what you’d guess by title or face. What am I?

The Jerusalem artichoke, of course!

Have you ever considered growing Jerusalem artichokes in your garden? I hope you will give this native plant a try! They’re easy to grow, in-ground or in a container, and an extremely healthy and delicious alternative to potatoes. 

A Tuber For a YouTuber

This YouTuber absolutely loves Jerusalem artichoke tubers. I think they’re awesome! Some people grow them just for their beauty, but they are value-added to the garden because they also produce a healthy, delicious food source.

If you want to add more beneficial, beautiful flowers to your garden, you’ll want to read our growing guides on how to grow dahlias, how to grow lavender, how to grow marigolds from seed, and how to harvest sunflower seeds. If you are looking to grow more fun and unique vegetables, check out how to grow horseradish, how to grow asparagus, and how to grow ginger at home!

What Are Jerusalem Artichokes

Despite their name, Jerusalem artichokes aren’t actually artichokes. They’re also not originally from Jerusalem; they are perennial flowers native to North America that grow wild here in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

They’re more closely related to sunflowers and they look a lot like sunflowers, but they aren’t sunflowers either. Jerusalem artichokes or “sunchokes” as they’re often called, are foraged and cultivated for their potato-like tubers!

These tubers have been harvested for thousands of years and eaten basically like a potato. But while potatoes provide carbohydrates, Jerusalem artichokes contain an insoluble fiber called inulin.

The inulin in Jerusalem artichokes is a prebiotic. That, along with the insoluble fibers they contain, makes them great for improving digestive health and increasing the gut’s microbiome. (Source) People have started using Jerusalem artichoke inulin as an artificial sweetener, found in sodas like Olipop.

Foraging Jerusalem Artichokes

Wild foraging can be extremely beneficial, producing lots of delicious food you do not have to plant! 

As I explained in 5 Common Look-Alike Plants to Avoid When Wild Foraging, the trick is often knowing that what you are harvesting is the type of plant you think it is. It is also super important to take only what you really need when foraging, allowing some plants to continue multiplying in the wild and for others to forage. 

When it comes to Jerusalem artichokes, you only need a couple of tubers to start growing Jerusalem artichokes in your garden. They will replicate and multiply just like potatoes! Because you need so few, you can leave the rest for the birds and pollinators.

How to Identify Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes are really easy to identify. Look for bright yellow sunflower-looking flowers, like the ones in the image above. The plants grow 5 to 7 feet tall, sometimes taller. 

They have kind of scratchy, fuzzy leaves and stems, and they share a similar leaf pattern to a sunflower. When you pull up the plant, you will find little tubers. You can then separate out the tubers and boil them up just like potatoes, or plant them in your garden.

Where to Find Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes grow wild in the eastern and central United States and parts of Canada. They grow all around the Great Lakes region, and you can find them just about anywhere in Michigan.

When foraging for Jerusalem artichokes, I always recommend looking in low areas that hold water throughout the year. That’s why you’ll commonly find them growing in ditches along roads.

Jerusalem artichokes prefer well-draining, fertile soil, but they like it to be wet most of the season. They share a common habitat with asparagus

Growing Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes are very resilient, easy to grow, and prolific. They usually require only minimal care.

I have found that they have almost no pest pressure at all and very little disease, if any. It’s a great benefit to grow plants that are native as opposed to something like a potato that has been domesticated, because non-native domesticated plants will be much more disease and pest-prone. 

Planting Jerusalem artichokes is similar to planting potatoes: 

1. Planting Location - You can grow Jerusalem artichokes in the ground or in containers. They aren’t too picky as long as they can get full sun. Remember that they are perennials and should be grown in an area you don’t mind them taking over.

2. Soil Requirements - The soil needs to be loose and well-draining for the tuber development, but they can handle imperfect soil (as you saw in the video).

3. Fertilizing - Because Jerusalem artichokes are fairly resilient, fertilizing is not required. I do recommend fertilizing with a high nitrogen fertilizer like Trifecta+, though, because you will yield larger, healthier plants and tubers. 

4. Planting Depth - Jerusalem artichoke tubers should be planted 4 to 6 inches deep in a trench or low area.

5. Plant Spacing - The recommended plant spacing is 12 inches.

6. Water - Water them well after planting. 

Harvesting

To harvest Jerusalem artichokes, either grasp the plant stalk near the ground and pull it up, or use a shovel or EZ-Digger garden tool to lift the tubers from the soil. 

Harvest only the tubers you need and leave the rest for the future. Jerusalem artichokes have a really short shelf life and will go bad very fast after harvesting.