SOPHIE HODOROWICZ KNAB AUTHOR
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​

Jerusalem artichoke for a Polish flower garden

4/14/2023

4 Comments

 
​Driving along a country road last August, I caught sight of a patch of bright yellow flowers out of the corner of my eye. I pulled over and turned the car around to take a better look. I had to climb through a ditch to get close and realized I was looking at a beautiful stand of the Jerusalem artichoke flower. The sight of them on that sunny Saturday morning was uplifting. 
Picture
Jerusalem artichoke is not an artichoke at all but belongs to the sunflower family (hence it’s Polish name, słonecznik which means sunflower) but with a flower that is much smaller.  It does, however, have that tall stature in its lineage along with many lush green leaves along it’s stem. 

Besides the flower which gladdens the eye and heart, the plant produces roundish and oblong tubers on the underground shoots that are edible as a root vegetable. The plant was at one time plentiful in Polish gardens, the tubers a food staple until it was replaced by the potato as a common dish on the tables of the wealthy and poor alike.  Polish gardeners advised:   "Once planted, they always persist, planted one elbow length from one another... Tubers for winter left in the ground will become a great delicacy in the spring."

Flower of Jerusalem artichoke. Author photo.


Picture
​Wikipedia photo.

Historians say that Jerusalem artichoke first appeared in France in 1607, supposedly by way of Canada, and then appeared in Poland in the 17th century. Recipes for its use can be found in the first Polish cookbook titled Compendium Feculorum published in 1682. When it stopped being food for the table, the tubers were used as fodder to feed the barnyard animals.

Why hadn’t I planted it in my garden? It attracts birds.  It’s hardy in winter climates. It tolerates damp places fairly well, is ideal for the back of a perennial garden and apparently a prolific grower and spreader. It only downside seems to be that it can become invasive. This latter fact would be a feat, indeed, in the clay soil of my garden. But if it can grow along roadway ditches and neglected empty fields maybe it has a fighting chance. Another plus is that it can give continuous bloom from August to November when my garden is really waning.

I’m ordering the tubers for this year's “something new” to try in the garden.
​
Common Name: Artichoke, Jerusalem
Species: Helianthus tuberosus
Polish name: Słonecznik bulwiasty
 
Happy National Gardening Day!
 
For more on plants and herbs in Polish gardens: Polish Herbs, Flowers and Folk Medicine, Hippocrene Books, Inc.

4 Comments
Geraldine Bereziuk Lowrey
4/14/2023 01:51:44 pm

Sophie, your written words are always so eloquent! We had massive sunflowers in my parent's backyard - and their backyard was concrete with only small patches of soil! Yet the sunflowers took root behind the garbage shed and reached heights of 10-12 feet. Maybe the Jerusalem artichoke is what I need now in my "grown up" garden!

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Sophie Knab
4/21/2023 06:54:48 pm

Geraldine, thanks for reading and commenting. It's amazing isn't it how plants and flowers will grow and sustain under difficult conditions? As I read your note I thought how plants and people can be so much alike. I thought of your dear tata who somehow managed to survive the horrible and difficult conditions of Dachau. The desire to live, to survive, even to grow is incredible to watch and witness. Your comment is inspirational. Thank you! And good luck with trying the Jerusalem artichokes. We'll compare notes!

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Sarah Sorci link
4/15/2023 08:18:27 pm

We've been growing Jerusalem artichoke in our native garden beds (tasty tubers!). I wasn't aware that Polish folks have had a relationship with it, too. Thank you for this info!

Reply
Sophie Knab
4/21/2023 07:12:41 pm

Hello Sarah! Thanks so much for reading and commenting. There are so many commonalities between countries when it comes to flowers and gardens. I think of boats carrying explorers who traversed the oceans carrying plants and bulbs and tubers to countries all over the world, eventually linking us together when we dig a flower into our garden that originated in China or Canada or somewhere else in the world. It's always a thrill when I discover a connectedness between my garden here in America and that of my ancestors in Poland. All the best to you!

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    One of the biggest moments in my life was being able to sign for my very own library card. When I'm not reading, researching and writing I'm riding my bike, sewing or gardening. I love flea markets, folk art, and traveling to Poland.

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