All plants /Ground /Sunchoke
Sunchoke
Helianthus tuberosus, aster family. Uncommon in East and Central Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Knobby underground tubers
- How
- Raw, roasted, or boiled like a potato
- When
- After the tops die, fall into winter
- Where
- Moist ground, old fields, roadsides
- Value
- Inulin, iron, potassium
Caution: A safe, choice wild vegetable. Its inulin can cause gas for some people, so start small. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Identification
A tall wild sunflower whose real prize is underground: clusters of knobby tubers you dig after the plant dies back. Also called Jerusalem artichoke, though it is neither.
In the kitchen
Sweet and nutty, crisp raw and creamy roasted, a genuinely excellent vegetable that once rivaled the potato.
Photo: Adrian Tync, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.