Jerusalem Artichoke Rhizome, Sunroot, Topinambour (Helianthus tuberosus)
Quantity: 10 Rhizomes
This plant gets its name Topinambour from the Native American tribe who made use of it calledthe "tupinambá" who once lived along the Brazilian coast.
It is both a nice ornamental garden (reaching up to 3 m), one of its most popular features is its rhizomes is that it is consumed as food. The tubers can be eaten raw or cooked a little or cooked. In some countries they are used as livestock feed.
The Jerusalem artichoke is particularly interesting for diabetics because its tubers stored inulin rather than starch. Inulin is a carbohydrate that becomes fructose during cooking. Tubers in a diet help by reducing hunger. More recently it has been suggested that some of its components is have anti-cancer properties.
Due to the rapid growth and its use for the production of biomass topinambour can also be an interesting plant for the area of bioenergy.
The rhizomes have a limited life because they dry out quickly. Something to be taken into account when harvesting.
