THIS AUCTION IS FOR White Mammoth Sunchoke / Jerusalem Artichoke – Helianthus tuberosus ,EDIBLE These delicious and nutritious tubers are the White Mammoth variety. This variety is mild tasting and cooks up quite tender. The tubers grow close to that stalk which is an advantage at harvest time.Planting: Unless your soil is 100% frozen solid, you can plant them upon arrival. Plant them 4-6 inches deep, ideally with a cover of mulch. Leave about a foot of space between nodes. If you cannot plant them outside upon arrival, you can put them as packaged in your refrigerator. Or you can take them out, wrap them in tin foil, then a loose plastic bag (like a produce bag from the supermarket) and put them in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator until the ground warms up enough to dig into. They are slow to sprout in the spring – often not until mid to late May – but they will grow quickly once they get started. These are best planted as early in the season as possible. These grow into lovely plants about 8 to 10 feet tall with hundreds of pretty, sunflower like blooms at the tail end of the season. Butterfly and pollinator magnets! The above ground plants are not frost hardy, but they will come back year after year unless you dig up all the tubers. Be careful where and how you plant them as they can spread!Facts about Sunchokes Sunchokes are the bulbous tubers of the plant known botanically as Helianthus tuberosus, a variety of sunflower. Sunchokes are also commonly known as Jerusalem artichoke, sunroot, earth apple, and topinambour. The plant is propagated primarily for its root, which can be consumed both raw and cooked. Originally an American species, they were cultivated by Native Americans long before being introduced in Europe, and their high inulin content made them a traditional remedy for diabetes. Applications: Sunchokes can be used in place of potatoes in any recipe, though they have more moisture and no starch, so cooking times can differ. The knobby tuber is said to be best when roasted, though it can be served raw in salads, baked like fries, boiled and mashed, or pureed into a soup. Serve raw sliced Sunchokes in a crudité with creamy or oily dips. Sunchokes will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month if wrapped in plastic.