Jerusalem Artichokes?

[Jugula]

Since I saw something on TV the other week about Jerusalem artichokes I've been thinking about planting some.
Local garden centres don't seem to have any in stock, but I found some in a local supermarket, £1.30 odd for about 5 tubers. Will these be good for planting on my plot? (I bought a pack but ended up scoffing them - they were very tasty!) Or, would it make more sense to get some mail order from a catalogue?
Am I right to think that now is about the right time to plant some?
Cheers!

[Earthbabe]

They should be fine Jugula. Welcome to the Vine BTW. Do you know what variety they are? Five is plenty, they are very abundant and you will be digging them up for many years to come from those.

Glad you like them though. There are a few threads about them and many on here are in the Yuk! take them away! camp.

I love them and they make a nice change to spuds and parsnips this time of year.

[wellie]

Jugula, I love them too, and also bought some specifically to plant, eat them, and had to buy more (!) and the tubers of whatever variety are HUGE, and not very knobbly, so I'm expecting great things from them. Until I can properly plant them, I planted them in a wooden seedbox, just covering them with compost, in my cool greenhouse and keeping them ticking over until the weather improves a tad later this month.

[Jugula]

Thanks Earthbabe. Right, I'll go and get a couple more packets - one for me and one for the ground!
There was no mention of what variety they were, but I suppose I could ask the people at the supermarket. I boiled mine, but I bet they'd be nice roasted. I also liked the crunchyness of them raw.

[wellie]

Jugula, I've got a fab recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke and Red Onion Saute.....

[Jugula]

Do they need chitting, like spuds, or should I just throw them in?
The ones I got were quite smooth too, wellie.

[Earthbabe]

Just put them in. Dig a hole with a trowel about 4-6 inches deep and drop them in. Then just leave.

Some suggest the flowers should be cut off and remember to earth up and cut the stems down in October.

Very easy. They can be planted from now really.

[Two_Sheds]

Just put em in and forget em. Personally, I prefer them for their windbreak/pretty flower properties than for their taste (bleugh!) I put in a dozen tubers last year and just finished digging up 5 carrier bagsful (bagfulls?) of crop. They're certainly prolific.