Helianthus tuberosus

A perennial root vegetable in the sunflower family native to Eastern North America, this is a highly productive and nutritious plant, growing to 2-3.5 metres. Raw tubers are sweet and crunchy with a nutty undertone of sunflower seeds and when cooked, they are even sweeter, with the consistency of a creamy potato. Delicious when eaten raw, boiled, baked, pickled or fried. The tubers contain inulin, a complex carbohydrate with a low glycemic index, are an excellent pre-biotic and helps to balance blood sugar levels. 

Do NOT harvest in the Fall, but leave in the ground and dig throughout the winter once the stems have died back for a fresh supply of nutritional produce.

Save your largest tubers and move directly to a new garden bed as you dig to encourage larger tuber growth and avoid this plant taking over your garden. Plant 30-40 cm apart, ideally in loose garden soil. Each bag contains .4 kg (1 lb), approximately 4-8 tubers.

Metchosin Farms' small-batch, organic craft seeds are grown traditionally on a non-mechanized family farm. Processed by hand, they are of the highest quality.