Crosnes. http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/crosne.htm >The plant is in the mint family but the edible part of the plant are small white tubers. The tubers can be eaten raw as one might a Jeruseleum artichoke (no relation) or cooked like a potato or other starch. Does anybody have some experience in growing this root vegetable? It might be interesting to try if root stock is available. Durgan.
Hi Durgan, Here is a link to a page that has quite an extensive bit of information on the growing, and harvesting of crosne. At the bottom of the article are a number of outlets that sell both tubers and plants. :o) Crosne Info and Sources Anne
Anne58. Thank you for the information. I ordered a few Crosnes (Stachys affinis), and will be growing them this year. I suspect I have ideal conditions to give them a try. We are still cool here, and now it is snowing or raining meaning the temperature is such that it can be either, There has been no warm weather this spring in our area. http://www.durgan.org/Blog/Durgan.html
Yes, I've been watching the Weather Network and have noticed that Ontario is having a rough time getting out of the winter weather. Good luck with the Crosnes. I have to admit that some of the pictures I've seen of them do make them look like oversized grubs! Maybe they look better in real life!
My order for crosnes was refused by the US supplier. They cannot ship the roots to Canada. So I guess my attempt at growing the plant this year is off, unless I can find a Canadian supplier. A Google indicates no response. Durgan.
Hello Durgan I can supplie crosnes tubers at the end of april Please reply if you want some and quantity . Trouper
Thank you very much. I have sent you an E mail. I will plant about 24, and am looking forward to seeing them grow.
Crosnes http://quuwo.notlong.com Crosnes Tuber & Plant Sources TUBERS HarmonyValley Farm S. 3442 Wire Hollow RoadViroqua, WI54665 (608) 483-2143 www.harmonyvalleyfarm.com Available after Nov. 15. $20 per half-pound, postpaid. Marche aux DelicesP.O. Box 1164New York, NY10028 (888) 547-5471 www.auxdelices.com Available October through March; $14 per pound, plus overnight shipping. PLANTS Companion Plants 7247 N. Coolville Ridge Road Athens, OH 45701 (740) 592-4643 www.companionplants.com Tripple Brook Farm 37 Middle Road Southampton, MA 01073 (413) 527-4626 www.tripplebrookfarm.com Goodwin Creek P.O. Box 83 Williams, OR 97544 (800) 846-7359 www.goodwincreekgardens.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_affinis http://ejooku.notlong.com A picture of the plant. Apparently, the Stachys affinis (crosnes) is commonly grown in France. The professional growers have found that the tubers get larger if the plant is not allowed to flower. The vegetationis cut off at about 12 to 18 inches height and this makes for larger tubers. Anyway I will soon have some tubers and will grow the plant this year. Pictures and information is scarce on the Internet. I hope to improve that situation.
Howdy Durgan, I grew this many, many years ago in Edmonton. It grew and overwintered well but the production wasn't great - tubers were small and scattered all over the place. I dug it up after growing it for three years as it was very invasive. You might want to keep the last point in mind and select an area where it can be allowed to 'roam' or plant it in a container. Peace Thean
I receive about 30 crosne tubers today aand found information for planting. They will be in the ground tomorrow. http://wahgohz.notlong.com 18 April 2008 Crosne tubers. I have a contained area for growing. Pronounciation is 'Crone'. Plant 7cm deep, 15cm apart. Harvest after frost kills the foliage. Leave in the ground until needed. Scrub and then boil the pretty pearl tubers for 5-10 minutes, or use in salads, or stir fry. Tip: When harvesting, drop the artichokes straight into a bucket of cold water to start soaking of the dirt.
Do you place the whole pot in one place in the outdoor garden later, or do you divide the plants and place separately?
Some more background info. Try under different names on Google and got a fair bit of stuff. I was looking for an Australian source Liz http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Stachys.html http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/38337/ http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/artic067.html http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free-herb-information/chinese-artichokes.html
Crosne (Stachys affinis) Tubers are growing. You eat the tubers either raw or slightly stir fried. If you wish you can steam them too. Pronounciation is 'Crone'. http://oogoof.notlong.com/ 22 May 2008 Crosne (Stachys affinis) growing.
http://batha.notlong.com 22 June 2008 Crosne (Stachys affinis) Plants are thriving. An unknown bug was eating the leaves yesterday, and I utilized some Integrated Pest Management to effect.
Hi Durgan, how's your Crosne plants? do you still plant them? I want to plant some this year, but hard to find the tubers.
I grew crosne for three or four years. I found they do not keep long without cooking. They are similar to a small potato. They overwinter well in the ground or digging and keeping in a pot. I have a few plants still growing among the raspberry plants, There is little to recommend them IMO. The ones growing haven't come up yet this Spring. When they do I will dig a dozen or so and can send you some. Thy fit in a padded envelope and are almost impossible to destroy.
Crosne Picked and Processed.(Stachys affinis) Posted on November 11, 2011 by Durgan 10 November 2011 Crosne Picked and Processed.(Stachys affinis) 10 November 2011 Crosne Picked and Processed.(Stachys affinis). Crosne (Stadchys affinis) were harvested, since the vegetation started to die off.Tubers were as large as they ever get. There were about 12 plants total. The vegetation tends to matt. Digging was done with a fork to left the plant and expose the tubers and plucked off the roots. The tubers must be used within a few day or they turn yellow due to air exposure. I eat a few fresh, boiled and served with a garnish of butter, then make the remainder into juice by pressure canning.They are sold in supermarkets to an unsuspecting public but are always in poor condition. Method of preserving: Wash,cover with water, boil until soft about ten minutes, beat into a mash using the hand blender,pour into litre jars, and pressure can at 12 PSI for 15 minutes. One plant was left in the garden, mulched, and will be used for planting in 2012 in very early Spring.They store well in a pot in garden soil in the garage or shed. They can take a lot of cold. I tried pickling and storing in the refrigerator, but both methods are not satisfactory.A few were eaten raw. Just another garden vegetable, which takes little care to grow.They make a substitute for a potato.
Thank you for sharing these. Usually we pickle crosnes in my hometown. it is very had to wash the tubers, we ususlly soak the tubers in cold water for two hours, add some baking soda and wash them. after completely wash and dry them, we use boiling soya sauce (after cool down), salt and some other spices to pickle them. its been so many years that i didn't eat any pickled crosnes, but I always remember the taste, the taste of my childhood...... I guess I am missing my hometown, my parents.
