Artichokes: Promising Crop For Moonshirers

Artichokes: Promising Crop For Moonshirers AG WORLD Ag World If you re thinking of becoming an alcohol arab you ll want to take a look at Jerusalem Artichokes an obscure member of the sunflower family that produces a higher yield of alcohol than almost any other crop
It s a perennial that reproduces by its tubers so you don t have to replant says Vince Erickson of Big Lake Minn who has raised about 10 acres of artichokes for each of the last 10 years making him one of the country s largest producers of the specialty crop
In tests by U S and Canadian researchers maximum yields from the 8 to 10-ft tall crop have reached as high as 640 gal of alcohol per acre with an average of about 324 gal That s more than 100 gal over the average corn yield of 213 gal per acre
You can harvest either the tops or the tubers Erickson explains The sugar which produces the alcohol remains in the stalks till flowering when it moves down into the tubers Average yields are 10 tons of tubers depending on the variety while 15 to 20 tons of tops are common
Artichokes contain the sugar fructose and store it it in the form of inulin which can safely be eaten by diabetics Much of the limited Jerusalem Artichoke crop currently produced is sold to health food stores They can be cooked like potatoes or used raw in salads
Equal amounts of alcohol can be produced by fermenting either the top growth or the tubers explains seed stock producer Tom Lukens of the Brown Bulb Ranch in Seattle Wash Research shows that the most energy efficient method is to harvest and ferment the top growth which can be harvested at about 95 days versus 125 days for the tubers Even if you harvest the tubers there will be enough viable tubers left in the ground to grow back the next year
Artichokes adapt to most climates and are hardy enough to withstand early frosts in the north and summer heat in the south They can be grown in many areas where sugar beets a similar crop in sugar content will not grow
One other advantage is that the sugars in artichokes are available to specific yeasts with no cooking or enzymes needed although fermentation is similar to other crops says Lukens Percentages of fermentables in the tubers often reach 18% and you can expect a beer of 7 to 9% alcohol
Lukens says the crop is not bothered by insects or diseases and produces enough growth to choke out most weed growth Vince Erickson has never used herbicides on his artichokes although he does cultivate at least twice
Erickson plans to grow 50 acres of artichokes next year for alcohol production using a corn chopper to cut off the top growth He leaves the tubers in the ground and simply hills them into rows with a chisel plow in the spring He fertilizes with 2020-20 fertilizer through his irrigation system If volunteer plants become a problem in successive crops Erickson says conventional herbicides will kill them
Erickson primarily sells seed stock to nurseries but will sell to anyone while supplies last At the Brown Bulb Ranch Lukens sells seed stock for $ 50 to $ 60 per pound Planted like potatoes there are several eyes on each tuber each producing a new plant A potato planter can be used to plant them in either the fall or spring
One farmer Harold Metcalf from Elk City Okla is reportedly one of the first to make alcohol from Jerusalem Artichokes Just experimenting he says he made enough to learn that he needed no cooking and no enzymes - just regular beer yeast
For more information contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tom Lukens Brown Bulb Ranch 13024 Stone Ave N P O Box 33767 Seattle Wash 98133 ph 206 363-6854
FARM SHOW Followup Vincent Erickson Box 158 120 Edgewater Place Big Lake Minn 55309 ph 612 263-3438

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