Stachis Or Chinese Artichoke

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

A hundred years ago, the nodules of this vegetable were regulars in vegetable stores. In the heat of the industrial five-year plans, many agricultural crops were lost, including a vegetable crop called Stakhis or Chinese artichoke. Today more and more gardeners are turning their eyes to Stakhis. Children are happy to eat fresh tubers. The lack of starch in the vegetable makes it attractive for diabetics

Kindred purist

Herbaceous plants of the genus Chistets or Stachys (Stachys) are quite widespread on the globe. They are not found only in New Zealand and Australia. On the territory of our country, there are about a dozen species of this plant.

Naturally growing forest, marsh, pharmacy purses are used in the manufacture of drugs used in gynecology, as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-exudative, choleretic, antitoxic agents.

Gardeners grow an ornamental woolly purse with beautiful silvery leaves. But the related purse (Stachys affinis) or the Chinese artichoke (although botanically it is far from the genus Artichoke) is still a rarity in our gardens, while the French and British grow it for edible thickened tubers.

Vegetable culture

Outwardly, stachis bushes resemble the familiar mint or deaf nettle. Plant height 45-80 cm. Leaves are large, oblong-oval. Light red, purple or white flowers are collected in a spike-shaped inflorescence. The word "stachis" in translation means "ear", and gave the name to the plant for the shape of its inflorescence.

The main part of stachis is its roots, on which a large number of nodules are formed, similar to shells or peeled boiled shrimps, which are used for food.

Stachis is grown as an annual. But, if you leave the tubers in the ground, they will calmly overwinter and give new shoots in the spring.

Growing

You can plant tubers in autumn or early spring, as soon as the snow melts. The tubers are embedded in the soil by 8-10 centimeters, leaving 30 centimeters between them, and 40 centimeters between the rows.

The beds are located in the sun or in partial shade. It is not worth planting tubers under bushes or trees, as its long roots are akin to weed roots that penetrate the soil quite deeply, which makes it difficult to cultivate the near-stem circles.

Thanks to deep-penetrating roots, the plant provides itself with moisture, and therefore three or four waterings per summer are enough. The roots do not allow weeds to grow, saving the gardener time. But, rare weeding, especially at the beginning of growth, it is nevertheless necessary to carry out. The rather coarse hairs covering the stems and leaves of the plant help the stachis to cope with pests on their own.

This vegetable is very fertile, and therefore guarantees a good harvest. Dug up tubers in mid-October. Then the bed is dug to the depth of a shovel bayonet, rotted manure, peat, sand, wood ash are scattered, embedding all this in the soil.

Use of tubers

Stachis tubers are eaten raw, boiled, stewed, fried, dried for future use, pickled. Cooked tubers taste like baby corn, cauliflower, asparagus. Stachis is used as a side dish for boiled or fried meat; added to vegetable stew. Children crunch with gusto with raw tubers.

Young foliage can be added to green salads and other dishes.

Healing abilities

Stachis tubers are rich in vitamin C, contain proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and trace elements.

With its insulin-like effect and the absence of starch in tubers, stachis is of interest for the dietary nutrition of people with diabetes.

In addition, stachis is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, diseases of the respiratory system, to normalize blood pressure (lowers high blood pressure).