Preserving jerusalem artichokes

[Marc]

I never had any trouble storing them out of the ground, always in plastic bags, not washed and not with wet mud on them, and preferably not damaged. I used to sell them till March/April stored in this way. Unlike potatoes they are frost hardy so it doesn't matter if they get frozen - so the cooler the better. If they do get a bit soft or shivelled then leave them in a bucket of water for a few hours and they will swell back to their original firmness.
You need to keep an eye on them and remove any that do start to rot. Also keep the mice away as they (or perhaps voles) love them. In fact that is the big problem I found with leaving them in the ground. By the spring there was very little left.
Not tried freezing them but as stated above about frost, I guess they should be ok frozen raw.

Marc

[old tree man]

I have kept mine in a fost free shed and they have done very well, from my last harvest i have kept my own seed tubers for this year, getting ready to plant them in feb.

Russ