Chorogi

Description

Variety

No known

Species

Stachys affinis Bunge

GBIF

Wikipedia

Stachys affinis

Chorogi is a species in the mint genus that forms small white tubers at the roots. These are good fresh, with a mild mint taste and crunchy consistency. Nice in salads and also fried. It is also called Chinese artichoke, after English Chinese artichoke. Probably this is because it resembles a mini sunchoke (or terrasol in French), also often called Jerusalem Artichoke, which is misleading since it is from North America and probably doesn’t thrive in Jerusalem at all. To put it with Will Bonsall: “How embarrassing: a plant that is misnamed after a plant that is also misnamed”.

Harvested in October and overwinters on the growing site. You never find all of them, so they come back year after year.

Growing is very easy and we have tried them in everything from partial shade to full sun. As with all tuberous plants, it is best with loose soil, rich in organic material, and not too much clay. Then they have the easiest time spreading shoots and developing tubers, plus it is easy to keep them clean after harvesting. We cultivate in soil that has previously been a forest on sandy soil with good humus. And as with all growing: at least one layer of compost every year, depending on what you manage to produce. Set them about 5 cm down with 10-15 cm plant spacing and 30-40 cm row spacing so you get to weed, which is important at the start, because eventually they form a blanket that keeps the weeds down. Don’t let it get too dry. It is best to cover with organic material that both prevents drying out and composts.