Sun Chokes

This is my sun choke harvest this year. I dug them up weeks ago, and we are still working our way through them. There are well over 100 pounds here. I gave a lot away, sold some (here they go for $5-$7 a pound) and we are working our way through some. Some, though, I will save for next year because they do THIS:

Fucking gorgeous. Also good for privacy. 

They will, however be grown in 55 gallon barrels because all that great stuff they say about them? Disease resistant? Low maintenance? Heat tolerant? These are all things that mean this plant is invasive and will, if allowed, take over your yard. I got a bunch of them from one of the local community gardens, for FREE! so I had to take them. I listened carefully to the planting instructions the master gardener gave me, and at no point did he ever mention containers. I procrastinated, and they got shoved to the back of the refrigerator. When I finally remembered them, they were a little moldy and inedible. So I dug a trench in the middle of February thinking they wouldn't survive, but hoping they would. They did. They flourished. 13 feet tall, pounds and pounds of sun chokes per plant, and I am pretty sure there are some still lurking in the ground. Spring harvest? Maybe. They're delicious, roasted in garlic and a little oil. Also, the chickens like them.