jerusalem artichoke/Indian sunflower?

[WannaBeFarmR]

I've read that Jerusalem artichokes (tubers/root) can be safely eaten by goats. But what about the actual green leaves and stalks? I've read that sunflower plants are safe if the goats eat them and they do look similar. I'm not sure if they are Jerusalem artichokes or Indian sunflowers. They look like the first but my grandmother always called them the latter, and they do look like little sunflowers in the fall?

I actually don't mind the look of the plant because it looks like a sunflower but they spread like wild fire and the hundreds of dried canes you have to pull up and haul away are not worth it. I'd rather the goats eat them if they want, but obviously not if its going to make them sick...or worse.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

An easy way to tell the difference is to dig one of them up. If it has potato like tubers it's a jerusalem artichoke, if not it's a sunflower. That being said there are quite a few different species of sunflower so it'd be good to know what you have before you try to determine if it's ok for goats to eat. From your description though it sounds like you have a J. Artichoke, which I have found several websites saying it is just fine to feed to them.

Hope this helps!

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

It does have tubers, and my dad is either brave or crazy because he's eaten them without being sure they were, what he thought they were. lol.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

If it looks like a sunflower and has tubers it's a Jerusalem Artichoke, there aren't many other plants that you can mistake for one of those. They are prefectly fine to eat raw or cooked, in fact you can peel them and cook them up and they taste a lot like mashed potatoes.