Earth Chestnuts are a rare, delicious, and versatile food crop that originates from Europe. These perennial plants are hardy down to zone 6. When cultivated in good soil, the tubers can grow to the size of a golf ball. All parts of the plant are edible, but they're best known for their edible and delicious tubers. They taste sweet and nutty, and they don't become fibrous or pithy with age. They can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves have a great flavour too, and can be eaten as a parsley substitute. Also, the seeds have a strong and unique flavour, and can be used as a substitute for cumin. This is a very useful plant, and it makes an excellent addition to any permaculture/perennial food garden.

Growing Instructions:

Earth Chestnuts are quite easy to grow. The seeds can be sown directly in the earth as soon as the ground thaws in the spring, or they can be started in a greenhouse a few weeks before the last frost, and transplanted after a couple true leaves emerge. Here on the farm, we sow Earth Chestnuts in March to ensure that the tubers grow as large as possible. Seeds should be sown 1/8 - 1/4 inch below the soil surface. They can take between 2-6 weeks to germinate. Earth Chestnuts grows best in full sun, but will also do very well i partial shade. They don't like to grow in alkaline soils, so its best to plant them in an acidic or neutral environment. The plants are disease, pest, and flood resistant too.