Ethanol: Non Food Crops That Are Suitable

The following information has been gathered and compiled through personal experience while traveling, teaching related subjects and contains feedback from students and anecdotal information from readers of my columns. The following are my opinions and deductions from those sources.

Ethanol 2: Crops Suitable for Alcohol Fuel Production

There is No Reason to Attempt to Grow Crops that Do Poorly in Our Climate Zones

Ethanol cuts emissions and producing it with essential food products is unnecessary.

Information contained in this article has been obtained through personal experimentation and experiences. **For those seeking more detailed information, there are references at the end of the article that may be helpful.**

Jerusalem Artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus (JA), is a tuber-forming, (similar to a small potato), member of the sunflower family and native to North America. The name came from Girasole, the Italian word for sunflower: you can look this up in most herbal or language books. The French explorer Champlain named the plant because of the taste of the tuber: information available in some grade school history books. As a food, it's usually sold under the name Sunchoke. Tubers can range from red to white and the plant grows in a wide range of stalk and tuber configurations. Jerusalem artichokes will grow in any temperate climate. Growing conditions are similar to that for potatoes.

The tubers were a common food of native Americans and saved the Lewis and Clark expedition from starvation during their first winter: grade school history books. The tubers can be eaten raw and sliced in salads or cooked like potatoes. Most people I know experience severe gas problems when eating Jerusalem Artichokes raw.

Pre-bloom, and before the sugar goes into the tubers, the stalks are high in sugar and average about twenty percent protein. Stalks and tubers can be chopped and used as silage. The alcohol yields per acre will be higher if the tops of the plants are harvested before the sugar goes into the maturing tubers. In Europe, silage made from the whole plant is considered superior to corn silage: personal experience with farmers in Europe. The plant grows rapidly to an average height of about eight ft. Prior to blooming the stalk accumulates carbohydrate. If the crop is cut early, stalks will reemerge but new growth will be delayed. When grown in areas and times of short day length, the plant will produce many yellow blossoms with small black, mostly infertile, seeds. Some areas may get as many as three cuttings, or more, per year. We have found that we can get three harvests in Southern New Mexico but the plants grow more robustly and produce as much, or more, when grown in northern climates that have a shorter growing season but longer growing hours per day. A good example of this is the Willamette valley in Oregon.

When the plant blooms the tubers begin increasing in size and sugar content and if the objective is higher alcohol yields, the plant should be cut, like alfalfa, and the tops used before blooming. For highest alcohol yields from the tubers, the plant should be allowed to dry naturally or be harvested after the first frost. We have noticed that squash will be sweeter (higher sugar content) if harvested after the first frost also. One large advantage to using the tubers is they can be harvested in fall, winter or early spring. The tops have dried and removed if the tuber is to remain in the ground until digging. By leaving them in the ground, it's possible to schedule the harvesting according to your needs. Tubers store well in cold ground that is low in humidity and don't require digging until needed. When growing JAs in the Willamette Valley, with its high humidity, the tubers have to be dug and stored. Leaving the tubers in the ground, where possible, allows a longer production run than with most other ethanol-alcohol producing plants. Digging the tubers is similar to harvesting potatoes. Missed tubers will sprout again the falling year lowering the costs of replanting but making it more difficult for those who rotate crops. The tubers are highly sought after by hogs and make good winter forage for them if a successive planting isn't planned. This is a good opportunity for extra income and an alternative for those who rotate crops

Fresh tubers are approximately 21% solids, of which 75% to 86% are sugars, primarily inulin, a fructose polymer. Jerusalem artichokes make a good food for the diabetic. Inulin, not to be confused with insulin, slows the uptake of sugars into the blood stream, lowering the demands on the pancreas and helping to prevent hypoglycemia and rapid swings in blood sugar levels.

**Mother Earth News archives, www.jourenytoforever.com

**various engineer's reports available online

Ref: personal experience with ethanol, methane and composting, plus researching and writing about diabetes for 25 years.