H. Tuberosus is an excellent plant for a survival garden. Called sunroot by the Ojibwe people, it’s an apt name. A relative of sunflowers with a tuberous root like potatoes, and a competitive growth habit. Because of its powerful ability to spread in any area it’s planted in, sunroot should be planted in either raised beds or in the ground with subterranean barriers at least a foot deep. As it is a native plant to the Midwest prairie, it outgrows most weeds easily without fertilizer. Sunroot stores its energy as inulin, which turns into fructose during storage giving the tubers a sweet nutty taste. Inulin is a dietary fiber that is considered GRAS (generally regarded as safe) by the FDA, meaning there’s no know drug interactions, or dangerous side effects when eaten. Inulin doesn’t spike blood sugar, it helps the body absorb other nutrients like calcium and magnesium. However, if you’re not already including a good amount of fiber in your diet (which you totally should for all sorts of reasons) the inulin content of sunroot can cause gas since it feeds the healthy microbes in your gut. So some long dead european guy called it a fartichoke. Anyways, the tubers can survive -22°f in the ground (providing food when it’s otherwise scarce for you or livestock), can be eaten raw or cooked, have a good nutrient profile, lasts in the ground or out of it, and draws wildlife. It was brought to Europe for its flavor and ease of growth and was popular as a soup in France. Now it’s considered invasive when it escapes cultivation in Europe. It’s an inconspicuous looking sunflower like plant so there’s not much chance of it being stolen by a raid, it can grow back from tubers even if it’s cut or burned to the ground, and needs possibly no water when it’s fully established in most environments. Its tubers are low in fat/oil/ and have only a bit of protein but heir seeds have more oil and protein. Not sure if it would hybridize with classic sunflowers. I just ordered some and am excited to start caring for the sunroot. And of course, treat living beings like plants with respect, especially if they’re taking care of you by providing sustenance. By that I mean sort of treat them like a pet that you care for. Gently and with compassion.