One of my personal favorites for almost every kind of project, sunchokes act as a biomass accumulator and a semi-passive food source. The plant is a tall, sunflower-like perennial with rough green leaves, strong upright stems, and bright yellow flowers that bloom late in the season. It grows in dense stands, often reaching 6–10 feet tall and forming a living wall of green through summer and fall if planted close together. The flowers, seeds, and most importantly the roots of the plant are all edible- with the roots multiplying year after year if left undisturbed. When harvesting leave the largest ones to gradually increase the size of your future harvests!
It functions as a perennial food and support species, producing large underground tubers while building soil structure and organic matter through root mass and seasonal dieback. Once established, it requires very little maintenance, spreads reliably, and produces consistent harvests year after year with minimal input.