Digging new plot and came across these

New to this and while digging our new plot we came across these...  Guessing they are artichoke but do they come every year?

Sorry for such a noob question

I thought about that, but roots appear to be coming out of the "top".

was it flat in the ground or upright? and were there any more of them?
my moneys on yacon but i aint no expert. only one way to tell, kill it cook it and eat sniff it!

That is artichoke for sure. The pointed bit at the top was stem from last year.
Have a good dig around to get them all up or they will all shot again.

Totty

looks like a variety called Fuseau which are less knobbly than most . if you find 4 or 5 spares pm me and we could arrange a swap

yes that's what mine look like.

Hi Chris 

Any of the artichoke tubers you leave in the ground will regrow and you can just have a patch where you harvest some and leave some for next year if you want.  They do tend to get overcrowded this way though and will start to spread, so better to dig them up and replant just a few for the crop this year.

Two 5m rows is loads, so best try some to see if you like them, before deciding to devote that much space to them.  They are like a nuttier tasting potato with a different texture to a normal spud, but you can use them in much the same ways. 

They do produce an awful lot of wind for most folk, so be warned   

and make sure you actually like eating them first