Green Options » Jerusalem artichokes

Try Sunchokes In Your Next Recipe

Kelli Best-Oliver — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:10:20 +0000

You may have seen some brown, knobby tubers at your local farmers market recently. No, that’s not ginger, they’re sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, but they’re really nothing like artichokes. They’re actually a member of the sunflower family and have a texture that’s is a cross between a potato and a water chestnut. And, they’re totally delicious. Ideas for cooking, after the jump…

Organic Oven Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

Jennifer Lance — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:50:19 +0000

My six-year-old daughter loves oven roasted Jerusalem artichokes, and that’s a good thing, since they have taken over our garden. I call Jerusalem artichokes our survival food, as they grow so easily, spread like wildfire, and are ready for eating throughout the winter and early spring. Sure, they are a pain to clean, but that is a small price to pay for a homegrown meal in the winter. My family will never starve, as we always have Jerusalem artichokes.

Jerusalem artichokes are not artichokes, and they do not come from Jerusalem. They are often called sunchokes, as the plant grows very tall in the summer and blooms a golden flower. Sunchokes are native to the eastern US and were first cultivated by Native Americans, although they don’t take much cultivation, in my experience. According to Wikipedia, “Jerusalem artichokes have 650 mg. potassium per 1 cup (150g) serving. They are also high in iron, and contain 10-12% of the RDA of fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus and copper.” Jerusalem artichokes offer an important source of potassium for those trying to follow the 100 Mile Diet and thus avoiding bananas.

Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

Wash and cut the tubers into about 1/2-1 inch pieces, the more uniform, the better. Place the cut sunchokes in a glass baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add crushed garlic (2-3 cloves for a 9″ x 13″ pan).

Daily Tip: Plant an Organic Winter Garden

Jennifer Lance — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:54:20 +0000

There is nothing like stepping into your garden in December and getting a tasty treat! Winter gardens are my favorite, as they provide nutritious food when stores are relying heavily on imported and/or stored produce. There is something about cooler temperatures and light frosts that make vegetables sweeter, especially carrots. Almost all regions of the United States can experience some form of winter gardening, and the time to plant one is almost gone.

Winter gardening often takes two forms: planting crops for winter harvest and planting crops to overwinter for early spring harvest. Now that September is almost half-way over, winter gardeners need to get busy! It is time to plant arugula, cabbage, corn salad, legumes, lettuce, mustard greens, and radish seeds; however, corn salad, lettuce, and mustard greens enjoy a little covering or cloching to extend the harvest. It is also possible to transplant broccoli, cauliflower, and collards for winter and spring harvests. For other areas of the garden, cover cropping in the fall will prevent erosion and boost nitrogen content.

My favorite crop to grow in the winter is garlic, which can be planted at the end of this month and into October. Garlic is amazing, as it slowly grows through the wintertime. In addition, there are some plants that are only harvested in the winter, such as Jerusalem artichokes. These high-potassium roots are native to the United States, and they make a great winter treat roasted with olive oil and garlic. It is fun to dig Jerusalem artichokes out of the snow covered earth and be thankful for their winter bounty.