Eating from your yard tip~Jerusalem Artichoke is a hardy beast that grows over 7 feet tall with yellow rebeckia flowers. You can harvest the tubers after the first hard freeze, but I think they taste better in the spring. The women I got them from sliced them raw onto her salad. They are also good in a slaw or relish. Kay Young has several recipes in her book Wild Seasons for Jerusalem artichoke puffs, chips, dip and pickles. My son, McClain peels, cubes & bakes them with olive oil ~ they taste like sunflower seeds. They can also be added to stir fries, stews or blended into a creamy soup. I heard there is a Jerusalem Artichoke brandy, but I haven’t tried it.
These little tubers are beneficial in regulating blood sugar, are high in potassium and a good source of fiber. They are so plentiful, healthy and yummy it is easy to go overboard eating them, but it is wise to go easy in the beginning as they doth bring forth wind ha! Perhaps pair them with fennel to counter the flatulence.
The tubers loose their firmness in short order so leave them in the ground until you are ready to use them. When I got mine I didn’t have the place yet ready to plant them so I put them in the refrigerator. When I finally got ready to plant them they were all shriveled and sad. Believing in plant’s will to survive I planted them anyway. Boom ~ they grew and multiplied like crazy. To this point do not plant these lovely tubers in your garden as each of these tubers multiples more than the tribbles on the starship Enterprise. Plant them between a rock and a hard place. I have mine planted as a screen between the sidewalk and my compost.
If anyone wants some to eat or plant let me know I am happy to share! How do you eat Jerusalem Artichokes?
