Jerusalem Artichoke: The Strange Tuber That Everybody Is Talking About

🍠This is one of the strangest vegetables you're ever likely to encounter, however this tuber is surprisingly interesting. Jerusalem artichoke has many names, such as sunchoke, ground apples and sun roots. It's native to North America and noted for its edible tubers. Jerusalem artichoke is popular as a cooked vegetable in Europe and has long been cultivated in France as a stock feed.

🌞 It is very underrated perennial vegetable. Sunchoke will keep cropping year after year. It really doesn’t suffer from diseases either. It can crop in sunny or shady location. The huge benefit is they can be stored in the ground all through winter or you can lift them up and store them in bucket with layers of soil. If you live in a really small house and you struggle for storage you can keep them in the soil and harvest them when you are ready to have your meal. 

📹 If you prefer watching video instead of reading find out more 👉 here or watch the video below. 👇

🍜 I usually harvest them all, but this year I don't have enough space in my freezer (I usually do batch cooking), so I decided to harvest only half and leave the rest in the ground until I'm ready having my next meal.

⚠️ A word of caution here, they can easily overtake your garden and spread rapidly. Think twice about the location before you plant them and give them some border so they can’t escape. I grow mine in both sunny (in old tyre) and shady location (with some borders so they can't spread further).

🌻 They're member of the sunflower family, and this becomes really obvious when you see them in full bloom in summer. They have a really tall frame with a bright yellow flower on the top and after that dies back they set the tubers in the ground add they store really well in the ground. They're fairly frost resistant and they're a grower's delight really because they have very few pests and they can be left to their own devices. 

🪴 These large plants do also really well in containers. When you're planting them, plant them in a good heavy container because there's a lot of top growth on these and the wind will catch them and tip them over if you don't have a sturdy base. Please make sure that container is heavy.

🍲 These nobly white tubers make a fantastic soup, you can use them to make a

Risotto, you can roast them in the oven or eat fresh in salads.

They go very well with mushrooms to have great nourishing, hearty meal.  

Why people don’t eat them?

🌬️ Jerusalem artichokes are a good source of fiber, especially inulin, and prebiotics, making them beneficial for your digestive health. However, they are known to cause flatulence (aaah that embarrassing stuff!), because of inulin. Inulin has a great prebiotic benefits though. I can hear you asking "Is there a way how to eliminate this?"

Yes, there is. Hurray! Let’s find out more.

💡Things you can try:

1.The Acid Test

Cook them in something acidic and watery e.g. lemon juice or vinegar. If you cook them in lemon juice instead of plain old water, you’ll get a less embarrassing – but equally tasty – outcome.

2. Ferment them

The gas bubbles will go into fermentation process instead. This process wouldn't suit to people who have issues with histamine. They don’t tolerate fermented food well.

3. A Little Inulin Is Still Your Friend

Inulin has great prebiotic benefits. Consume more prebiotics such as inulin on a regular basis. Build a tolerance. Rather than avoiding all inulin, people should consume small quantities on a regular basis. Your gut will adapt – the proportion of beneficial bacteria will grow, while the gas-producing bacteria will diminish – and after a while you will be able to eat Jerusalem artichokes without discomfort.

☢️ The same factors that give Jerusalem artichokes so many digestive benefits are also the reason they may be contra-indicated for people with particularly sensitive digestive tracts. The inulin and oligofructose could cause gas, bloating, and even abdominal pain and diarrhoea in certain people.

If you know that you have a sensitive digestive tract, you might want to practice a bit of initial caution with Jerusalem artichokes. You want to make sure you will tolerate them and be sure to cook them well.

👍 If you’re looking for a new food to try, Jerusalem artichokes can be a nutritious addition to your diet. They are really easy to grown, give you an excellent crop, they need minimum attention, can be left to their own devices and will crop year after year.

It can seem like a bit of a challenge to figure out what to do with something new, but Jerusalem artichokes can be used just as easily as a potato or other root vegetable. Make sure to take it slow if you have a sensitive stomach. Or plan on spending some quality time alone after your first experience! Just in case.

❓I'm curious to know are you a Lover or a Hater❓

I hope it inspires you.🥰

Happy growing and harvesting!

From my heart ❤️ to your heart.❤️