Eating Jerusalem Artichokes

Reader Contribution by Carole Coates
Published on November 8, 2018
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Jerusalem artichokes, a member of the sunflower family, typically grow to be ten feet tall or taller. Photo by Carole Coates

Sure, I’ve eaten Jerusalem artichokes, or sunchokes. But I’d never grown them—until we bought some last fall at the local farmers’ market. “Can we plant these?” my husband asked. Assured that we could, we bought a few to eat and a few more to store in the fridge until spring. Well, spring has come and gone and fall is in full swing. Time to figure out what to do with all those sunchokes.

Nuisance Weed or Gourmet Veggie?

What a funny name for a plant that’s related neither to Jerusalem nor artichokes. Instead, this perennial is in the sunflower family and can often be found growing along roadsides. It has a reputation for being invasive, which may be how it came to be known as a weed. But it has a long history as a healthy food source. And to a gardener or forager, there’s nothing like good food that’s also free.

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