Jerusalem Artichokes...

Have you ever heard of "Jerusalem Artichokes?"  They grow wild all over the place here.  This past spring, a man was selling some of the tubers at our local Farmer's Market.  I was so excited!  I bought some of them and planted them in the garden.  I once read that "The man who has Jerusalem Artichokes will never starve." Apparently, once established, it will be a big job to get rid of them.  You plant the tubers, and they multiply and send up big tall flowers.

The tubers multiply like crazy in the ground.  You can dig them up any time you like.  I dug up a few yesterday.

There are many ways to use them... they can be steamed and mashed, with butter and salt.  They are great in soup.  Sliced thinly they can be added to salads.  They have a mild slightly sweet taste and are very versatile.  This morning, I made one of our favorite breakfasts, stir fried vegetables, Jasmine rice and scrambled eggs.  We like a little Tamari on the vegetables.

There is no need to peel the chokes.  Just wash and scrub them well.  You may, if you wish, of course, but it's a waste of time, and probably nutrients, as well.  Chokes have a pretty impressive nutritional profile. Here is a chart from Wiki:

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	304 kJ (73 kcal)
Carbohydrates	17.44 g
Sugars	9.6 g
Dietary fiber	1.6 g
Fat	0.01 g
Protein	2 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)	(17%) 0.2 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	(5%) 0.06 mg
Niacin (B3)	(9%) 1.3 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	(8%) 0.397 mg
Vitamin B6	(6%) 0.077 mg
Folate (B9)	(3%) 13 μg
Vitamin C	(5%) 4 mg
Minerals
Calcium	(1%) 14 mg
Iron	(26%) 3.4 mg
Magnesium	(5%) 17 mg
Phosphorus	(11%) 78 mg
Potassium	(9%) 429 mg

These are very easy to grow, and once established, you can hardly get rid of them, so be careful where you plant them.  They will keep, nicely, for what seems forever in the fridge.  I haven't tried room temperature yet, but I am planning to leave a few out in a basket and see what happens.