It is that time of year again when we spend many back breaking hours cleaning up our garden in anticipation for the summer season ahead of us. Last season I visited a local outdoor farmers market and bought some sunchoke. The farmer suggested that I throw them in the ground, cover them and forget about them. “In the spring you can harvest” he advised. Throughout the summer I got a little frustrated with the nasty little (cute) bunnies eating the greens of my sunchoke but today after digging up the garden I was delighted with what I found. A fantastic haul of beautiful sunchokes AKA Jerusalem Artichokes.
Sunchokes are a great source of iron, potassium and thiamin. They are also low in calories and high in fiber. Inulin, the primary carbohydrate in sunchokes, minimally affects blood sugar and is touted as a diabetic-friendly carb. With this in mind, sunchokes make a lovely substitutions for potatoes.
Sunchokes will keep in the produce drawer of the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks and oxidize when exposed to air, just like apples or potatoes. To prevent this, toss with lemon juice before cooking.
I will be keeping a couple of these beauties to throw back in the ground for the upcoming season but stay tuned, you know I will be posting a delicious mouth watering recipe that include my new found knobby little nuggets.
