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You don’t need to live in Jerusalem to grow Jerusalem artichokes and they do not come from Jerusalem. Some times referred to as Sunchokes this tuber is actually part of the Sun flower family and it can be grown anywhere in the United States.
This vegetable can be used in pickling. I like the fact that the fresh tuber’s taste reminds me of a water chestnut and is often used in salads as a water chestnut sometimes is. The tuber part or the swollen end of the Jerusalem artichoke is the edible part of this vegetable which can be cooked like a potato and yet it is not like most starchy vegetables because once the artichoke is harvested the principal storage carbohydrate is inulin instead of starch.
When we eat the artichoke the inulin is converted to fructose instead of glucose by our digestive tract and this makes the artichoke very tolerable by diabetics.
For organic gardeners who want to plant some of these it is advisable to choose a variety that is adaptable for their zone in order to obtain a successful harvest.
You can plant the tuber early in the spring after the last frost and you can either plant whole tubers or should you choose to plant pieces of tubers you must make sure each piece is larger than two ounces and should have two or three prominent buds in order to produce good yields. Cut your seed pieces just before planting and plant them 3 to 5 inches deep allowing 36 to 42 inches between each row and at least 15 to 24 inches between each plant.
This is one crop that you do not have to worry about getting in before the first frost. Matter of fact it is just the opposite and you must wait until the first frost before you harvest. You can run your mower over the tops of the plants and you can use a hoe or hand rake to open a furrow in order to pick up the tubers. You probably will not be able to harvest all the tubers and that is the downside of planting Jerusalem Artichokes because it can become a weed problem since it is a very hardy perennial. If you find a large number of these unwanted plants in the next spring you must destroy them before they can set more tubers in August.
When you harvest them you must store them in a high humidity area and keep them in a temperature about 32°F.
If you treat them like potatoes remember that like raw potatoes they will quickly turn brown upon cutting and you can dip them in acidulated water if you are serving them raw.
One can bake, boil, steam, fry or stew them, but remember they cook a lot faster than potatoes and will quickly turn mushy. Once you can pierce them with a tooth pick they are cooked. Never cook them in an aluminum pan.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Many of her articles written for Greenthumbarticles have paintings she has created of the subject and they can be seen at her “How to Do It” site. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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