I first discovered Jerusalem artichokes about four years ago in Arkansas. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw the 5-foot stalk with a yellow flower that looked like a miniature sunflower without the seeds. I flipped through my edible plants book, surfed the web, did some research and was pleased to find out I stumbled across a tasty wild food.
So, What’s A Jerusalem Artichoke?
耶路撒冷洋蓟(Helianthus tuberosus)是向日葵的一种,它的根看起来像姜。这种花的茎可以长到10英尺高,一旦你知道你在找什么,很容易就能找到。
The yellow flowers look so much like a tiny version of a sunflower without seeds! The Jerusalem artichoke is known by many names, a few of them being earth apple, sunchoke, and sunroot.
有几个不同的品种的耶路撒冷洋蓟品种的向日葵。不是所有的块茎看起来相同或味道相同,尽管味道有点相似。我在阿肯色州发现的秋菊长得像姜黄色,表皮更厚更粗糙。
The little, lumpy brown-skinned tubers have white flesh on the inside. Don’t be fooled, this root/tuber is not an artichoke by any means, nor is there any relation to Jerusalem.
Habitat & Harvesting
Jerusalem artichokes can grow almost anywhere. They really love well-drained soil that contains a lot of organic matter. These amazing tubers are actually known to be somewhat of an invasive species, so they spawn and take over rather quickly.
Fields, meadows, prairies, along railroads, and forest lines are all places I have seen the chokes growing. As long as there is good soil and full sun this plant will thrive.
You’re going to want to mark your plants when the flowers are in bloom so you can return to harvest them when the flower and stalk die back. The harvest takes place during late autumn and into winter. You can dig them up with a garden fork or a shovel, either one works just fine, although I prefer to use a garden fork because it does less damage to the roots.
Growing
你可以选择让你的耶路撒冷洋蓟野生生长,当它们出现时,你可以喂养它们,或者你可以保存一些块茎,种植一个太阳喉花园。这些植物为你做了大部分的工作。
将块茎种植在阳光充足、土壤排水良好的地方可以获得最佳效果。它们不需要太多的浇水或除草,最好将块茎植入土壤中至少4-6英寸,彼此间隔约1英尺。给块茎之间至少一英尺的空间可以让未来的根长得更大。
You can plant your Jerusalem artichoke tubers straight into the ground and let the magic take place. One thing I really love about the Jerusalem artichoke is that you can grow them in tubs for small-space gardening. If you have some space near a window that gets lots of sun, you can even grow the chokes indoors.
Jerusalem Artichoke Varieties
Not all of the species of Jerusalem artichokes look the same. There are red varieties, white varieties and a yellow variety. The only Jerusalem artichoke that gets an actual flower is the flowering Helianthus tuberosus, which is the variety I found while foraging.
在不同的品种中,有红色和白色的品系。红色的品系包括“红色Fuseau”、“Waldspine”和“红色Rover”。白色菌株包括“白色Fuseau”、“开花菊芋”、“Stampede”和“Clearwater”。
Different Varieties
- Red Fuseau
- Stampede
- White Fuseau
- Red Rover
- Flowering Helianthus Tuberosus
- Waldspine
- Clearwater
Some Problems With The Jerusalem Artichoke
So far, all of the information I’ve shared about the Jerusalem artichoke has been good. Now I’m going to share some of the potential problems. No worries, they’re pretty simple to fix if you want to take the time.
- Slugs and snails feed on the young seedlings.
- The plants can become infected with sclerotinia, a fungal disease. The disease causes the plants to rot at the base, and white fluffy mold grows in the affected areas.
- The chokes can be somewhat of an invasive species, and they come back every year multiplying in number. If you don’t want them returning after a harvest, you have to be sure that you remove all of the root tubers.
Preparing, Cooking, & Eating
Any variety of choke is best eaten freshly picked. Peeling artichokes can be a chore, the more knobs the choke has the harder it will be to peel. The skin is OK to eat, but it changes the flavor of the vegetable a significant amount.
You can cook a Jerusalem artichoke just like you would a potato or parsnip. They are delicious roasted, sauteed, as well as battered and deep fried. They do well in soups, stews and can make pretty tasty chips too!
Jerusalem artichokes are not only a super staple food but they are also fit for fine cuisine. One of my favorite chefs, Guy Fieri, uses sunchokes in a pasta salad. TheFieri Farfalle Saladis Guy’s specialty salad that he makes using mozzarella, red bell pepper, pesto sauce, olives and Jerusalem artichokes. He also makes asunchoke & split pea souptopped with goat cheese croutons and crispy pancetta.
Jerusalem artichokes have been utilized and enjoyed for many centuries. I’m not sure why they don’t have them in more grocery stores! They are a great addition to your kitchen if you’re into the flavor.
I am still trying and learning new ways to use these roots in my cooking. Have you ever tried Jerusalem artichokes? If so, how did you choose to prepare them, and how did you like it? Something interesting about the chokes before I go is that they have been looked into as a possible fuel, and people have been making spirits with them for many years too!
今天的《家园》由伊莱娜·加西亚为您带来。寻找野生食物是非常有益的,它在很多方面都很健康。耶路撒冷洋蓟可以是许多餐中的一道美味。
Martin Egansays
啊,是的,我记得很清楚,因为我父亲曾经在沃里克郡努尼顿非常肥沃的后花园土壤里种了成排的它们。就在最近,连锁超市森宝利和维特罗斯也开始销售这种食品。A word of warning : these things ought to be called ‘fartichokes’ because they produce bed sheet lifting bowel gas !
Luigi tedonesays
我想找不同品种的耶路撒冷洋参的块茎。我在哪里可以找到?