Jerusalem Artichokes are not from Jerusalem

They are in fact native to the United States. Jerusalem Artichokes, also called Sunchokes, are not artichokes either. They are related to sunflowers and the sunflower-like flowers, without the seeds, are on top of very tall stalks. They add a striking feast for the eyes in my vegetable garden. The edible parts are the tubers growing underground. The tubers look like a potato crossed with ginger root. They taste like nutty potatoes and are rich in potassium, iron, niacin, copper and more. My favorite way to eat them is simply steamed with butter or grated raw into a salad or chicken salad. This year I'm going to try making a soup of them since I found this: “The Jerusalem artichoke was titled ‘best soup vegetable’ in the 2002 Nice festival for the heritage of the French cuisine.” Apparently Jerusalem artichokes made their way from the states to France in the 1600’s from Cape Cod. An easy way to make a soup of them would be to boil them until they are very soft then mash them as finely as you can. Add cream, some of the water used to boil them, salt, pepper and any other seasons you like while heating gently. Their flavor would work well with any herb or you could go for a sweeter flavor with honey, ginger, nutmeg, and/or allspice. I'm going to start with the sweet version. If you’ve never had Jerusalem Artichokes, do try them!
With only 2 markets to go this year, I am going to do my best to get these fall vegetables to our faithful adventuring customers.
Aunt Farmer

Chop Suey Greens

You ate the flowers all summer and now we’re offering the leaves and stems. Garland chrysanthemums are those delightfully cheery little flowers we’ve been adding to the salads. Our fall crop is coming in now and instead of letting them flower, we are harvesting them as greens. Asians use these greens in salads and soups and stir-fries. They are known as chop suey greens, tong ho, shungiku, depending on the country. Use the stems as well as the leaves and be sure to add at the last minute when cooking them or they will become bitter. Since I like food to taste elegant but be easy to cook, I just throw them in with a little butter, garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary and any other herb I fancy, sauté briefly and have a nice side dish.
So why would I bother with chop suey greens when there are so many other greens available, especially from Vittles de Vine? Besides their slightly tangy taste, they have their own power packed nutrients. They contain vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K as well as minerals (notably calcium) and amino acids. Garland chrysanthemum are so full of nutrients they are used
as a tonic in China.
We've entered the last month of market but we hope we've still got a few oddities for you.
Aunt Farmer