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