Neither middle-eastern or related to the common artichoke, Jerusalem Artichokes are in the sunflower family. Used primarily as a root crop, the plant, sometimes referred to as a "Sunchoke", has tall stalks and yellow flowers when fully grown.
Resembling a common sunflower
Last Friday at Red Dog Farm I helped plant Jerusalem Artichoke starts.
Jerusalem Artichoke roots in the trench, ready to be covered, watered, and grow
The roots are kind of bizarre looking, like a bunching of brown sweet potatoes or ginger roots.
Weird, right?
To me, they resembled that creepy animated Mandrake root from the movie Pan's Labyrinth.
What's cool about Jerusalem Aritchokes, Karyn told me, is that they produce inulin (yes, inulin, not insulin). It's a natural carbohydrate/sugar and, when processed into fructose, is safe for diabetics to consume! Though the plant is widely considered gross raw (by my informal polling of my co-workers), it's pretty good when seasoned properly and baked.
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