Sunchokes?

[AFWife]

The thing that got me thinking was watching a Top Chef rerun...one of the chefs said that he didn't like to use a lot of dairy while cooking and used sunchokes in his creamed spinach.

Has anyone ever used them? I've found that you can cook them like potatoes.... would it be good prepared like mashed potatoes?

[StrongBeliever]

I've never tried them, but I would really love to. I really want to try growing them... I live in one of the places that they are native(or grow really well, or whatever). I'd love to see what people have to say about them.

[mntnmom]

I assume it's the same as Jerusalem Artichokes? They are *very* easy to grow. They are great to cook like potatoes. If I remember right, they have a lot of invert starches, so they're good for stabilizing blood sugar too. Note to self :Gonna have to plant some after we move.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by mntnmom

I assume it's the same as Jerusalem Artichokes? They are *very* easy to grow. They are great to cook like potatoes. If I remember right, they have a lot of invert starches, so they're good for stabilizing blood sugar too. Note to self :Gonna have to plant some after we move.

Yep! Same thing!

And yeah, I saw that the starch in them is actually GOOD for blood sugar. I thought that was interesting.

Are they expensive in the store? I mean, if they're easy to grow it can't be THAT bad right?

[artemis33]

I have rarely seen them at regular stores, but sometimes at the farmer's market or HFS.

I've only roasted them and had them with butter. They are dense and moist inside.

Easy to grow, but IIRC they can really take over an area, so it is good to give them their own little area - probably not in your main veggie bed. Pretty flowers too.