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Sunchokes are very easy to grow and reportedly multiply like crazy every year. They multiply so much, in fact, that everything I have seen highly recommends planting them in a permanent place as one cannot possibly harvest every last tuber. So you are sure to have some pop up every year. I can’t imagine ever having enough of them, so I am completely on-board – globe artichokes are my favorite veggie, so this might become a close second.
I have been patiently waiting all winter for them to pop up on produce shelves again and recently heard rumor that People’s Co-op were carrying organic sunchokes. I love spending time in that store – it reminds me of my happy years living in Eugene and visiting the local natural foods store there: Sundance. They even look alike inside the stores – weird. Anyways, I popped into the store and picked up a giant bag full of the little tubers on a recent sunny day. It was difficult to have enough restraint to not consume the entire bag, but I managed to leave them all in tact long enough to get them in the ground. But then I have been told before that I possess a will of steel…
I am not sure if it’s too early to plant them or not, but I went for it this weekend anyways. A girl can only go so long without sinking her hands into soil… With the fluffy layer of wood chips and leaves over the yard though, I think they will keep warm enough to last through these remaining chilly days. I cut them into smaller pieces, all with at least one eye per piece, and sunk them down a few inches.
A return trip to People’s might be necessary this weekend to reward my good behavior in demonstrating such amazing restraint. And what will I purchase you ask? Why, a large bag of sunchokes to devour in one sitting, of course.
UPDATE: All of the sunchokes are coming up this Spring, so it was not too early to plant them!
They’re delicious roasted with olive oil and a few juniper berries.
I’ve just stumbled upon your blog and I love it! I have a health blog myself and I’m really interested the subject matter in your blog!
Keep up the good work!
Lou x
According to Louise Riotte, Jerusalem artichokes are in the sunflower family, which gives them their traditional Italian name – girasole. It’s easy to imagine how the same English speakers who turned Livorno into Leghorn and Firenze into Florence could mangle that into Jerusalem.