Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi can anyone help me. I have taken on another allotment and I have been left with a load of Jerusalem Artichokes. I have started to dig them up and am not sure what to do with them, they do look awfull things, can anyone tell me how to use them.
Thanks

Apparently they make lovely soup 'though I've never tried.I did slice them very thinly and had them in a stir fry but the OH wasn't keen.One thing I will say is you'll have plenty to try out in recipes as we've been trying to get rid of ours for 2 years
One tip is to dig as you need them as they don't seem to store well

They make great chips and are good mixed with potatoes and mashed. I've contained mine to one bed and they just look after themselves.

Don't forget the little side effect!

We planted a row of Jerusalem artichokes as a wind break (no pun intended) when we first took an allotment. The few tubers just grew and grew and grew 'til we had millions. We eventually dug them all up and got rid of them. Being a member of the sunflower family they were supposed to have yellow flowers but ours never had!

Moral I suppose is that if you do grow them they need really keeping in check. just as Tigger is doing.

On the odd occasions we've eaten them we've simply roasted them along with roast potatoes. But not too keen on them quite honestly - as somebody once said "they're a very windy meat". I hate to think what effect soup might have, but you could always serve them this way to somebody you didn't much like, especially if you knew they had a job interview coming up the next day.

Thanks people.
Have tried eating them, not nice. So what has been planted by previous grower will be dug up and recycled.

Trevor wrote:Thanks people.
Have tried eating them, not nice. So what has been planted by previous grower will be dug up and recycled.

Good luck with that,we're still digging........

If you are making soup from your artichokes, Trevor (and it makes a lovely creamy soup, mixed with potatoes and, perhaps a bit of creme fraiche or cream stirred in at the end), add a pinch of asafoetida during the cooking. This will lessen the "windy" effect.

Quote from Wikepedia: "Asafoetida reduces the growth of indigenous microflora in the gut, reducing flatulence" . You can buy it at health food stores or Asian stores. A small packet will last for months and can also be used in meals containing a lot of pulses.

Often hear them referred to as Jerusalem Fartichokes.

Monika wrote:Quote from Wikepedia: "Asafoetida reduces the growth of indigenous microflora in the gut,

That all sounds a bit X files!

Soup is the best thing to do with them, or slice, parboil and bake with cream/cheese/garlic in the oven. Love them here; I'm just about to dig up the new-to-me pink-skinned one to try, plus the rest of the Fuseau ones. I save the least knobbly and rutty ones for re-sowing, trying for selection of easier to peel vegetables next season - doesn't always work!
They don't always flower, or some of the plants will, and some won't, only little flowers, but quite pretty. My goats would trample you to death to get at teh stems and leaves, so when I cut them back to a foot or so in teh autumn,t hey get a good treat then. Happy smiley goats.

Cor I love them

Roast them, chip them, mash them, soup them - all sorts

Am currently having a posh phase and making puree with them that we have with scallops and haggis as a weekend treat.

Peel the worst bits of skin off, chop them into bits, put them in a saucepan with milk, bring to the boil and simmer until the chokes are soft. Strain the liquid off and put the chokes in a food processor - blitz until smooth, you may need to add a bit of the cooking milk to loosen it up, season to taste and serve.

Goes very well as a side dish to roast poultry or pork too.

Also exceptionally good if made with cauliflower instead.

Bit late, but i found this recipe which looks tasty i think!

I guess all nigel slater things are though

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink ... inter.html