The Kitchen Gardener

Yes, that's right - dig Jerusalem Artichokes. This is my third year of experience with these delicious tubers, and I'm starting to appreciate what a useful addition they can be to the well rounded Kitchen Garden. I ordered seed tubers just two years ago simply because I'd never grown Jerusalem Artichokes before, and my curiosity was piqued by an article I'd seen in a magazine. Often described as possessed of a nutty flavor and water-chestnut like crisp texture, Jerusalem Artichokes (also known as Sunchokes) are a surprisingly versatile vegetable. They can be eaten raw in salads, or baked, boiled, steamed, roasted, or puréed. I have found that they pair especially harmoniously with chicken, and at the bottom of this article, I present a simple recipe for a very basic but delicious chicken and Sunchoke stew.

But I digress. It was the middle of January in Massachusetts and instead of skiing, I was digging Jerusalem Artichokes from the un-frozen soil in my potager. Although I knew the January Thaw wouldn't last, and it felt strange to be harvesting anything just weeks after the New Year, at the same time it felt great to be outside doing what I love. The soil was cold but free of ice, and had the unmistakable smell of earth that appeals directly to every gardener's soul. I started digging with a shovel, but soon switched to using my bare hands instead, the better to absorb the rare experience of doing anything with the garden in the middle of winter besides looking forlornly at it from my kitchen door, as it ordinarily rests in January covered in snow.

I intended only to move them - to banish their towering, bullying, boorish presence from the potager proper, to the hinterlands beside the henhouse. There they could jostle each other aside, crowd each other out and grow as big as trees if they wanted to, provided with an ample supply of nitrogen from plenty of chicken manure, rather than imposing their rowdy influence on the lettuces and carrots. Yet as I started digging, I realized I had far more than a few mangy tubers on my hands. Everywhere I pulled the earth aside I saw lumpy gems of dirty gold, all jumbled together in prolific concentration. The more I picked, the more they kept coming. By the time I was done, I had harvested nearly 30 pounds of Jerusalem Artichokes from approximately 8 square feet of garden space. I carefully separated them into piles, giving some to the neighbors with plenty to spare for our own use. As I washed the dirt from my pile of sunchokes, I dug through my memory to recall all I knew about these lumpy tubers.

First off, it must be said that Jerusalem Artichokes are neither from Jerusalem, nor are they related to common globe artichokes. Why the pseudonym? It is thought that the reference to Jerusalem comes from the Italian name for the plant, girasole and the Artichoke moniker from the French artichauts de Canada, as sunchokes were brought back from North America by European explorers. It's easy to see how "artichauts" morphed into "artichokes," but why they were ever called artichauts to begin with is anybody's guess.

At any rate, sunchokes are in fact closely related to sunflowers, and the family resemblance is plain to see. 6-8 feet tall and sturdy with a large yellow flower appearing in mid-summer, they are attractive plants, and may find a good home at the back of a flower border. Consider yourself warned, however, that they spread like weeds. My 30-pound catch of mature tubers this winter is the multiplication of just a few small ounces of seed-tubers less than 2 years ago. Widely adapted from Maine to Texas, easy to grow even in poor soil, and bothered by few pests and disease, it's a wonder the entire planet isn't covered by a solid mass of Jerusalem Artichokes. This is perhaps their biggest drawback - that they will completely dominate whatever garden space they are given, and must eventually be shown the door lest they ruin the whole party.

That said, I still can't figure out why most people have never heard of them. They are low in calories, but high in fructo-oligosaccharides, which some studies have shown promote the growth of friendly bacteria in the digestive system. What's more the flavor when raw is fresh, sweet and crisp, but turns complex, rich, and savory when cooked. For this reason, sunchokes are becoming highly sought after by gourmet chefs in Europe. It wasn't always so. For many years, they were shunned from the realm of gastronomy, demoted to pig food perhaps because they grow so plentifully and anything so easy to come by must surely be up to no good. Indeed, one could say that there is a kernel of logic to the Jerusalem Artichoke's longtime ban from polite society, because the fact is, most of the 'chokes carbohydrates are stored as a sugar called inulin, which is known to cause flatulence. I can't really say that in my experience I noticed any significant changes to my usual metabolism, but on this note, dear reader, I will let you draw your own conclusions.

Just as I thought I was beginning to know the humble Jerusalem Artichoke, I read a passage by William Woys Weaver in his book 100 Vegetables and Where They Came From, in which the author describes a specific variety known as Fuseau, proclaiming it "probably one of the more unusual of the many varieties of jerusalem artichokes under cultivation." Many varieties? My garden can barely contain one!

Jerusalem Artichoke and Chicken Stew:

Approximately 2-3 pounds chicken breast, thighs, or legs (may be boneless if desired)
1-2 pounds Jerusalem Artichokes
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup medium-dry white wine
1-2 cups chicken stock
Dash of herbs de provence or other herb blend.
salt, pepper

Clean and peel Jerusalem Artichokes, then cut into approximately 1-inch pieces and set aside. In a large sautee pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear for approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until the flesh becomes golden brown. Temporarily remove chicken from pan. Drain excess oil, then return pan to medium-low heat. Add onion and sautee for approximately 5 minutes. Add white wine and scrape bits from bottom of pan. Add Jerusalem Artichokes and return chicken to pan. Add one cup chicken stock, sprinkle with herbs, and cover. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding more chicken stock if necessary and checking occasionally, until 'chokes are tender and chicken is cooked through. Liquid should be reduced to a creamy gravy consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

-Diggity