Garlic Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem Artichoke is actually not an artichoke at all, but rather a harvested tuber in the sunflower family. That being said, if you want to grow it, know that it can get pretty tall! The Jerusalem Artichoke is one of the most abundant food sources (outside of jicama, which is also high) of the oligisaccharide “Inulin”.

Don’t confuse this with the hormone produced in the body “Insulin”, they may sound similar, but this is just coincidence. Inulin is a non-digestible sugar, which, although not able to be broken down by the human digestoive system, is a very productive foodsource for beneficial gut bacteria. That being said, it is definitely a good idea to feed your beneficial bacteria what they want, more than feeding the detrimental bacteria what they want. So, inulin is pretty handy for promoting a good balance within you gut miucroflora, which then will go on to effect such things as general digestion, carbohydrate metabolism, and immune function.

The skins are not particularly tasty, though. So, you may need to peel them with a vegetable peeler first. Watch your fingers! The smaller something is you want to peel, the more likely you might slip and hit your hand. Believe me, there are very few dumber feeling cuts to get than cutting yourself with a vegetable peeler…..except for a pizza cutter, or a spoon! You can also blanch and then peel by hand when they cool, then slice and sautee.

Another Note on Growing:

If your climate is pretty decent for growing sunflowers, you will find that each one of the tubers (or even split tubers) will generally yield a whole new plant. So, it is possible to plant them straight from store bought. You might consider neem or an antifungal to prevent rusting, as it may take the whole season to generate underground tubers of sufficent for harvesting. Wait until after the first frost, when the top dies back and the plant moves all of its energy supply back into the roots. If there are some under developed tubers, just leave them in the ground and use them for seeding the next round.