Text
December 10, 2011
0 comments
5 notes

Winter Sunchoke “Festival”

Below freezing temperatures made harvesting a bit of a health hazard today.  But about 7 of us braved the weather and had yet another exciting day of unearthing sunchokes. Few other plants are as hardy or capable of withstanding such frigid climates.

Sunchoke root. We pick out the tater-looking sunchokes. (Northside)

The sunchoke, or Jerusalem artichoke, is related to sunflowers and grows underground.  It is also apparently one of the few plants native to North America.  Sunchokes are kind of a miracle food. Some benefits:

  • Vitamin C
  • Phosphorous
  • Potassium
  • Inulin (a carbohydrate that has great prebiotic properties, i.e. it is good for intestinal health)
  • Disclaimer: if you eat more than 2-ounces per serving, you may or may not get gassy

The texture is a cross between the crunchiness of water chestnuts and buttery-ness of potatoes. There are a ton of recipes out there, although it is difficult to procure at most grocery stores. I like it prepared as a mash with potatoes.

I will let pictures describe the rest of my day on the farm. Enjoy!

Today I discovered a pretty little river behind the farm! Hidden gem.

This is the top of a sunchoke plant.  It basically looks like a ginormous tumbleweed. Some of the better-growing sunchokes have sturdy, tree trunk-like branches.

We used sunchoke branches, corn stalks, and other dead stuff to start a fire.  A great way to warm up and satiate repressed pyromaniac tendencies.

Just a few puffs and we set the fire ablaze.

Tuber boy says, “So long, suckas! See you next season.”

Tags: jerusalem artichokes sunchokes winter farming urban farming fire

Photoset
December 02, 2011
0 comments
8 notes

Volunteering makes me feel guilty.  The term volunteer implies unpaid, but I always go home with boatloads of fresh-picked veggie goodness.  During my first week farming I got to do “fun stuff”- that is harvesting!

In picture number 1 (on the left) we have the Jerusalem Artichoke, commonly known as a Sunchoke (it’s related to the sunflower.)  The high school farm where I volunteer had at least 100 plants, which grew around 4 feet high.  I was taught to shovel up the massive root, then treasure hunt for the big sunchokes buried deeper in the soil.  It was SO. MUCH. FUN. Three of us worked in a 4x4 area and literally squealed like schoolgirls each time we unearthed another sunchoke. (Side note: I was the only girl in the group.)

In picture number 2 (on the right) we have Swiss Chard.  It was relatively easy to harvest, just cut at the stem.  The hard part was that the plants grow low to the ground so crouching down was quite tough on my lower back. Overall, well worth the trouble because it was divine for dinner.

Finished product was a recipe from a cookbook that American Express Publishing sent me last week (Food & Wine’s Best of the Best Cookbook.) The chicken drumsticks were cooked in butter, garlic and onions - slow and low.  The Swiss chard was then cooked in the same pan to soak up the depth of flavor developed from cooking the chicken.  The sunchokes were cooked with red potatoes and slightly mashed with some chicken broth, butter and milk.  ‘Twas a great way to begin the work week after Thanksgiving.

Tags: sunchokes recipes swiss chard jerusalem artichokes harvest