Sunchokes

Sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, although they are not from Jerusalem or from the artichoke family) are from the sunflower family and look somewhat like a sunflower when they grow. This is the tuber from the roots of the plant and it is crisp and ivory colored inside with a texture similar to a water chestnut. It has a sweet nutty flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. What I find most interesting about Sunchokes, is that their carbohydrate is Inulin. Inulin is a type of starch that is not digestible by humans but acts as a prebiotic in the digestive tract, feeding our beneficial bacteria. Because of this, if your gut biome is not healthy and if you eat too many sunchokes at once, you may end up with a mild gas problem (hence their nickname “fartichockes”). Starting slowly with sunchokes can be a good idea, however many people want the health benefits of helping their good gut bacteria with a prebiotic food like this.  We trialed sunchokes last season for a couple of clients, and we hope to grow a bit more this season. If you would like to reserve some for yourself, just let us know and we will put your name on the list. We do not harvest them until after the first frost, so if all goes well this summer, we should have some by late September or early October.

Regards, Dennis and the Our Farm Team