Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem artichoke

The Jerusalem artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus, is also known by several other names, including sunroot, wild sunflower and earth apple. It's a species of sunflower native to central North America, widely cultivated for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable.

The edible roots contain about 2% protein, no fat or oil, and not much starch. They are rich in the carbohydrate inulin, 8 to 13%, which is a polymer of fructose. Tubers stored for any length of time convert some of their inulin into fructose, which tastes sweet. The roots are considered to be a good food for people with diabetes because inulin doesn’t give a glucose spike when eaten.

In the Adelaide Hills, it grows well but needs water in the dry periods of the summer. It will grow in a wide range of soils. The plants have lower nutrient requirements and need less nitrogen than most vegetables do. They grow vigorously, often reaching a height of 2 metres or more, making weed control easier

It doesn’t always flower here but still produces a reasonable yield of the roots. The flowers are small yellow flowers, much smaller than many sunflowers, but with several on each plant.

The best advice to prepare the roots for eating is to keep it simple: slice them up, then roast, boil or fry them and enjoy, letting the complex but subtle flavors of the vegetable do the work.