Why eat Jerusalem Artichokes?
The tuber called Jerusalem Artichoke (or Sunchoke) looks a little like a knobbly potato, however it is in fact a member of the aster family (Asteraceae), whereas potatoes are members of the Solanaceae family, which also contains tomatoes and peppers. 
A serving of sunchokes is an excellent source of iron (28 percent of daily recommended value) and thiamine (20 percent of daily recommended value) and a modest source of vitamin C (10 percent). A cup of raw, sliced JAs contains 114 calories and 2.4 grams of fibre.
Jerusalem artichokes are recommended as a potato substitute for diabetics because they store their carbohydrates in a form of insulin, a starch that is not utilized by the body for energy, unlike sugar. They also show signs of being able to regulate blood sugar levels. Jerusalem artichoke flour is also recommended for those who are allergic to wheat and other grains.
Some people find it difficult to digest Jerusalem artichokes easily, and for them it may cause excessive gas. If you have not eaten them 
before, you may wish to add them to your diet gradually to see how you react or try adding caraway or fennel seeds to a meal or soup.
We provide several tasty soup and accompaniment recipes in our ebook How to Grow Jerusalem Artichokes, which comes as a free bonus when you purchase our new book How to Grow Great Potatoes.
The freshest roots are plump and eaten raw or prepared by boiling, steaming, pickling, frying or in soups.
Annette Welsford has a partial degree in Horticulture and a Post Graduate Certificate in marketing. Having lived in the cold, temperate and hot parts of Australia and the UK, she has gained experience over the years with gardening in a variety of climates. Annette also worked for a fertilizer company where she was responsible for developing, editing and publishing a range of technical manuals on nutrition and fungal diseases for a wide range of horticultural crops including tomatoes. Annette is Managing Director of Commonsense Marketing Pty Ltd, a publishing and marketing company, responsible for the editing, design and worldwide marketing of the How to Grow books, and other products. Commonsense Marketing also provides expert offline and online marketing consulting and design services to a variety of small to medium sized businesses.
