This knobbly, brown-skinned tuber is surprisingly versatile and can be roasted, sautéed, puréed or fried…
We asked Guy Watson from Riverford Organic Farmers what he loves so much about growing this unusual ingredient…
“While some people rave about these knobbly tubers, others avoid them like the plague. John Goodyer, the first to plant them in England, didn’t enjoy them much himself; ‘they stir and cause a filthy loathsome stinking wind, thereby causing the belly to be pained and tormented.’ It’s true that their nickname – fartichokes – is justly earned. It’s also true that peeling them is a bit of a faff. But I think both disadvantages are easily outweighed by their sweet, nutty flavour and versatility in the kitchen; Jerusalem artichokes are delicious roasted, make a fantastic creamy soup and are also pretty good simply boiled and buttered, or even eaten raw in salads.
Jerusalem artichokes are neither artichokes nor from Jerusalem, but their flavour is distinctly ‘artichokey’. The first half of their name is thought to be a corruption of girasole – ‘sunflowers’ in Italian – with which they share dramatic yellow flowers.
Beloved of farmers for their extraordinary vigour, Jerusalem artichokes are planted out like potatoes in the spring and can grow over 3 metres tall in a few months, overshadowing even the most competitive weeds. In September, they burst into bright sunflower-like flowers, then in autumn they fill out into hardy tubers. Like parsnips, they keep best in the soil they grew in, so we lift them with a potato harvester in small quantities, as and when they’re needed through winter.”