We’re taste-testing SUNCHOKES! + The BEST recipe we’ve ever tried for them!

Y'all have asked us to taste-test more of the unusual foods out of our permaculture garden, so here we are! Today Ruth, Bea, and I are trying an indigenous American perennial vegetable that is simultaneously a "permaculture darling" AND gets the notorious nickname "fartachoke".

Sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichoke), Helianthus tuberosus (yes, I said "tuberosa" in the video, for absolutely no reason and I know better...Brains, they're silly) is a perennial sunflower that produces edible, mild-flavored tubers. Folks in permaculture LOVE sunchokes because they're easy to grow, perennial, and produce heavy yields with little fuss. Unfortunately, they are also high in inulin and can give some folks pretty whopper gas (hence the unfortunate nickname fartachoke), ESPECIALLY if you cook them quickly or eat them raw.

I have personally found the biggest complaint in our family AND in permaculture forums about sunchokes is that, well, they're boring. Often boiled or roasted or crock-potted to death, they are not an exciting new food. HOWEVER, I have a huge crop of them in my garden year after year, and I keep experimenting with ways to make them more palatable to my family. I've hit home on a recipe that transforms the humble sunchoke to an absolutely delicious dish with an entirely different flavor profile than a boiled choke. So, what is this recipe, and how does the flavor compare to boiled sunchokes? Let's get tasting!
======Smashed Sunchokes:======

Prep time: 10min
Cook time: 25 min

How many sunchokes do you need for this recipe? It depends on how many you want to eat. I typically served four-five smaller sunchokes per person as a side dish.

As with any new food, introduce it slowly into your diet - don't eat large quantities until you give your digestion time to adjust to a new food :)

1.Clean sunchokes, by first soaking in salt water for 5-10 min, then taking care to remove any little bit of dirt or sand between the crevices of the tubers under running water.
2. To a medium sized pot, add the sunchokes and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Salt generously as you would pasta water.
3. Heat pot over medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Boil sunchokes for 10 to 12 minutes until a knife goes in easily.
4. Remove cooked sunchokes from the water and allow them to cool until you can handle them.
5. If you prefer your sunchokes, peeled, slip the skin from the cooked chokes at this time.
6. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil or 2 tbsp tallow or bacon grease in a cast iron skillet on medium high heat.
7. While the skillet is heating, smash, each sunk choke gently with the bottom of a mug or mason jar.
8. Add the smashed chokes to the hot skillet and cook four minutes each side. During this time season them however you like. I personally think plenty of cracked pepper, paprika, and rosemary work great. (Penzeys bratwurst seasoning is also quite good on sunchokes, as is their Chicago Steak seasoning and  bicentennial rub)
9. Once the sunchokes are a deep golden brown on both sides, remove and enjoy. Optional: serve with sour cream and chives.

~~===Ways to support our work===~~~~
LIKE COMMENT SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE!

My website/blog:
Paypal:
Venmo:
Patreon

My Amazon Shop of recommended books and tools (Please support locally, but if you want to support me, I appreciate you shopping through this link!)

++++Follow me!+++

==Get in the conversation!

#sunchokes #tastetest #permaculture #perennials #springgarden #foodforest #garden #mulch #organicgardening #gardening #biomass #foodforest #parkrosepermaculture #resilience #free #ultimateguide #organic #realife #homestead #permaculturedesign

[joycemiller]

Bee didn't have to say a word, lol! She went from yuck to 'ya can't eat just one', and I can't think of a better endorsement! She's convinced me to just give it a try.

[karenfrankland]

My new favorite way to use sunchokes is to slice paper thin on a mandolin, Soak the slices in cold water for a few minutes, pour off the brown water and refill the bowl with water to cover and place in the refrigerator for about 3 hours. Drain them and put the slices on a towel and pat them dry. At this point I fill quart baggies and freeze the uncooked chips. When I'm ready I like to heat some grapeseed oil which I have infused with garlic. Heat the oil to no more than 300 degrees and drop the chips in. When the chips float and are just starting to get a light color to them, remove them onto paper towels and sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic and paprika. Best chips ever and they go great as a side to any meal. I now have about 50 bags of sunchoke raw chips in my freezer. I strain my oil after each use and just keep reusing it.

[JocelynCampbell]

The best recommendation is watching Ruth and Bea happily munching away on the smashed sunchokes without hardly saving any for Mom!

[thanielxj]

I love Jerusalem artichokes! I saw them in the store one year and planted them and they've been coming up in my garden ever since. I just recently saw a video of someone fermenting them just like they would cabbage. I've never tried that though. My favorite way to eat them is to slice them thin and fry them in a little bit of butter.

[devon]

Loved Bee's facial expressions and how she didn't like the plain ones, but chowed down on the smashed sunchokes. 🤗

[emilyglasser]

Two words: Lacto fermented. major
Pickled cucumbers can't hold a candle, major CRUNCH😋🌻🌁😙

[robitmcclain]

I recommend the Wikipedia article on Jerusalem Artichoke for its info on the inulin. Jicama has a high inulin content. If your digestive system can tolerate inulin, it has benificial effects on colon biota.

[alyssaduke]

As a texture-sensitive person who wants to start expanding my perennial garden, I really appreciate the descriptions of food textures! It's so helpful. Thanks!

[couerleroi]

Thanks for the information!! Charming fam!!

[val]

Sunchoke soup with extra old cheddar cheese is delicious!

[calebdavis]

:) thanks to you and your mom tasting the fried sun chocks a year ago today im trying to grow them in my garden .. and I want to say im a very real people person my names crystella and i have a 16 year old daughter lol your mom has thought me a lot in your Portland Oregon garden I'm 50 minutes north from you

[eekisvreemd]

I have eaten sunchokes since i was in my early teens, and grown them for 10+ years.
I like them raw in salads, lacto fermented (with ginger, sooo good!), and dry roasted (also, roasted and dipped in cheese fondue 🫕!!)

Also, the soup i make from them… my kids call it “fartsoup” 😂😂

[VictorKinzer]

I have some sun chokes that I'll be digging up soon and I'm planning on fermenting them. I've heard they lacto ferment very nicely and it also eliminates most of the digestive issues.

[Karoline_g]

“You don’t know, because.. you’re not real” 😂😂 your kid is hilarious!!

[Chris-yoks]

Sunchokes are VERY good take on the pickle flavor and retain the crunch.

[TheCrabappleCottage]

I'm planting these in my food forest this spring. I had sunchoke soup (like potato soup) at a local restaurant a few weeks ago and it was amazing!

[skyekennett]

So not a boring vegetable. They are one of my favourite autumn veggies and make a fantastic, flavourful soup - Yum!

[joanjensen]

Sunchoke soup with Rye bread croutons is one of my winter favorites😊

[lizcroucher]

We grow our sun chokes in a laundry tote and have a good harvest for the two of us. We love them grated and cooked as a rosti, once cooked we freeze any left overs. I have found they store well in a paper bag in the fridge with a tea towel in the bottom to absorb excess moisture, I change the tea towel each week. This video was perfectly timed to let me save extras to grow another tote's worth this year just to try this recipe next winter!

[pkortenk]

Helianthus maximiliani and giganteus make edible rhizomes too. Seeds are edible.