Jerusalem Artichoke
- Karen Heselton
- Nov 2, 2022
- 1 min read
Helianthus tuberosus
Aster family (Asteraceae)
The Jerusalem Artichoke is also known as sunroot, sunchoke, wild sunflower, topinambur, or earth apple and is a beautiful sunflower that grows 2 to 9 feet and native to central North America. Not only does it provide shade and protection to animals but also provides an amazing food source for both people and livestock.
Although the livestock eat the flowers and stems, humans benefit from the root system which is fibrous, rhizomatous and tuberous. This plant is a well known by the Native Americans who have used it traditionally for high blood pressure and diabetes.
There are various recipes for the processing of tubers and can be swapped out for potatoes. They also can be dried and ground into flour which is a great alternative flour source for those who are gluten intolerant.
Resources:
Comments