sunchoke surprise

Last year my son grew tons of sunflowers, made soup, made stir fry, you name it... He gave me a huge basket of them and I used quite a few then decided that since winter was coming on that I would try to winter some of them over.  I dug a hole and planted the entire bucket into the hole, topped it with a shovel of dirt and a mound of leaves.  This spring they were as fresh and crisp as they could be so I have started cooking with them and of course, planting some for the pretty flower and the root. 

Sun Flowers... Sun-chokes

Can you remember seeing the wild sunflowers growing in the alleyway or roadside?  Now is the time to dig down and see what treasures they have left for you.  They are usually better after a nice hard freeze hits the land and I am always excited to remember that there is something delicious waiting for me in the dead of winter.  These are sun-chokes, or Jerusalem artichokes.  They are best ( in my opinion ) lightly sauteed.  They have kind of a nutty flavor but look like a potato.  I like them cooked with fried potatoes actually.  They have around 26 carbs per cup  which is less than potatoes and they have a higher nutritional value than a potato as well.