page_title: Jerusalem artichoke
section_title: Cultivation and use
hierarchical_section_title: Jerusalem artichoke / Cultivation and use
context_page_description: The Jerusalem artichoke, also called sunroot, sunchoke, or earth apple, is a species of sunflower native to central North America. It is also cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable.
context_section_description: Unlike most tubers, but in common with many other members of the Asteraceae (including the artichoke), the tubers store their carbohydrate as inulin (not to be confused with insulin) rather than as starch. So, Jerusalem artichoke tubers are an important source of inulin used as a dietary fiber in food manufacturing.
  Crop yields are high, typically 16–20 tonnes/ha for tubers, and 18–28 tonnes/ha green weight for foliage. Tubers remaining in the ground lie dormant over winter and can handle temperatures as low as -30 ° C.  Jerusalem artichoke also has potential for production of ethanol fuel, using inulin-adapted strains of yeast for fermentation.
  The tubers are used for cooking and baking in the same ways as potatoes:, but unlike the potato they can also be eaten raw.  They have a similar consistency, and in their raw form have a similar texture, but a sweeter, nuttier flavor. When raw and sliced thinly, they are fit for a salad. Their inulin form of carbohydrates give the tubers a tendency to become soft and mushy if boiled, but they retain their texture better when steamed. The inulin cannot be broken down by the human digestive system but it is metabolized by bacteria in the colon. This can cause flatulence and, in some cases, gastric pain. John Gerard's Herbal, printed in 1621, quotes the English botanist John Goodyer on Jerusalem artichokes:
  which way soever they be dressed and eaten, they stir and cause a filthy loathsome stinking wind within the body, thereby causing the belly to be pained and tormented, and are a meat more fit for swine than men.
  Jerusalem artichokes have 650 mg potassium per 1 cup (150g) serving. They are also high in iron, and contain 10-12% of the USRDA of fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus, and copper.
  Jerusalem artichokes can be used as animal feed, but they must be washed before being fed to most animals. Pigs can forage, however, and safely eat them directly from the ground. The stalks and leaves can be harvested and used for silage, though cutting the tops greatly reduces the harvest of the roots.
caption: Young plants in a garden
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