Mellow Yellow Sunchoke Pickle

sunchokes handful

1½ lbs sunchokes (a.k.a. Jerusalem artichokes), thoroughly scrubbed and cut into ½-inch dice
1 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
1 ounces garlic (about 8 cloves), chopped
½ ounce fresh ginger, minced (about 1 ½ tablespoons)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons pickling salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1½ cups water

Toss together sunchokes, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and cumin. Pack the mixture into a jar with a capacity of at least 6 cups. Dissolve salt and sugar in the water. Pour brine over sunchoke mixture; it will not cover them at first. Add a brine bag (a gallon freezer-weight plastic bag containing 1 tablespoon salt dissolved in 3 cups water) or another suitable weight.

The next day the brine should cover the sunchokes. If it doesn’t, add more brine mixed in the same proportions.

Wait several days before tasting the pickle. After a week, the brine will be still sour, and the Jerusalem artichokes pleasantly, mildly spicy and still crunchy.

When the pickle has fermented enough to suit your taste, store the jar in the refrigerator. Keep sunchokes weighted and under the brine so they won’t take on a grayish cast.

We thank agardenerstable.com for this recipe.

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Roasted Sunchoke Salad

sunchokes handful⅓ cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
1 small clove garlic
1 sliver ginger (equal to the size of the garlic clove)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ cup oil
¼ tsp. salt, divided
4 to 5 sunchokes, cleaned and sliced into ½-inch strips
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch spinach, thinly shredded
8 ounces feta cheese, thinly sliced

Place blueberries, garlic and ginger in a food processor and process until liquified. While the food processor is still running, slowly add in the vinegar and ½ cup oil. Transfer to a mason jar, add ⅛ teaspoon salt, and shake to combine.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Place sunchoke slices in a pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with remaining salt. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until sunchokes are tender enough to easily be pierced with a fork. Allow sunchokes to cool.

Prepare plates with spinach shreds. Place 4 to 5 sunchoke slices on top of each spinach bed. Place sliced feta on top of sunchoke slices and drizzle with blueberry vinaigrette.

Original recipe by Virginia Newman , RDN.

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Sunchoke Soup

sunchokes

Sunchokes are a knobby but delicious root vegetable. Not to be confused with ginger, which is a common mistake, sunchokes offer a sweet and nutty crunch to your winter menus.

2 pounds sunchokes
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped leek (white and pale green parts only)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Ground white pepper
Shelled and roasted pumpkin seeds

Rinse and scrub sunchokes to remove all soil. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and garlic; sprinkle with salt and sauté until soft and translucent, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Cut sunchokes into 1-inch pieces. Add to onion mixture and sauté 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chokes are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Return to pot. Rewarm soup, adding more broth by 1/4 cups, if needed, to thin. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and white pepper.

This soup can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm before serving. Divide soup among bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds; top with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and some sautéed mushrooms, if desired.
 
Recipe adapted from epicurious.com.

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About Nash’s Root Medley

Root medley

Explore the rainbow of Nash’s root medley: carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas, sunchokes and potatoes might find their way into your bag!

Root vegetables each offer their unique nutrition profiles, but all of them are packed with nutritional benefits because of the extended time they spend in the rich, prime, alluvial soils of the Dungeness Valley. The more nutrient-rich the soil they are grown in, the more nutrient-packed these powerhouses will be.

The root medley is a great way to have an easy, colorful, and nourishing vegetable option for your winter dinner. Wrap roots loosely in a plastic bag and they will last for a few weeks in your fridge. However, potatoes are best stored in a cool, dry, and dark place.

According to food energetics, root vegetables provide a grounding and relaxed energy. Another huge plus: no need to peel these root vegetables, because most of the nutrients are held near the skin. Just use a brush to scrub them clean.

Here’s our favorite way to enjoy all those wonderful flavors:

Roasted Root Veggies

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice beets, potatoes, rutabagas, and sunchokes to half-inch cubes and slice the carrots and parsnips to half-inch rounds.

Place all vegetables into a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil or melted butter. (You may need a second dish. You want your vegetables to be all in one layer to cook evenly.) Sprinkle with any herbs or spices of your choosing and mix to ensure oil or butter covers all roots. Cover your dish with with a lid or tin foil if you desire vegetables that will be more moist and tender. Leave your dish uncovered if you like crisp veggies.

Roast until fork tender, about 40-50 minutes.

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About Sunchokes

sunchokesA sunchoke is a tuber, or an underground vegetable, like a cross between a rutabaga and a potato, with the flavor of sunflower seeds and the crunch of water chestnuts. It’s also called a Jerusalem artichoke, even though it is not an artichoke at all, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with Jerusalem. They are closely related to the sunflower. Native Americans were eating sunchokes centuries before the Europeans arrived in the 1500s. In fact, the Europeans thought sunchokes were poisonous at first. Once they got over that, they have enjoyed its nutty flavor in many dishes.

Jerusalem artichokes are easy to prepare. You can cook them just like you would a potato: roast, boil, saute, bake or steam. You can leave the skin on or peel it off — up to you, but make sure you wash them well. The surprising thing about these little roots is that you can also eat them raw. They add a great texture to salads, salsas, marinades and stir-frys, in small pieces or grated.

Sunchokes contain lots of vitamin C and a substance called inulin. It is a type of starch that can be well tolerated by people with diabetes because it breaks down into fructose instead of glucose. This makes sunchokes a good substitute for potatoes for diabetics.

Nutty and subtly sweet, steamed or roasted sunchokes can be used in place of artichoke hearts in most recipes. Local up your favorite baked artichoke dip, or artichoke and spinach pasta recipe, with sunchokes!

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Sunchoke Soup with Brussels Sprouts

sunchokes handful

Did you know that sunchokes can make the base for a lovely soup? Try it yourself!

1 1/2 pounds sunchokes, scrubbed, dark spots removed
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 can (13.5 ounce) coconut milk
1 quart vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups sliced brussels sprouts
1/4 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coarsely chop sunchokes and place in bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat evenly. Spread sunchokes on two large rimmed baking sheets. Roast until tender.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pot over medium heat and add shallot. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.Stir in coconut milk and broth and bring to a simmer.

Heat remaining oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook brussels sprouts, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown. Transfer roasted sunchokes to broth and blend, using an immersion blender or regular blender in batches until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary and season to taste with salt. Ladle into 6 bowls and top each with some sprouts, hazelnuts and a thin drizzle of olive oil.

We thank Sunset Magazine for this recipe.

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Roasted Root Vegetables

root medley - parsnips, carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips, rutabagas

A melange of tasty and nutrient-rich roots!

About Nash’s Root Medley
Root vegetables each offer their unique nutrition profiles, but all of them are packed with nutritional benefits because of the extended time they spend in the ground. The more nutrient-rich the soil they are grown in, the more nutrient-packed these power houses will be, and you can’t beat the Sequim-Dungeness Valley for nutrient-rich soils!

A root medley is a great way to have an easy, colorful, and nourishing vegetable option for your winter dinner. Wrap roots loosely in a plastic bag and they will last for a few weeks in your fridge. Potatoes are best stored in a cool, dry, and dark place. According to food energetics, root vegetables provide a grounding and relaxed energy. Give them all a try and see how they make you feel! Another huge plus: no need to peel these root veggies as most of the nutrients are near the skin. Just scrub with a brush. You can find five-pound bags of Nash’s organic root medley at our Nash’s Farm Store.

Roasted Root Veggies
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice beets, potatoes, rutabagas, and sunchokes to 1/2-inch cubes and slice the carrots and parsnips to 1/2-inch rounds.

Place all vegetables into a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil or melted butter (You may need a second dish so that your vegetables are all in one layer to cook evenly). Sprinkle with any herbs or spices of your choosing and mix to ensure oil or butter covers all the roots. Cover your dish with with a lid or tin foil if you desire vegetables that will be more moist and tender. Leave your dish uncovered if you desire more crisp veggies. Roast until fork-tender, about 40-50 minutes.

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Vegetable Tempura

Bunch carrots, bagged carrots, green onions, red onions, gold beets, red beets at farmer's market

Raw veggies are absolutely lovely, but sometimes it’s fun to mix it up with tempura for a special occasion.

Serves four to six as an appetizer.

Dipping Sauce
2 scallions, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Batter
2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup dark sesame oil

Veggies
5 cups seasonal fresh veggies, such as broccoli, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, etc.

For the dipping sauce, combine the scallions, soy sauce, water, vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, and mustard in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to let the flavors blend.

For the batter, mix together the flour and baking powder. Add the cold water and sesame oil all at once and whisk until the consistency of pancake batter and very smooth. Refrigerate until ready to prepare the tempura.

Blot the vegetables dry, season with salt and pepper and dip into the batter. Coat them evenly.

Pour the oil into a tall pot to a depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat until around 350 degrees F. Work in batches to avoid crowding. Slip the batter-coated vegetables into the hot oil, deep-frying until the batter is a golden brown and puffy, 3-4 minutes. Turn the veggies so they cook evenly. Remove from the pot with tongs. Drain on an absorbent towel. Serve with dipping sauce.

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Easy Peasey Roasted Sunchokes

sunchokes handful

Consider a handful of sunchokes for a tasty, nutritious dinner.

1 pound sunchokes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse the sunchokes under cold water, scrubbing lightly to remove any dirt. Cut into quarters and place onto a baking sheet. Don’t over-crowd them though, they need their space.

Drizzle the sunchokes with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 35-45 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Add your own flair to this recipe with herbs and spices. Might I suggest garlic (stir in for the last 20 minutes of baking), paprika, rosemary, thyme? Or, sprinkle the dish with fresh herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro) after baking, or parmesan cheese. The options are limitless. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Tablespoon.

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Celeriac Potato Puree with Sunchoke Croutons

2 medium celery roots (celeriac) peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
8 ounces sunchokes, scrubbed
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (for garnish)

Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large pot. Add enough water to cover. Sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer with lid slightly ajar until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir over medium heat to dry vegetables. Using potato masher, mash vegetables until coarsely pureed. Mash in 3 1/2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper. This can be done ahead.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut sunchokes into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in medium bowl; add oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Dot with remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; roast until tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes.
Place celery root and potato puree in serving bowl. Sprinkle with roasted sunchokes and chopped thyme.

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