Comments on: Jerusalem Artichokes – They’re not even Jewish!

By: Malcolm Roberts

Malcolm Roberts — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 23:37:08 +0000

I’m a chef who loves them. Roasted with the skins on is the best, but I also boil them & mash with spuds or slice & bake in a gratin with sweet potato & parsnip. Also they make a tasty soup or sauce for pasta. Yes they are definitely fartchokes but that’s part of the fun. I’ve never had pain, bloating or cramping. A keen gardener, I knew not to plant them. Tasty as they are, they’re a good occasional vegie & for this reason I buy them during their short season in Autumn. Enjoy.

By: Peter Panayi

Peter Panayi — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:10:56 +0000

It is girasol. Turning to the sun. They didn’t give me wind the first couple of times but they certainly did last time. Bob Flowerdew says you cant get rid of them and they would withstand nuclear war. They are nice and safe in small quantities but so prolific you get tempted to eat too much. Sliced and stir fried they taste and feel like water chestnuts.

By: Statia (stay - sha)

Statia (stay - sha) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:29:30 +0000

I haven’t yet dug up the artichokes, but I fear for my garden. You see, I planted 12 of them. If they multiply like you say, I may be taken over by the “fartichokes”. LOL

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 02:21:35 +0000

I love these “artichokes” but the flatulence is enough of a problem for both me and my husband that we had just about given up on them.

I decided to try the “nuke them for 20 minutes on high” method, and nearly had a fire in my microwave at 12 minutes. There was smoke billowing out of it, filling the house. The microwave oven and the kitchen still have a terrible smell 2 days later, even after thorough cleaning of the oven and airing out of the kitchen. This is an old microwave so it isn’t that it is more powerful than others ……..

I would advise extreme caution to anyone who attempts this remedy.

By: donna

donna — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:09:48 +0000

ah the pain, yes, I remember it well. Reckon I’ll forget in 20 years too and thing, mmmmm, roasted artichokes, weren’t they wonderful.

Donna Williams *)

By: liz

liz — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 09:55:52 +0000

Wonderful vegetable: boiled whole, unpeeled and then mashed. Add generous helping of creamed horseradish, coarse mustard and butter. Enjoy. However……….the following flatulence and pain will probably remove 99% of the remembered pleasure of consumption. Yes – they also go forth and multiply and if they take over your allotment just move onto another one as far away as possible. We ate them yesterday with a venison casserole – 6 hours later we remembered why we had crossed them off our veggie list 20 years ago. Have a go anyway!

By: Cathie

Cathie — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 17:21:50 +0000

Donna,
You are the Best! You wrote hilariously about my exact experience with those pesky Jerusalem artichokes. As my husband used to say, once they get established, “You can’t get rid of them with a blow torch.” I love the image of nuking them for 20 minutes on high just to reduce their potency to that of a baked bean. Whew!

By: Ian

Ian — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 05:29:14 +0000

When I was a kid, about 60 years ago, my father grew artichokes – they were delicious. I have only seen them once in the shops and that was about 20 years ago. I found out from my father very late in life that he called them ‘fartichokes’.

By: donna

donna — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 12:25:36 +0000

A gisarole… wow, there’s a word… sounds like a ballet dancing beef risole.

Donna *)

By: chamoisee

chamoisee — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 03:34:42 +0000

The name is a corruption of some word…I think it is “gisarole” or something similar. Anyway, the word sounds like Jerusalem, and it means “turning to the sun” which the flowers do (like their sunflower relatives.

It’s odd, because the first artichokes I grew didn’t give me any digestive problems and the skin was reddish. The second time around I grew the standard type (light brown skin) and they gave me serious intestinal cramping. I ate them once and didn’t brave them again.