[permaculture-oceania] FW: Jerusalem Artichoke and thanks for iodine and salt help

[Cameron Little]

Subject: Jerusalem Artichoke [3rd send] and thanks for iodine and salt help

Hi Penny and Co

1   Hopefully Dr Karen Bridgman will contribute to this one.[she has
already] I seem to remember her teaching us in Nutrition that  J Artichokes
are used to extract for the inulin which is sold as FOS powder or tablets
[fructo-oligosaccharide]. This is a great food for the good bacteria in the
gut, hence valuable when re-populating the gut after a course of
antibiotics.

2   Other names for Jerusalem artichokes, which look like knobs of ginger,
include : gu-ge [a Cherokee name]. Topinambour [French]. Artichocks of
Jerusalem and Potatoes of Canada [old English]. Sunflower artichoke
[girasola articiocco] and sunchokes.

3   It is an Autumn vegetable. Buy when fresh and crisp. The reason for its
lack of popularity is threefold. Cost-not the cheapest vegetable, though
well worth it in my book. Flatulent [wind]. Time-it takes a long time to
peel unless you are a Œgun¹ vegetable peeler. Some varieties dont need to be
peeled but I don¹t think we get that variety here.

4   It tends to oxidise quickly so put it in acidulated water when peeling,
or get a move on with the job. Lightly oil and then bake. This is one of my
top 5 vegetables and I adore them with baked dinners, in pies and salads
etc. 

5   They can also be boiled [with the skin on I gather] and then peeled. I
think they could be a gorgeous salad with fennel and orange segments.
Davidson says they are good raw and grated into salads. They can also be
cooked as chips.

6   Or try making a soup with them roasted and then pureed with a prawn
stock [from prawn shells] and coconut cream and some basil. [Dioxin is
stored in the head of the prawns, though the head makes the best stock-maybe
just use the shells].

7   Waverley Root has plenty to say on them and heaps scorn on them
basically. Amongst other things he says they are commonly eaten by the
³underprivileged² of Egypt, eastern and southern Africa. Of course because
of the labour involved in peeling them, it is usually only fine dining
restaurants in Australia which serve them. He also advises they are fed to
livestock especially pigs.

8   The inulin is largely indigestible so one can taste a relatively
sweet-tasting vegetable without causing a blood sugar level roller coaster
as I call it.

9   Indian cookbooks should yield a number of recipes, and I would be happy
to hear the references.

10  Maude Grieve ³ A Modern Herbal² has a quite a bit to say on their
cultivation and storage in the ground. P 59.

To all the members who responded re salt, iodised salt and iodine [sources
and deficiency]. Thank you thank you! I got some great stuff. This is for
on-line publication and I need to do more work on it as its much bigger than
I thought as a [controversial] subject. I will possibly publish a draft here
for your evaluation and further input.

Best and warmest to you all

Liane
Exotic Catering
Liane Colwell Communications