Jerusalem Artichokes; the gnarly harbingers of spring.

Tucked in a sunny corner, beside my potting shed is a large clump of buttery yellow flowers that look like small sunflowers. Dad showed up one day with a shovel full of what looked to be really ugly, gnarly potatoes and said, “plant these somewhere you want a big bunch of happy”. He wasn’t kidding. They grow to be over five feet tall with tiny happy faces and the shovel full of roots have quadrupled in size in only three years. I’m sure you’re wondering where I’m going with all of this. The roots of those little sunflowers are called tubers. The tubers are called Jerusalem artichokes or sun chokes. A sure sign of spring here in Atlantic Canada is seeing displays of freshly dug sun chokes at local farmer’s markets. After a long winter of imported produce, it’s fantastic to cook anything home grown!

It’s Victoria Day weekend; the official start to Canadian summer. Camps, cottages, trailers and tents will be opened up and aired out over the next few days. After the winter we’ve had, the entire country is crawling the walls in anticipation of some summer fun. The thought of sitting on my veranda, at the farm, with a steaming cup of coffee, watching the sun rise over the river…I can’t wait!

If you’re planning a barbecue this weekend and you’re lucky enough to spot some sun chokes give my salad a try. Jerusalem artichokes can be prepared any way you might cook a potato but I thought their sweeter, nuttier flavour would be gorgeous paired up with some roasted asparagus. A squeeze of lemon, after the veg have finished roasting in a bit of extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of snipped chives is all you’ll need for a dressing. The salad is delicious served immediately or at room temperature. Happy Victoria Day!

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

3 medium-sized Jerusalem artichokes
1 lemon, 1 teaspoon zest reserved and halved
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 bunch asparagus
2 tablespoons chives, snipped

THE STEPS:

• Preheat oven to 450* F.
• Fill a large pot with water and add juice from half a lemon.
• With the remaining lemon half, peel the Jerusalem artichokes, then rub each one all over with lemon.
• Slice into ½ “ cubes and place them in the pot.

• Set pot over high heat and bring to a boil.
• Add 1 teaspoon sea salt.
• Once water comes to a boil, cook Jerusalem artichokes for 1 minute then drain.
• Dump the sun-chokes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

• Meanwhile, snap off the bottom third of the asparagus and slice diagonally into 3 or 4 pieces.

• Add the asparagus pieces to the Jerusalem artichokes, drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon reserved lemon zest, sea salt, and pepper.
• Roast for 15 minutes, then turn entire contents of the baking sheet over and roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until vegetables are a deep golden brown.
• As soon as you remove the vegetables from the oven, squeeze half a lemon over everything and sprinkle with snipped chives and salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately.

THE LOVE: Don’t stress about the gnarly lumps on the Jerusalem artichokes. I just cut them off rather than trying to peel around them.

Thanks for reading.