Here are the bigger, straighter looking ones I picked out to give to my family:
These are the ones I accidentally broke while digging them that I intend to eat right away -- mixed shapes:
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DoubleDogFarm
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applestar
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BTW, that bed was FULL of earthworms -- really big ones 
I believe they were enjoying the exudate from the sunroots.
We collected them since I needed to replenish my vermicompost bin -- they didn't do too well this year due to neglect. So, as I told my daughter, we were harvesting twice from the same bed.
I believe they were enjoying the exudate from the sunroots.We collected them since I needed to replenish my vermicompost bin -- they didn't do too well this year due to neglect. So, as I told my daughter, we were harvesting twice from the same bed.
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DoubleDogFarm
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Who me. I'm never here.applestar wrote:BTW, that bed was FULL of earthworms -- really big ones
We collected them since I needed to replenish my vermicompost bin -- they didn't do too well this year due to neglect. So, as I told my daughter, we were harvesting twice from the same bed.
Do I need to ship you some compost worms along with the duck eggs? Earthworms for vermicompost, Why I oughta...
Eric
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applestar
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Nag, nag, nag. 
Hey, I pick up a gallon bucket of earthworms in what would ordinarily be , nothing but clay frozen solid soil in December, I'm puttin' them in my Can o'Worms.
Like I said, hardly anybody's living in there right now, and SOMEBODY has to do the work. They may be slow, but they'll be OK -- I dumped the soil rubbed off from the sunroots in with them. I'll be picking them out of there and spreading them around in my container plants, too. In particular, the larger containers that provide sunny vantage points for window watching kitties are suffering from kitty mulch -- they manage to completely compress the soil... And I swear they are also absorbing all the moisture out of them with their fur because the soil in those containers dry out faster!
You don't want to send me redworms, really, do you? Duck eggs and red worms -- for some reason, I'm picturing spring-theme dark chocolate cupcakes baked in clay pots with gummy worms sticking out of them....
Hey, I pick up a gallon bucket of earthworms in what would ordinarily be , nothing but clay frozen solid soil in December, I'm puttin' them in my Can o'Worms.
Like I said, hardly anybody's living in there right now, and SOMEBODY has to do the work. They may be slow, but they'll be OK -- I dumped the soil rubbed off from the sunroots in with them. I'll be picking them out of there and spreading them around in my container plants, too. In particular, the larger containers that provide sunny vantage points for window watching kitties are suffering from kitty mulch -- they manage to completely compress the soil... And I swear they are also absorbing all the moisture out of them with their fur because the soil in those containers dry out faster!
You don't want to send me redworms, really, do you? Duck eggs and red worms -- for some reason, I'm picturing spring-theme dark chocolate cupcakes baked in clay pots with gummy worms sticking out of them....
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!potatoes!
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rainbowgardener
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My trouble with using the j.a./sunchokes is that they are SO gas producing. Not called "fartichokes" for nothing! Even made me jet propelled and I don't usually have problems that way and caused gastric distress to MyHoney who does. So the question is does turning them in to flour/meal reduce that effect?
And yes, my ground that would usually be frozen solid is still quite diggable. So far we are having another global warming winter. It keeps dipping down close to seasonal and then bouncing right back up. It's doing that again now. Today's high will be in the high 40's which is a little above seasonal, but close (would not make me think we are in an abnormal pattern), but then in a couple days we will be right back to 60's, 20 degrees above normal, near record highs. No extended cold periods that would freeze the ground. And dry... This year we had warm drought in spring, hot drought in summer, and then cold drought in fall ... I'm still watering some things, which is weird for this time of year.
Re the worms. I am doing a worm bin again this winter. I just dug a bunch of worms out of my compost pile to stock it (this was about a month ago). They might not be the recommended type, but I figure they were breaking stuff down in the compost pile, they should be able to do it in the worm bin. But the worm bin creeps me out a little bit, being in my basement ... It is a little too much like bringing a piece of the outdoors in. I stocked it with worms and a bit of compost from the pile and a bunch of fall leaves. I keep having to pull black soldier fly larvae AND slugs out of the bin. eeeuw!
And yes, my ground that would usually be frozen solid is still quite diggable. So far we are having another global warming winter. It keeps dipping down close to seasonal and then bouncing right back up. It's doing that again now. Today's high will be in the high 40's which is a little above seasonal, but close (would not make me think we are in an abnormal pattern), but then in a couple days we will be right back to 60's, 20 degrees above normal, near record highs. No extended cold periods that would freeze the ground. And dry... This year we had warm drought in spring, hot drought in summer, and then cold drought in fall ... I'm still watering some things, which is weird for this time of year.
Re the worms. I am doing a worm bin again this winter. I just dug a bunch of worms out of my compost pile to stock it (this was about a month ago). They might not be the recommended type, but I figure they were breaking stuff down in the compost pile, they should be able to do it in the worm bin. But the worm bin creeps me out a little bit, being in my basement ... It is a little too much like bringing a piece of the outdoors in. I stocked it with worms and a bit of compost from the pile and a bunch of fall leaves. I keep having to pull black soldier fly larvae AND slugs out of the bin. eeeuw!
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DoubleDogFarm
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!potatoes!
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ElizabethB
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Haven't grown sun chokes in years. In fact what used to be a road side weed is difficult to come by. Rainbow shipped some to me and I should have by Wednesday 
. The ones I am familiar with look like Apple's. The skin is very thin. No need to peel just brush with a stiff brush.
As for cooking I like them in a stew or a roast gravy as a starch substitute. We make rice dressing in south Louisiana ground beef cooked with savories - onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers added to cooked rice. Chokes added to the mix give it whole new level of flavor.
Yep - the gas is bad. Too bad that source of natural gas can't be tapped.
Thanks Rainbow
. The ones I am familiar with look like Apple's. The skin is very thin. No need to peel just brush with a stiff brush.As for cooking I like them in a stew or a roast gravy as a starch substitute. We make rice dressing in south Louisiana ground beef cooked with savories - onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers added to cooked rice. Chokes added to the mix give it whole new level of flavor.
Yep - the gas is bad. Too bad that source of natural gas can't be tapped.
Thanks Rainbow
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applestar
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I'm going to try this recipe 
From https://agardenerstable.com/2014/02/24/t ... rtichokes/
From https://agardenerstable.com/2014/02/24/t ... rtichokes/
Mellow Yellow Jerusalem Artichoke Pickle
1½ pounds Jerusalem artichokes, broken into nodes, 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 the diced Jerusalem artichokes, the turmeric, the garlic, the ginger, and the cumin. Pack the mixture into a jar with a capacity of at least 6 cups. Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. Pour the brine over the Jerusalem artichokes; 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 Jerusalem artichokes. If it doesn’t, add more brine mixed in the same proportions.
Wait several days before tasting the pickle. I found it perfect after a week: The brine was 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 the Jerusalem artichokes weighted so they won’t take on a grayish cast.
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!potatoes!
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applestar
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I will have to try that, too. -- any tips?
I haven't had the chance yet -- too busy saving and harvesting and shutting down the garden before the killing freeze gets here -- snow tonight and freezing temps every night to follow, then 25°F on Tues. yikes!
Today, I just nibbled on one raw to taste test -- not outstandingly sweet but there was sweetness and good flavor -- like water chestnuts but far more complex flavors than the watery canned ones.
...then for *kids' snack*, sliced them in varying thicknesses, soaked in salt water, patted dry then EVOO and baked at 325 for 30 min. I wanted the family to compare, and I DID intend DH to try it*, and the consensus is thinnest dried and crunchy and the next thinnest which turned out chewy. Thick and soft in the middle got the thumbs down so I guess roasting them whole or in chunks is out of the question. Interestingly, there was a LOT of flavor in the skin, so I think thorough scrubbing and then saltwater soak was the right prep.
* It was kind of funny because when I went to ask if they had finished eating the sunchoke chips, the kids stared at the plate and said -- "They're GONE!" ...it turned out that DH had come home, sat down, and gobbled them up.
I haven't had the chance yet -- too busy saving and harvesting and shutting down the garden before the killing freeze gets here -- snow tonight and freezing temps every night to follow, then 25°F on Tues. yikes!
Today, I just nibbled on one raw to taste test -- not outstandingly sweet but there was sweetness and good flavor -- like water chestnuts but far more complex flavors than the watery canned ones.
...then for *kids' snack*, sliced them in varying thicknesses, soaked in salt water, patted dry then EVOO and baked at 325 for 30 min. I wanted the family to compare, and I DID intend DH to try it*, and the consensus is thinnest dried and crunchy and the next thinnest which turned out chewy. Thick and soft in the middle got the thumbs down so I guess roasting them whole or in chunks is out of the question. Interestingly, there was a LOT of flavor in the skin, so I think thorough scrubbing and then saltwater soak was the right prep.
* It was kind of funny because when I went to ask if they had finished eating the sunchoke chips, the kids stared at the plate and said -- "They're GONE!" ...it turned out that DH had come home, sat down, and gobbled them up.