Jerusalem Artichoke article question

There is a very informative article on Jerusalem Artichokes in today's DG newsletter.
I never get flowers when I grow them.
I am wondering if anyone in our colder zones gets flowers on these?
How long from planting until flowers form?

Caroline

I grew JA for about 20 years, started from a pkg of tubers from a grocery store and planted in average soil. They bloomed occasionally, usually in mid-August, around the same time as tickseed, an invasive plant whose tubers I have not tried to eat... do you know if they are edible/safe?

Mine eventually petered out from lack of attention to the poor soil -- I just stuck them in to see what they would do. My dad liked them boiled up and sliced with lightly sauteed onions in a bechamel sauce, a dash of nutmeg and a few fresh rosemary leaves.

Thanks for the info and recipe---I'll have to try that one.

Andy - the JA are very tasty peeled and sliced raw into salads. Could also be cooked, I think and might be similar to potatoes, but I've never tried them that way. I also grew them many years ago.

I confess it was the peeling that got to me... like ginger root, it might not really be necessary.

Cooked, like potatoes (started in cold water), they are distinctive in a chopped mix with potatoes or even a coarse mash. Pureed by themselves with a little creme fraiche they still bring on the artichoke mystique.

I've never used them in a salad, must try your suggestion!
--A

Do you mean it's NOT necessary to peel ginger?

I NEVER peel ginger!! I keep it in the freezer, and grate it when needed. Works well for me.

Sounds like a GREAT idea to me. At the moment I have a several month supply all chopped fine in the food processor and frozen in 1 Tbsp quantities.

There's a show on the Food Network called Spice Goddess, and she believes there is extra flavour in ginger-root skin. This is an Indian cooking show and she sure knows her stuff!

Going back to the JA, I did try boiling them without peeling, but the skins turned and even darker brown -- not visually appealing -- and were tough. As mine petered out, the tubers were so small that peeling was not a time-effective effort. They also needed a lot of soaking and brushing to make sure there was no grit caught in the scaly bits on parts of the tuber.

I still buy a pkg occasional around holiday times to enoy at family dinners.