Once in a while, I come across a nutrient dense food that is not popularly known for its nutrient content. Recently when doing some research on plant sources of iron, I found Jerusalem artichokes. This interesting root (or more specifically, tuber) is a member of the sunflower family plant family, along with lettuce, dandelion greens, yacón, and of course, sunflower seeds.
Last spring, a friend encouraged us to grow Jerusalem artichokes in our backyard garden. Given that they have a tendency to spread wherever they are planted, we planted them in a compost/soil mixture in a barrel planter on our backyard deck. We are happy to report that our cultivation efforts were successful and have recently harvested numerous Jerusalem artichokes. Here is a sampling of our harvest:
The best way that I can describe the taste of Jerusalem artichokes is mildly sweet, similar to yacón root and jicama. As far as nutrient content is concerned, I was impressed to see the iron content of 1 cup of Jerusalem artichoke slices:
| 1 cup sliced Jerusalem artichoke (150 g) | Adult Daily Values | |
| Calories | 110 | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 1.93 mg | 14 – 16 mg |
| Iron | 5 mg | 8 – 18 mg |
| Potassium | 643 mg | 4700 mg |
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