The sunchoke is a vegetable that is actually a member of the sunflower family. Its root consists of an edible tuber whose sweet taste is similar to that of a potato and an artichoke. Also known as the Jerusalem artichoke, it is native to the United States and is commonly grown in Texas.

You can recognize a sunchoke by its resemblance to a white potato except that its outer skin has many bumps on it and is not easily peeled. Although you can choose to remove a sunchoke's outer skin, typically it is kept on and included in the cooking of the vegetable. Sunchokes can be purchased year round in larger supermarket chains and at specialty vegetable markets. You may also be able to purchase sunchoke seeds in home and garden centers in order to grow your own sunchokes at home.

When purchasing sunchoke tubers for cooking, select only those that are firm to the touch and that do not contain many bruises or marks on them. Also look to ensure that the tubers are not moldy or wrinkled. Once purchased, you can store sunchokes in your home for up to one week provided that the sunchokes remain unwashed and are placed in a plastic bag within your refrigerator. If you want to use the sunchoke a few days after purchasing it and wish to prepare cut slices in advance of using, make a mixture of water and lemon juice and dip the slices into the mixture. Once dipped, place the sunchoke slices in an appropriate container and store them in your refrigerator. Using this method, the sunchoke slices will remain fresh for a quite few days prior to using them.

Sunchokes can be substituted in recipes that call for potatoes. However, they have a more nut-like flavor than potatoes. Sunchokes also have a crispy texture when uncooked and can be used, raw, in recipes as an alternative to water chestnuts. Thus, sunchokes can be used uncooked in salads and in vegetable platters or, they can be baked, boiled, microwaved, fried, added to soups, or sautéed with other vegetables, such as onions and peppers, for use as a side dish.

When using sunchokes, it is important to clean the tuber thoroughly under cold water prior to using. You may also want to use a scrub brush to clean the tuber. Also note that sunchokes do not last as long as a potato when brought home from a store. Therefore, try to us the sunchokes that you have purchased as soon as possible after buying them.

Sunchokes are also a highly nutritious vegetable. For instance, sunchokes do not contain any fat, cholesterol, or sodium. Additionally, they contain traces of iron, calcium, and potassium. They also contain vitamin C. For those counting calories, one cup of raw sunchoke equals approximately 115 calories. Thus, sunchokes are a good dietary food source.

The sunchokes is a unique vegetable that offers an alternative to the potato in recipes as well as a tasty raw addition to salads and other meals. Because of this, the sunchoke will continue to be used as a versatile vegetable in many dishes today.