Artichokes:

A relative of the noxious thistles that have been running wild here in the Boulder Valley, these flowering buds originally got a start in the human food stream in the mediteranean.

Artichokes are incredibly nutrient dense and are overlooked in the world of nutrition because of the relatively small amount we usually consume at one sitting, but take a look at this:
~One small to medium size artichoke has the same amount of potassium as a small banana, without the high glycemic load
~It is a great source of magnesium, water soluble vit.-C and dietary fiber
~Artichokes, which contain quercetin, runti, anthocyanins, gallic acid, luteolin and cynarin, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, silymarin, appear to have more phytonutrient potential than spinach and broccoli.

To Prepare Artichokes:
Trim the edges of the outer leaves
Carefully open the leaves enough to try and expunge the “choke”
This process is detailed in “The Joy Of Cooking”
Place in a pot with 4 inches of water (optional garlic, lemon and bay leaf)
Steam for 30 to 45 minutes
Test for done-ness by removing outer leaves, which should pull off easily

Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes, or let’s try the First nation style, “Sunroots”
Well, this tuber of the sunflower family doesn’t look anything like an artichoke, but contracry to popular belief, is in the same family as artichokes, which also includes burdock and dandelion as well as the familiar sunflower.
Side Note: It is amazing how many references I saw that claimed there was no relation between these plants.
The family relation explains the familiar flavor of this tuber and it’s cousin the thistle.

These little nuggets of goodness are surprisingly good for blood sugar support and therefore a great food for fast-oxidizers and parasympathetic metabolic types and for anyone working with blood sugar issues.

Getting the nutritional breakdown of Sunroots is hard to pin down, but we know for sure that they are an excellent source of inulin, which is a long chain fructo-ogilosacharide that benefits probiotics and is thereby termed “prebiotic.” Understanding the other constituents that help blood sugar control has been a challenge for me, but I did find a whole list of Edgar Cayce recommendations for sunroot and diabetes. Pretty wild. Energetically, these are way more interesting to me than a potato. This is a hardy and strong plant that will grow without cultivation. Modern potato plants are generally weak and need plenty of care. The result of the type of growing conditions is an “energetic” quality that we take into our body. One life system entraining another.

Believe or not, sunchokes were one of my favorite foods as a kid, right up there with Kholrabi, chocolate and nutritional yeast, (before I was corrupted by soda, Doritos, and cracker jacks, thanks Grandma!)

I have been playing around with preparations of sunroots this year. Mostly I have enjoyed eating them raw. I have sautéed them in butter with salt and pepper, yumm. . . and I have boiled them and tossed olive oil and fresh herbs over top. I read recently that they can be slow cooked in the oven at 200 for 12 to 24 hours, which will convert the long chain sugars and make a translucent, caramelized yumminess, which I could get into!
Seth Braun, holistic health counselor, 303 443 6543, www.sethbraun.com

In the 16th century, eating an artichoke was reserved only for men. Women were denied the pleasure because the artichoke was considered an aphrodisiac and was thought to enhance sexual power.