Harvest of Jeruselum Artichokes day!

Some new things are happening around this Homestead provoking the garden dig activity. All roots/tubers, annual herbs,grape vines and Blueberry bushes are being put into pots and placed into a "cold bed" by the house front. It is too early to go in more depth but it looks to be another adventure coming this way.
I could not believe the amount of Jerusalem Artichokes we dug up from just 4 tubers planted last May.
I will pick out 10 small tubers for the next garden season, leaving us enough for winter enjoyment.

Freshly dug covered in wet soil.

I found this interesting tidbit at "What I'm eating now" which is a great read for those who enjoy their potatoes:

"Starting in October through the early spring, they’re at their sweetest and peak Delicious.
When cooked (boiled or roasted or sauteed), they’ll resemble a slightly creamier cooked potato, but because of their unique carbohydrate profile (see below), they’re slightly lower in calories and have a much lower glycemic index. In other words, their impact on blood sugar is minimal compared to a similarly-sized portion of regular potatoes. This makes them a good potato-substitute for potato-loving people with diabetes or for anyone looking to help control their appetites by eating foods that don’t cause major spikes in their blood sugar levels.

A modest 1/2 cup serving contains about 14% of the daily value for iron, compared with approximately 4% in the same sized portion of baked potato. "

I happened upon the site while looking for more ways to utilize the harvest. This soup posted there looks to be the winner for tonight's meal:

You can make them into a creamy soup by sauteing 1 chopped onion in olive oil until soft and sweating. Add about 3 cups of sliced Jerusalem artichokes and 4 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable… whatever you prefer). Bring to a boil until the Jerusalem artichokes are nice and tender. Using an immersion blender (or transferring the mixture to a blender), puree the soup until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of fat free evaporated milk (it’s thick like cream) or low fat milk or rice milk (to keep it dairy-free) to the puree and add salt and pepper to taste.

I may add some veggies like sweet peas and carrots to the above. The kids dug up a few carrots we could use with this. Gotta check on that. May need to go dig up a few more.
If soup is not your style how about as chips! Imagine...Jerusalem Artichoke chips! Susan of the Well Seasoned cook was a guest blogger over here and shares a recipe for Sunchoke Chips.
I guess you can make "chips" out of pretty much anything you slice.
Here is the mini greenhouse/cold frame Frog and I built the other day. I have some Brussel sprouts to space in there. Seems they grew a bit close due to the small hands who helped plant seed.

And switching subjects again, Panda has decided all presents from her will be homemade. We have picked out a very nice pattern for clothing to fit American Girl dolls. Her cousin and Best friends have them, so it's perfect. Not just as a gift but as something she can make with confidence.

She is also making beaded jewelery. Bracelets and necklaces. So the girls will each get an outfit for their dolls and matching bracelets. Good thing the beading supplies are 40% for a few more days. I can not deal with the shopping crowds.

Now I need some brainstorming for the boys on her list...
If you have not already, be sure to enter our giveaway for the Tea cake Nordic Ware pan!

Sweetest Dreams,
~Tammie