Identify edible root

"White Monkey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all,

I just interrupted the landlord's father cleaning up our garden (we just
moved, and I was going out to tell him we'd clean up, but he said he wants
to remove stuff that he left here--he lives next door). I said I'd be
growing veggies in the spring in the area under the apple tree, and he

said

Quoted message said:

great, but watch out for these! and pulled out some roots that look a

great

Quoted message said:

deal like ginger or galangal but are not. The smell is not at all spicy or
exotic, the skin is sandy-colored, the flesh white. There are no dangly
roots at all. He said they are to be sliced and eaten as is and that they
taste like a cross between potatoes and apples. He said there are a ton of
them there and to not throw them away or something when I do the garden.

If

Quoted message said:

you folks could give me some suggestions of things I might look up to see

if

Quoted message said:

the picture matches what I've got here, I'd appreciate it. Oh, I am in the
Netherlands, but he said they're not originally native here.

Thanks,
Katrina

Do you have a photo you can put on a site so we can look at it? Are these
like 'hands', as ginger/galangal are, or are they just more like knobbly
single fingers, like one you might snap off a hand of ginger? If the latter,
I'd be thinking of something like Jerusalem artichoke - google for pictures,
see if they look anything like what you have there. (I love these -
delicious, but only had them a few times unfortunately).

Shaun aRe

Quoted message said:

Do you have a photo you can put on a site so we can look at it?

I will once the camera gets unloaded later. I'll post when that happens.

Are these

Quoted message said:

like 'hands', as ginger/galangal are, or are they just more like knobbly
single fingers, like one you might snap off a hand of ginger?

Well, more like the latter, but he says that these are quite small because
the landlady kept cutting the plants down so they didn't grow well last
year. One has a bulbous projection like on ginger, so I could picture it
growing into a "hand" eventually.

Quoted message said:

If the latter,
I'd be thinking of something like Jerusalem artichoke - Google for
pictures,
see if they look anything like what you have there. (I love these -
delicious, but only had them a few times unfortunately).
Shaun aRe

Thanks! These are more elongated than the pictures I found when I followed
your suggestion. Those appear kind of compact, these are longer like a
ginger "finger". Could this just be a variation not shown in the pictures,
do you suppose?

I want to research this a bit before eating any because I'm breastfeeding a
baby and some herbs or plants are not recommended during such a time.
--Katrina

White Monkey said:

Hi all,

I just interrupted the landlord's father cleaning up our garden (we just
moved, and I was going out to tell him we'd clean up, but he said he wants
to remove stuff that he left here--he lives next door). I said I'd be
growing veggies in the spring in the area under the apple tree, and he said
great, but watch out for these! and pulled out some roots that look a great
deal like ginger or galangal but are not. The smell is not at all spicy or
exotic, the skin is sandy-colored, the flesh white. There are no dangly
roots at all. He said they are to be sliced and eaten as is and that they
taste like a cross between potatoes and apples. He said there are a ton of
them there and to not throw them away or something when I do the garden. If
you folks could give me some suggestions of things I might look up to seeif
the picture matches what I've got here, I'd appreciate it. Oh, I am in the
Netherlands, but he said they're not originally native here.

Sounds like Jerusalem Artichokes/Sunchokes.

Jerusalem artichoke
This vegetable is not truly an artichoke but a variety of sunflower
with a lumpy, brown-skinned tuber that often resembles a gingerroot.
Contrary to what the name implies, this vegetable has nothing to do
with Jerusalem but is derived instead from the Italian word for
sunflower, girasole . Because of its confusing moniker, modern-day
growers have begun to call Jerusalem artichokes sunchokes , which is
how they're often labeled in the produce section of many markets. The
white flesh of this vegetable is nutty, sweet and crunchy. Jerusalem
artichokes are available from about October to March. Select those that
are firm and fresh-looking and not soft or wrinkled. Store in a plastic
bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. After that, they will begin
to wither because of moisture loss. They may be peeled or, because the
skin is very thin and quite nutritious, simply washed well before being
used. Jerusalem artichokes can be eaten raw in salads or cooked by
boiling or steaming and served as a side dish. They also make a
delicious soup. Jerusalem artichokes are a good source of iron.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Sheldon

White Monkey said:

Quoted message said:

Do you have a photo you can put on a site so we can look at it?

I will once the camera gets unloaded later. I'll post when that happens.

Are these

Quoted message said:

like 'hands', as ginger/galangal are, or are they just more like knobbly
single fingers, like one you might snap off a hand of ginger?

Well, more like the latter, but he says that these are quite small because
the landlady kept cutting the plants down so they didn't grow well last
year. One has a bulbous projection like on ginger, so I could picture it
growing into a "hand" eventually.

Quoted message said:

If the latter,
I'd be thinking of something like Jerusalem artichoke - Google for
pictures,
see if they look anything like what you have there. (I love these -
delicious, but only had them a few times unfortunately).
Shaun aRe

Thanks! These are more elongated than the pictures I found when I followed
your suggestion. Those appear kind of compact, these are longer like a
ginger "finger". Could this just be a variation not shown in the pictures,
do you suppose?

I want to research this a bit before eating any because I'm breastfeeding a
baby and some herbs or plants are not recommended during such a time.
--Katrina

Oh, had I known when I posted about Jerusalem artichokes I would glady
have offered my services to be your tester... I believe they're safe,
but you can never be too careful, so why don't we make sure, okay? 😉

Sheldon

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I want to research this a bit before eating any because I'm breastfeeding
a
baby and some herbs or plants are not recommended during such a time.
--Katrina

Oh, had I known when I posted about Jerusalem artichokes I would glady
have offered my services to be your tester... I believe they're safe,
but you can never be too careful, so why don't we make sure, okay? 😉

Sheldon

Well, if you weigh less than 10 kilos and have an as-yet-not-fully-developed
system of organs, it's not a bad idea.

I'm looking into them being Jerusalem Artichokes. Next time I catch sight of
the landlord's father I'll ask him if the plants, when they are above
ground, have yellow flowers.
--Katrina

White Monkey said:

Quoted message said:

Do you have a photo you can put on a site so we can look at it?

I will once the camera gets unloaded later. I'll post when that happens.

Are these

Quoted message said:

like 'hands', as ginger/galangal are, or are they just more like knobbly
single fingers, like one you might snap off a hand of ginger?

Well, more like the latter, but he says that these are quite small because
the landlady kept cutting the plants down so they didn't grow well last
year. One has a bulbous projection like on ginger, so I could picture it
growing into a "hand" eventually.

Quoted message said:

If the latter,
I'd be thinking of something like Jerusalem artichoke - Google for
pictures,
see if they look anything like what you have there. (I love these -
delicious, but only had them a few times unfortunately).
Shaun aRe

Thanks! These are more elongated than the pictures I found when I followed
your suggestion. Those appear kind of compact, these are longer like a
ginger "finger". Could this just be a variation not shown in the pictures,
do you suppose?

I want to research this a bit before eating any because I'm breastfeeding a
baby and some herbs or plants are not recommended during such a time.
--Katrina

Sounds like jerusakem artichokes. my mom has been trying to get rid of
hers for years and years 🙂

--

saerah

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a
disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
-Baruch Spinoza

"There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly
what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There
is another theory which states that this has already happened."
-Douglas Adams

"White Monkey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Do you have a photo you can put on a site so we can look at it?

I will once the camera gets unloaded later. I'll post when that happens.

Great.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If the latter,
I'd be thinking of something like Jerusalem artichoke - Google for
pictures,
see if they look anything like what you have there. (I love these -
delicious, but only had them a few times unfortunately).
Shaun aRe

Thanks! These are more elongated than the pictures I found when I followed
your suggestion. Those appear kind of compact, these are longer like a
ginger "finger". Could this just be a variation not shown in the pictures,
do you suppose?

I'm sorry - wouldn't pretend to suppose!

Quoted message said:

I want to research this a bit before eating any because I'm breastfeeding

a

Quoted message said:

baby and some herbs or plants are not recommended during such a time.
--Katrina

Well, you have me curious now. ',;~}~

Shaun aRe

OK, there's a picture of 2 of these roots up at:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~cooper17/katrina/Misc/Roots.jpg

In article <[email hidden]>,

White Monkey said:

OK, there's a picture of 2 of these roots up at:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~cooper17/katrina/Misc/Roots.jpg

Looks like Ginger root to me.
I grate it and use it in a variety of recipes.
It adds a nice complement when combined with garlic.

Could be sun chokes also.

What does it smell/taste like like?

Ginger would be pungent, rich, herb-like.

Sun choke would be more like a potatoe, but slightly sweet.

Those are my guesses. ;-)
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

Quoted message said:

Looks like Ginger root to me.
I grate it and use it in a variety of recipes.
It adds a nice complement when combined with garlic.

Nope, I use ginger pretty much daily, and this isn't it. It has almost no
smell at all, by the way.

Quoted message said:

Could be sun chokes also.

This is the running current best theory.

Quoted message said:

What does it smell/taste like like?

Smells just kind of fresh without any particular distinctive odor. Neoighbor
says it tastes like a cross between a potato and an apple.

Thanks,
Katrina

In article <[email hidden]>,

White Monkey said:

Quoted message said:

Looks like Ginger root to me.
I grate it and use it in a variety of recipes.
It adds a nice complement when combined with garlic.

Nope, I use ginger pretty much daily, and this isn't it. It has almost no
smell at all, by the way.

Quoted message said:

Could be sun chokes also.

This is the running current best theory.

Quoted message said:

What does it smell/taste like like?

Smells just kind of fresh without any particular distinctive odor. Neoighbor
says it tastes like a cross between a potato and an apple.

Thanks,
Katrina

Ok, sounds like a sun choke then.

Serve them sliced and steamed, or mashed.

If they chase you out of the house with methane emmisions as the
aftermath, you've got your root. <lol>

The bloom looks like a sunflower when they grow.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

OmManiPadmeOmelet said:

If they chase you out of the house with methane emmisions as the
aftermath, you've got your root. <lol>

Maybe it's YOUR system, missy. I've never experienced that when I eat
them.
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

In article <[email hidden]>,

sf said:

OmManiPadmeOmelet said:

If they chase you out of the house with methane emmisions as the
aftermath, you've got your root. <lol>

Maybe it's YOUR system, missy. I've never experienced that when I eat
them.
--

Okay. :-)
They just have that reputation......
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

"White Monkey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Looks like Ginger root to me.
I grate it and use it in a variety of recipes.
It adds a nice complement when combined with garlic.

Nope, I use ginger pretty much daily, and this isn't it.
It has almost no smell at all, by the way.

Quoted message said:

Could be sun chokes also.

This is the running current best theory.

Quoted message said:

What does it smell/taste like like?

Smells just kind of fresh without any particular
distinctive odor. Neoighbor says it tastes like a cross
between a potato and an apple.

Thanks,
Katrina

That's a Sun choke or Jerusalem artichoke. Same thing just
different names. I grew them.

MoM

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

White Monkey said:

Quoted message said:

Looks like Ginger root to me.
I grate it and use it in a variety of recipes.
It adds a nice complement when combined with garlic.

Nope, I use ginger pretty much daily, and this isn't it.
It has almost no
smell at all, by the way.

Quoted message said:

Could be sun chokes also.

This is the running current best theory.

Quoted message said:

What does it smell/taste like like?

Smells just kind of fresh without any particular
distinctive odor. Neoighbor
says it tastes like a cross between a potato and an
apple.

Thanks,
Katrina

Ok, sounds like a sun choke then.

Serve them sliced and steamed, or mashed.

If they chase you out of the house with methane emmisions
as the
aftermath, you've got your root. <lol>

The bloom looks like a sunflower when they grow.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a
son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

Also, once you plant them they are very hard to eradicate
and spread rapidly.

MoM

"White Monkey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Looks like Ginger root to me.
I grate it and use it in a variety of recipes.
It adds a nice complement when combined with garlic.

Nope, I use ginger pretty much daily, and this isn't it. It has almost no
smell at all, by the way.

Quoted message said:

Could be sun chokes also.

This is the running current best theory.

Quoted message said:

What does it smell/taste like like?

Smells just kind of fresh without any particular distinctive odor.

Neoighbor

Quoted message said:

says it tastes like a cross between a potato and an apple.

Yup - I'm still with the sun/J artichokes from seeing the picture! Lucky sod
you ',;~}~

Shaun aRe