Starting to harvest the Jerusalem Artichokes from the allotment, said to taste sweeter after the first frosts. Each stem is a clump of five or six tubers. The smaller go straight back in the earth for next year's crop, the larger are for eating. Even so that's a lot to get through! Not a popular vegetable here in the UK but I'll offer them to anyone who's interested.

 I use them in hearty winter soups and mashes. I make a point of grating them to make them more digestible. Their carbohydrate content takes the form of inulin rather than starch so they are an excellent source of prebiotic fibre. However the digestive system cannot break it down, in effect they are fermented by good bacteria in the colon. The results may be explosive!

 Roasting Jerusalem Artichokes is an option. Dear reader, I will never do that again following an occasion I prefer not to relate in the pages of this diary. Some people eat them raw in salads. Is that wise?? However I experience no ill effects if I grate them before cooking and they add a deliciously sweet/nutty flavour to the dish.