Pickled Jerusalem Artichokes

Name: Pickled Jerusalem Artichokes
Yield: Makes 4 pints
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 pounds Jerusalem artichokes, as regularly shaped as possible; Coarse kosher salt; 1 medium onion, sliced; 4 tiny dried hot peppers, or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 4 tiny dried hot peppers, or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 2 teaspoons mustard seeds, slightly bruised; 1 teaspoon celery seed; 4 allspice berries; 2 cups cider vinegar; 1 cup water; 1 cup distilled white vinegar; ⅔ cup light-brown sugar; 1 bay leaf, broken in 4 pieces

Preparation info

Makes
4 pints

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables

By Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1986

About

In this version of a Southern standard, the vegetables have a perky taste and crisp texture that make them far more endearing than the often syrupy or searing ones that show up in mail-order catalogues and specialty stores as “artichoke pickles.” Adjust the pickling spices to your taste, but let the Jerusalem artichoke taste prevail.

Ingredients

3 pounds Jerusalem artichokes, as regularly shaped as possible
Coarse kosher salt
1 medium onion, sliced

Method

Scrape or pare thin skin from Jerusalem artichokes. Slice ¼ inch thick (if tiny, halve); you should have 2 quarts when finished. Place chokes in ceramic or glass bowl. Pour in enough water to cover generously. Holding chokes in bowl, pour water from it into measuring pitcher (or simply measure, once drained).
Add kosher salt to water, measuring ¼ cup to each qu