Jerusalem Artichoke Variety: Beaver Valley Purple - Organic Individual Tubers For Planting - AKA Sunchokes, Sunroot or Jerusalem Artichokes

Beaver Valley Purple, is the same Jerusalem artichoke illustrated in the book Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking (1993, 107–8). It was discovered by accident while visiting Sarah Morgan, an elderly Pennsylvania Dutch cook well known for her rich chocolate cakes made with sauerkraut and porter beer. As the conversation about food unfolded, it became evident that Sarah was also an accomplished gardener and saver of seeds, particularly old varieties. She took me into the garden and unearthed an Aerdebbel (as she called Jerusalem artichokes in Pennsylfaanisch) that grew in many areas of the Beaver Valley where she lived. The plant had been in the garden when she and her husband bought the farm in the 1920s, and even then it was considered an heirloom by old-timers in the neighborhood. Whatever its true age, Beaver Valley Purple is a distinct variety, its tan root heavily tinged with purple and demarcated with purple-brown bands. The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), also called s