Jerusalem Artichoke Pickles

I'll admit I'm a bit dubious about this creation, but I felt obligated to do something with at least a portion of my Jerusalem artichokes. The majority of people with whom I discussed Jerusalem artichokes incorrectly assumed they were the same artichokes used in the gooey rich artichoke dips. (OK, discussed is probably a strong word when in fact the conversations all lasted about two minutes.) Jerusalem artichokes, also called sunchokes, are the tubers of sunflower-type plants. 

We roasted some of our artichokes and used others in a stew. That barely made a dent in them, and they reportedly don't freeze well (as if we have spare space in our freezer). So, I searched online and came to the conclusion of Jerusalem artichoke pickles. 

Once I open a jar, I'll let you know how they taste.

Jerusalem Artichoke Pickles

2-3 lbs. Jerusalem artichokes

Juice of 2-3 lemons

4 cups water

1/3 cup canning salt

3 Tbsp. tumeric

4 cups cider vinegar

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup water

1-2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you want them)

2 Tbsp. dry mustard seed

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 Tbsp. chili flakes

1 clove per quart

1 bay leaf per quart

Cut artichokes into 1/2-inch pieces, and place in a bowl of water with the lemon juice. Once all sunchokes are cut, mix the 4 cups water with 1 Tbsp. tumeric and the salt. Soak the sunchokes in this mixture for one day. 

To make pickling liquid, mix the vinegars, sugar, 1 cup water, remainder of the tumeric, mustard seed, dry mustard and chili flakes. Bring to a boil, stir well, and let it cool to room temperature.

Place 1 clove and 1 bay leaf in each sterilized quart jar. Rinse the artichokes, and fill jars to 1/4-inch headspace. Cover artichokes with cooled vinegar mixture, again leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Let jars cool, and check the seals. Wait at least a week before eating to let the flavors develop. Makes 3 quarts.