Savory soup from the neglected garden

Nothing like a good savory soup. At the end of summer I dehydrated some sliced up sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes). The soup made from them was very savory and filling. It was simple: dehydrated sunchokes, dehydrated mushrooms, and a few spices. That's about it.

The soup was good, but it was also good news for me. Last year my garden did not get as much attention as it needed. Fortunately, sunchokes appear to thrive on poor soil, bad weather, and neglect. They produced really well with little effort.

The problem is what does one do with them? Some were used when fresh, but unlike potatoes, they can't just be stored in a cool dry place. They last for days instead of months. Dehydration appears to be a good solution. That's great, as the garden will most likely produce even more sunchokes next summer. The thing with sunchokes is that once you plant them, it seems you'll always have them. The year before I dug up all the ones I could fine, and they bounced back stronger than ever.

I've a number of food producers that don't require much effort besides the sunchokes: filberts, chives, assorted berry plants, pin cherries, herbs and a bunch of wild plants. One of my gardening goals for next season is to find more plants that produce well with little effort. Some people love to garden. That's great for them, but I just like to eat.

-Sixbears