Jerusalem artichokes are wonderful for making soups.

soup tourine
Jerusalem artichokes are quite vigorous, and just keep going year after year if you leave them in the vegetable garden.
The normal season for lifting them is November to February, when they have stopped growing. The tubers bruise easily and lose moisture rapidly so they are best left in the ground and harvested as required.
Jerusalem artichokes produce flowers in late summer. The flowers last very well if picked for the house.
Jerusalem artichokes make great soup, and are a useful standby in the vegetable garden.