Also known as a Jerusalem artichoke, the sunchoke is a curious little critter. He may look slightly odd in edible form, but he’s actually part of the daisy family and produces gorgeous sprays of sunflower-like flowers that stem from tall, hardy perennial plants. Light, sandy soil in a temperate climate is where you’ll find him thriving, but the Queensland conditions mean you may need to replant tubers each year.

Sunchokes can be found blooming locally from spring through to autumn, and once the flowers die down keen home-cooks can then scrub the edible tubers to use in cooking. Use them raw in salads, either grated or sliced thinly to add a nutty flavour and crunchy texture, or alternatively you can bake, boil or roast them. Throw a couple of tubers into a freshly cooked pasta, crunchy stir-fry, nutritious soup, kale hash or use them to craft dumplings or crispy oven-baked chips. Heed the warning, however, sunchokes can sometimes lead to excessive flatulence in certain individuals …