Gardening… The Artichoke!

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I just wrote a lovely post about this beautiful artichoke. Guess what – WP crashed, post GONE! For some reason, the “save draft” wasn’t working well. Early morning tech issues OR the Universe wasn’t keen on the post I had written, wanted me to START OVER! LOL

So, as my creative thought process has now disappeared, I will say… I was in California this past weekend. I went to Half Moon Bay by the ocean. It was wonderful to smell the fishy salty air and hear the fog horn. I used to go there a lot.

While walking on Main Street, I came across a gardening center and saw these artichokes. I don’t eat them much and always wondered how they grew. Now, I know. Seeing them makes me want to give them another try. I was reading that they are a good source of fiber.

Any artichoke lovers out there? What tips do you have to share on peeling / cooking them?

33 thoughts on “Gardening… The Artichoke!”

  1. I love artichokes and eat them often. But I buy them in a jar. I through them in salads, quiche, omelettes etc and make a nice little snack called artichoke bites that everyone loves. Oh and artichoke dip is also very good.

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  3. Ah, Half Moon Bay… fond memories and a beautiful locale. I’ve learned to like artichoke dip, but the veggie itself has never appealed to me. My mother insisted on serving it regularly when I was young (scraping the leaves through the teeth, adding butter or mayo). I think I’ve already had my fair share!

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    2. Lucky you! I love artichokes myself (never had them with butter or mayo, though), wouldn’t have minded being introduced to them as a wee lass… Believe it or not, they make exceptional pizza toppings, are great in wraps, sandwiches, and salads (and that I’m saying from personal experience!), and I like the dipping-and-teeth-scraping, too 😋 Though, sadly, we’ve only had them out of a jar in recent years, no scraping there!

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      1. LOL – you’re funny. I do think the fresh ones are the BEST with teeth scraping. It’s fun, slows down the eating. I’ve only done that a few times. My mother is Italian, my grandmother would deep fry the hearts, those were really good.

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      2. Oh! I can imagine how good they are deep fried 🤤 🤤 🤤 I was taught to make a balsamic vinegar and mustard based dip for the leaves, pre-teeth scraping. It’s delicious, and I’ve always enjoyed the leisurely pace of eating them, and at then, a 💜 reward 😋

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  9. Hi Monica,
    I had never seen how they grew either. Thank you for sharing!
    That is not a vegetable that we grew up eating in Brazil, so I will have it, once in a blue moon, if somebody orders as an appetizer in a restaurant. I could take it or leave it.
    Blessings to you!

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    2. Eons ago we tried to grow them. They bloomed into purplish flowers and there was nothing left for us to eat. But the plant looked very different from your awesome photo. I wonder if we got the wrong variety 🤔

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      2. Perhaps you can share the secret to your green thumb with me? I’ve actually taken a break from planting after in one season my tomato plants were devoured by 3 (three!) separate onslaughts of fluorescent-green, horned tomato worms…

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      6. I’ve been told to spray BT as soon as I see the little devils 🐛… But that requires looking under every leaf for translucent eggs, and that takes 1/2-1 hour a day of a fun filled activity, and if you miss a couple of days, you come back to complete devastation 😢

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  10. Okay…cooking artichokes is actually pretty easy. Cleaning can be tough.
    With a sharp knife slice off the top of the artichoke, about 1/4-1/2 inch. The smaller, lower leaves, slice off the tops. Turn it upside down and hit it down on a hard surface to spread the leaves. Stuff the inside with flavored bread crumbs.
    In a sauté pan pour enough water to cover the bottom of the ‘choke. Add 4-5 tbsp of good olive oil, garlic, 3-4 chopped cloves or garlic powder. Place the artichokes in the pan leaves up. Brin that to a slow boil. Then cover and simmer slowly til the leaves re soft. Depending on the size, could be up to an hour.

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