Artichokes: How To Grow Them And Two Recipes

In this posting I'll give you information on how to grow artichokes and provide you with a recipe I learned in Rome.

Artichokes

Artichokes are a perennial plant that are a member of the thistle family.  These flowering plants are characterized by prickly leaves and, in some varieties, prickles on the stem as well.  Although thistles can be quite pretty, they are often considered weeds because of the nastiness of those sharp prickles.

On the other hand, artichokes are a thistle you can love.  Originally grown in North Africa, Artichokes spread throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times and made there way to America during the colonial period. Thomas Jefferson is known to have grown them on his estate in Virginia as early as 1767.  Today, almost all artichokes produced in the U.S. are grown in California in an area centered around Castroville in Monterey County, just 90 miles south of my home.

Growing Artichokes

Artichokes are hardy from zone 7 and higher so they can be grown as perennials in the south and along the coast of California.  If you live in a colder region you can grow them as an annual but you'll need to grow a variety that can mature in one year such as Imperial Star (95 days to maturity).  Other common varieties like Globe require 180 days so this is only for those gardeners in warmer climates.

I was able to purchase my artichokes as a potted plants at my local garden center.  I don't know how widely available this vegetable is as a plant.  However, Artichokes can be grown from seeds and are available from Burpee, Cooks Garden, and other seed providers.

Here are growing instructions from the Burpee web site:

Wrap artichoke seeds in a damp towel and store in the refrigerator for two weeks before sowing, then plant 1/4" deep in individual pots 6-8 weeks before last expected frost. Grow in a sunny spot or under plant lights. Keep moist. Set artichoke plants out in the garden after the danger of hard frost is past. Mulch deeply to keep the soil as cool as possible. In hot areas, afternoon shade is helpful. Artichoke and Cardoon both prefer deep, fertile, well-drained soil.

Artichokes grow four feet high and occupy a similar diameter.  I found them very easy to grow.  Planted last year, my Globe artichokes went from a small plant in a 6 inch pot to almost full size in one year.  I did not get a harvest of artichokes the first year, but they are producing this year and I harvested one this last week end.

Harvesting is easy, just cut the stem about two inches below the flower.

Steamed Artichokes

Normally, we steam artichokes and then dip the bottoms of the leaves in melted butter and lemon.  Preparing artichokes in this fashion is very easy. 

• Cut the stem and the top off the artichoke with a heavy chef's knife.
•  Trim off a few layers of the bottom leaves that are normally too tough to eat.
•  Place the artichokes into a pot bottom side up and fill the pot with with 1 quart of water.
• Simmer for about 30 minutes till a knife inserted into the heart of the choke passes through with no resistance.
• If you want to speed this process up, rather than steaming the artichokes, you can cook them in a covered bowl in your microwave for about 12 minutes.
• Then just serve with melted butter and lemon

Carciofi Alla Guidia (Fried Artichokes Roman/Jewish Style)

This is also a very simple recipe, but you need to harvest the artichokes when they are small.  The recipe dates back to the time of imperial Rome.  My wife and I ate these on our first trip to that city many years ago and so this dish brings back fond memories.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 small artichokes (Get ones with stems that are 2 inches or more)
  
• 2.5 cups cooking grade olive oil
• 3 lemons
• Salt & pepper

Instructions:

• Trim the outer leaves of the artichokes with scissor so that you remove the top portion of the leaf that has the prickle.
• Using a peeler, remove the woody outer layer from the stem.
• After you peel the artichokes, place them in a bowl of cool acidulated water (water with juice of 2 lemon in it) This will keep the stems from turning brown.
• Let sit for 1 hour
• Remove and drain well.
• Flatten artichokes so that the leaves flatten out and look like a flower.
• Put artichokes into a pan of olive oil stem upwards and cook over a medium heat.
•  Turn the artichokes periodically so they cook evenly, including the stem. (check using a knife.  It should penetrate the heart without resistance)
  
• Cook for an additional 10 minutes pressing the flower side of the artichoke into the bottom of the pan with tongs or a spoon to flatten them out.
• Remove and drain.
• Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Below a 1 pound 11 ounce artichoke from my garden.