Harvesting and culinary

Harvesting

I started harvesting from spring and continued throughout the summer, cutting the flower bubs off, leaving an inch or two of the stem when they were six to eight inches long.

Artichokes possess good keeping qualities, frequently remaining fresh for seven days in a refrigerator.

Culinary

The total antioxidant capacity of artichoke flower heads is one of the highest reported, being found in the pulp of the leaves.

I prepared my globe artichokes by removing approximately a quarter of each scale to remove the thorns and simmered them in lightly salted water, to which 20 to 30 ml of vinegar were added for 15 to 30 minutes.

To eat the Artichoke, I remove the leaves one at a time, dip them in mayonnaise or vinaigrette sauce, and pull off the fleshy base with my lower teeth and discarded the fibrous upper part of each leaf eaten.

I take care to peel away the hairy inedible choke from the base and discarded it, leaving the artichoke heart, which I also eat by slicing and dipping the slices in various sauces or dressing them in with lemon and olive oil.

The artichoke hearts are highly prized and celebrated in many countries.  For example, in Italy, in the four seasons, pizza artichoke hearts in oil are prepared with olives for summer, mushrooms for autumn, and prosciutto for winter.

In Spain, the tenderer, younger, and smaller artichokes are used. They are be sprinkled with olive oil and left in hot ashes in a barbecue, sautéed in olive oil with garlic, rice as paella, or sautéed and combined with eggs in a tortilla.

Often cited is the Greek anginares Alla Polita ("artichokes city-styled"), a hearty, savoury stew made with artichoke hearts, potatoes, carrots, and flavoured onion, lemon, and dil. The Tinos island and Iria and Kantia villages in the Peloponnese still celebrate their local production of a day of the Artichoke and artichoke festivals.

Apart from culinary applications, the globe artichoke is also an attractive plant for its bright floral display, sometimes grown in herbaceous borders for its bold foliage and large, purple flower heads. The distinctive decorative Artichoke continues to play an essential part in the lives of many people throughout the world.