Artichokes

A few years ago, my friend Jean had a dozen or so small artichoke plants growing near her driveway and she asked if I'd like a few. We dug up a couple and I planted them as soon as I got home. Sure enough, they started to grow, develop small buds that grew to full-sized artichokes! It was fun to watch, and the plants were beautiful .... and big. But what to do with the artichokes? I probably had eaten two in my life time. They were cooked in boiling water for about 45 minutes. Then you started taking off the leaves and dipping the meaty ends in melted butter or mayonnaise. It was a lot of work. Finally you got down to the heart and had to cut the "choke" off and throw it away. I have to say, the heart is a wonderful treat and worth the wait!

Each plant this year had at least 12 artichokes. Quite a crop.

Somewhere I have a photo of the beautiful bloom that appears when an artichoke that has not been picked has "gone to seed", but I cannot find it right now. It's a light purple, lilac color. Here's what a dried up artichoke looks like. It has its own beauty, I guess.

The plants eventually dry up each year and you have to cut them at ground level. My job now is to get out the extension cord and my Sawzall and cut the two plants. I tried a handsaw, but that's just too much work. I was most surprised today to see the new growth already starting in the photo below! These plants aim to please. They spread.