Artichokes: The Incredible Edible Thistle
Growing up in northern California, we were spoiled by an abundant supply of artichokes. Castroville, in Monterey County, is the undisputed artichoke center of the world and supplies most of the crop for the entire country. Indeed, the popular Castroville Artichoke Festival attracts thousands of visitors to the area each May. Artichokes are as versatile as they are beautiful, and provide a unique flavor to many dishes. Thankfully, our local Trader Joe's offers a wide selection of artichokes, including baby and giant versions, and a lovely purple thistle with softer leaves than its green counterpart. We still enjoy them throughout the year.
A Few Facts About Globe Artichokes
Courtesy of Wikipedia
The Globe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) is a perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean. It grows to 1.5-2 m tall, with arching, deeply lobed, silvery glaucous-green leaves 50?80 cm long. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8?15 cm diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple. The edible portion of the buds consists primarily of the fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and the base, known as the "heart"; the mass of immature florets in the center of the bud is called the "choke". These are inedible in older larger flowers.
Artichoke by Marni Maree
Artichokes on the Menu Photo Gallery
Courtesy of Flickr
Click on any image to enlarge
Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna
Artichoke Recipes & More
Simply Recipes Learn how to cook and eat an artichoke.Artichoke Advisory Board of California Favorite dips from Castroville, Artichoke Benedict, Grilled Artichokes, Couscous-Stuffed Artichokes, Baked Artichoke Casserole, Focaccia-Stuffed Artichokes, Artichoke Frittata, and more.
What's Cooking America? Artichoke & Goat Cheese Bruschetta, Artichoke Hearts with Crab, Artichoke Mushroom Cannelloni Lasagna, Fettuccine with Baby Artichokes, Grilled Baby Artichokes, Italian Stuffed Artichokes, Sombrero Artichokes, Stuffed Artichokes with Smoked Salmon Salad, and more.
About.com: Home Cooking Artichoke Hearts in Tomato Rice, Artichoke Mashed Potatoes, Artichoke Nut Bread, Artichokes & Pork Chops with Mustard Cream, Artichoke Rose Garnish, Artichoke Soup, Ragout of Fresh Clams with Artichokes and Tomatoes, Shrimp & Artichoke Stuffed Fish, Spinach & Artichokes in Puff Pastry, Stewed Artichokes with Olives and Moroccan Spices, and more.
Do You Have a Favorite Artichoke Recipe?
Add Your Lens or Website Link Here
#2
How to Cook an Artichoke
Here's How I Do It...
Trim the stem and tip of each artichoke, then cut any remaining thorns with kitchen scissors. Place artichokes bottom down in a deep sauce pan so they fit snugly. Drizzle olive oil over the cut, top portion and sprinkle liberally with Lawry's garlic salt. Add thinly sliced lemon wedges and a bay leaf to the pot. Fill pot with enough water to cover the artichokes, plus an inch or two. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Loosely cover the pan and continue simmering on low for another 30 minutes. Turn off heat and tightly cover for another 30 minutes to an hour. Gently drain artichokes, transfer to a platter, and serve. More Artichoke Cooking Tips
-
Artichokes - Where do artichokes come from and how to prepare cook & eat them.
-
The artichoke (aka: cynara cardunculus) is a thistle that originated from the Mediterranean. Only the heart of these flowering thistles are edible.
Scarpetta Tomato Artichoke Bruschetta Topping
Artichokes for the Pantry
Preserved Meyer Lemon & Artichoke Vinaigrette
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 12/01/2008) 
Artichoke & Zinfandel Tapenade - A Bountiful Harvest Everyday Gourmet
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/01/2008)
Artichoke Bottom 9/12ct 28 Oz
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 12/01/2008)
Scarpetta Tomato and Artichoke Bruschetta Topping, 15.8-Ounce Jar (Pack of 4)
Amazon Price: $18.15 (as of 12/01/2008)
12 oz. Artichoke Linguini Pasta
Amazon Price: $6.50 (as of 12/01/2008)
Le Creuset Stoneware Petite Artichoke Casserole
Artichoke Touches for the Kitchen
Amazon Error: Could not open remote connection
Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.Artichoke Steaming Rack
The Ideal Way to Cook Artichokes
Artichoke Steaming Rack
Amazon Price: $2.89 (as of 12/01/2008)
Size: 4" top diameter x 2.75" base diameter x 2.5" height.
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Artichoke Blossom
Artichoke Gear for You (and the Pooch!)
Giant Green Artichoke Dog T-Shirt
Price: 19.99
Giant Green Artichoke 2.25" Button
Price: 4.99
Giant Green Artichoke Kids Baseball Jersey
Price: 19.99
"artichoke heart" - Tote Bag
Price: 14.99
Rare Red Concerto Artichoke
Grow Your Own Artichokes
A Selection of Artichoke Seeds
Artichoke Seeds Green Globe Improved & Purple Heirloom
Amazon Price: $1.89 (as of 12/01/2008)
Rare Red Concerto Artichoke 5 Seeds - Delicious Veggie
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 12/01/2008)
Green Globe Artichoke 15 Seeds - Exotic/Edible
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 12/01/2008)
Cardoon 15 Seeds - Edible-Cynara cardunculus - Veggie
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 12/01/2008)
Gardening Resources on Squidoo
These Lensmasters Have Green Thumbs
-
How to Start a Vegetable Garden
-
Do you want to learn how to start a vegetable garden? This is a collection of the best vegetable gardening tips from my site, Fresh Cooking From Your Garden. It includes everything you need to know to grow your own garden&nbs...
-
Seed and Garden Supply Catalogs and Product Reviews
-
Time to order those seed catalogs, so you can start looking through them to order your seeds for your gardens! Or for faster , easier ordering, order right here from their websites! You can also look over the beautiful pictures of flowers and vegetab...
Artichoke Flower Macro View
Artichoke Fashions
I LOVE ARTICHOKES Hooded Sweatshirt
Price: 39.99
I LOVE ARTICHOKES Ash Grey T-Shirt
Price: 19.99
I LOVE ARTICHOKES Classic Thong
Price: 12.99
I Heart (Love) Artichokes Kids Sweatshirt
Price: 24.99
I Heart (Love) Artichokes Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Price: 28.99
Castroville, California
I Love Castroville T-Shirt
100% Cotton
I Love Castroville T-shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 12/01/2008)
Short sleeve, pre-shrunk, great quality, and an amazing price.
Available in sizes Small to XXXXX-Large
W is for Welcome
Did you learn something new about artichokes?
tandemonimom wrote...
I've never been brave enough to cook an artichoke before, but maybe now I'll dare to try. Thanks for a beautiful and informative lens! 5*
Posted October 24, 2008
RyanRE wrote...
This is a great artichoke lens. I never knew that you could buy an artichoke thong before. Thanks for visiting my artichoke lens too. ***** to ya!
Posted August 23, 2008
EverythingMouse wrote...
I often eat artichokes - they are a real family favorite. It is funny because my daughter took one in her packed lunch recently and she said that so many of the kids didn't know what it was! They liked the taste though for those who were 'brave' enough to try.
Posted July 21, 2008
MiaBellezza wrote...
Great lens - I love artichokes and lensrolled into Margaritas *****.
Posted July 07, 2008
PainLizard wrote...
Hi,
I love your lens. Given you 5 stars.
Check out my 1st lens "Weight Loss and Back Pain".
Thank you.
Posted July 06, 2008
DrRichard wrote...
Hi Kim - I love this lens and I love artichokes (especially in a nice risotto!)
Posted June 22, 2008
KimGiancaterino wrote...
Fred, here is one dog food that contains artichokes: Great Life Premium Dog Food. I've read elsewhere that artichokes are good for treating liver disease in dogs.
Posted April 01, 2008
EelKat wrote...
I grow them because I love the pretty blossoms and because they attract goldfinches to the garden, but I never eat them
Posted March 30, 2008
Fred Mindlin wrote
Great fan of artichokes, I've eaten them since I was a kid in Southern California. Does anyone know if artichokes are safe for dogs to eat?
Thanks for any help you can give, and a nice site.
http://thedigitalstoryteller.com
Posted March 12, 2008
LeslieBrenner wrote...
Oh, a fellow native Californian who loves artichokes!
Posted February 27, 2008
Courtesies
Culinary Favorites from A to Z on Squidoo
Inspired by Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone Series
-
Culinary Favorites From A to Z Headquarters
-
Culinary Favorites from A to Z I'm working on my own series of culinary favorites from A to Z, and thought it would be fun to create a group of food-related lenses to keep my lenses company. This group is open to anything related to cooking. In addi...
-
Sue Grafton, A is for Alibi...
-
A bitter divorce and custody battle led Sue Grafton to fantasize about ways to eliminate her former husband. Thankfully, she found a way to constructively express her feelings through writing. A is for Alibi was released in 1982, introducing a chrono...
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byCreative Commons License
Plagiarism is No Laughing Matter
© 2008 Kim GiancaterinoThis work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-
No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
