Artichoke

artichoke grown in garden

artichoke grown in the field

raw artichoke

cooked small artichoke

Very easy to grow perennial plant, no pest, not much care needed, come back every spring with flower buds. More than that, the root spread and pops up new plants, that you can transplant elsewhere.

 I have transplanted some into the border of the field 2 years ago. Without any watering, any looking after, they are doing well and give me more flowers buds to eat, in this gap when there are a lot growing in the garden but not much ready to harvest. When there are more veg to eat, I will leave the artichoke buds to bloom into giant blue flowers that bees love very much.

In the mean time, for the artichoke buds, when small, I will have them raw, served with a vinaigrette dressing. Or steamed for 15 minutes, big one to be enjoyed slowly eating the nugget off the outside scale coverings before reaching the meaty center, and for small one, cut up and serve simply with a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.