Knock, knock – who’s there? Arti. Arti who? Artichoke. I remember hearing this joke from my brother when he was little. I’m thinking of it now as I’m driving through Castroville, Calif.,  the “artichoke capital of the world” as they like to claim, gazing at miles and miles of thistle-like green just prime for picking.

The globe artichoke is a perennial variety of a species of thistle (in the sunflower family) that is cultivated as a food, and in my opinion, fit for the goddesses. In Vermont, there is an annual called the Imperial Star that grows well and taste great, although smaller. The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds and their stems when harvested before the flowers come into bloom. In sunny California, I see acres and acres of these large buds nestled atop their long bristly leaves. Continue reading →