Meatless Monday- Artichokes for Dinner
26
Mar 2012
Spring has sprung and artichokes are calling me this Meatless Monday. I’ve written about my favorite way to eat them here, and thought it would be fun to learn a bit more about this member of the thistle family.
- Nearly all the artichokes grown in the US are from California
- Baby artichokes are from the same plant as the larger ones. Shaded from the leaves of the taller growth, they are simply stunted in size.
- Artichokes are one of the oldest foods known to man, dating back as far as 300B.C.
- Fresh chokes are squeaky when squeezed.
- The perennial plant is a member of the Sunflower family, and more than 40 varieties are grown commercially.
- The yummy vegetable we eat is actually the flower’s bud, and if allowed to bloom, the lovely violet colored flower can peak at about 7 inches.
- The peak season for these beauties is spring and fall.
Women were once forbidden from eating the artichoke because of its rumored aphrodisiac qualities. So now you know the details…Take advantage of this delicious morsels’ liberation and enjoy the bounty of the season.
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