Artichokes in the Kitchen

The artichoke makes no concessions to those who want a quick meal. So, in this age of ``fast food" and ``quick fixes," what keeps this commodity growing? Serious artichoke eaters will tell you that the reason for eating an artichoke is its unique, nutty flavor. Most people cook the whole artichoke, and slip each leaf petal, one by one, through their teeth until they reach the delectable heart. Children love them because they get to eat artichokes with their fingers!

The artichoke is fun to eat, and it's good for you. One 12-ounce artichoke is a good source of vitamin C, folate and potassium. It's low in sodium, fat-free and a dieter's delight at only 25 calories. Scientists are not certain how, but it seems that artichoke leaves may lower cholesterol.

In addition to eating them ``straight up," many consumers have discovered that artichokes also make excellent additions to stir-fry and pasta dishes

Artichoke Dip     Serving Size : 4

1-2 cans Artichoke hearts  drained— unmarinated

1 cup Mayonnaise — not salad dressing

1 cup Parmesan cheese

OPTIONAL - 4 ounces
  Green chiles — chopped

Drain artichoke hearts and break apart. Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350¥F for 30 minutes. Serve with tostada chips or assorted crackers.

Artichoke
Cynara scolymus
Compositae Family

Artichoke is the name for two perennial plants of the thistle group of the sunflower (Compositae) family, both having edible parts. One artichoke plant, the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus).  It is the only root plant of economic importance to have originated in North America. Its potato-like tubers, most favored as a food in Europe and China, contain inulin, a valuable source of fructose for diabetics. The tubers are also used to produce alcohol. If left unchecked, Jerusalem artichokes may become undesirable weeds and take over the garden area. The other plant most commonly thought of as ``the" artichoke  is a native of the Mediterranean. It is the French, or globe, artichoke (Cynara scolymus) of southern Europe whose immature, globular flower heads are a popular vegetable favored by gourmets in the United States.

The ``vegetable" that we eat is actually the plant's flower bud. The edible bud is made up of a cone of short, thick-stemmed bracts. The size of the bud depends upon where it is located on the plant. The largest are ``terminal" buds produced at the end of the long central stems. If allowed to flower, the blossoms measure up to seven inches in diameter and are a beautiful violet-blue color. In full growth, the plant spreads to cover an area about six feet in diameter and reaches a height of three to four feet. Its long, arching, deeply serrated leaves give the plant a fern-like appearance.

The artichoke is one of the world's oldest medicinal plants. The ancient Egyptians placed great value on the plant, as it is clearly seen in drawings involving fertility and sacrifice. It was known to both the Greeks and the Romans. In 77 AD the Roman naturalist Pliny called the choke ``one of the earth's monstrosities," but evidently he and his colleagues continued to enjoy eating them.  One reads that wealthy Romans enjoyed artichokes prepared in honey and vinegar, seasoned with cumin.

Beginning about 800 AD, North African Moors began cultivating artichokes in the area of Granada, Spain. Another Arab group, the Saracens, became identified with chokes in Sicily. This may explain why the English word artichoke is derived from the Arab, ``al'qarshuf" rather than from the Latin, ``cynara. The Spanish settlers of California brought the artichoke there in the 1600's but it didn't appear to take hold beyond individual gardens until its reintroduction 1922 by Andrew Molera, a landowner in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County, California, just south of San Francisco. Molera decided to lease land previously dedicated to growing sugar beets to farmers willing to try the ``new" vegetable. His reasons were economic. Artichokes were fetching high prices and farmers could pay Molera triple what the sugar company did for the same land. By 1929, artichokes were the third largest cash crop in the Valley.

All artichokes grown commercially in the United States are grown here  in California. The Green Globe is the most common cultivar. It prefers temperate climates—never too hot or cold. The central coast of California, where winters are relatively frost-free and summers are cool and moist with fog, is an ideal growing area. During the 1997-1998 crop year, the total crop value was more than $46 million. About 80% percent of the state's total acreage lies within Monterey County near Castroville, ``The Artichoke Center of the World." An annual Artichoke Festival is held each May. The peak season is March through May and again to a smaller degree in October. The largest and most of the smallest artichokes are sold to the fresh market. About one-fourth of the crop is the middle-sized group used for canned artichoke hearts and bottoms (crowns) or frozen, quartered artichokes.

Growing Green Globe artichokes from crown divisions or shoots is preferred. Seed under the same name is also offered by several seed companies but the Green Globe propagated from seed may be, and usually is, quite different from that grown from shoots produced by the artichoke industry in California. Artichoke plants grown from seed tend to be variable with only 60-70 percent of the plants producing decent ``chokes."

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