ARTICHOKE...It May Be Ugly But It's Still Yummy!

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​Guess what? My kids are turning into artichokes kids.  A what?  Yes, artichokes kids! That’s a kid who not only grows but eats artichokes, according to them!
 
Artichokes are vegetables that at first are a bit scary looking for kids. They look like giant balls with pointy scales.  Hmm…I wonder who the first person was to look at this vegetable and say, “hey I think I’ll eat that for dinner tonight.” Whoever it was, I sure am glad he/she did because once you get past the ugliness of the artichoke, it’s really quite tasty.
 
In our garden, we decided to plant Green Globe Artichokes.  They can grow in just about any type of weather and will live for years and years and years.  They’re a strong plant and ideal for a  kid garden.
 
Artichokes grow on a large stem, called a thistle which can grow up to 5 feet high.  How tall are your kids?  Our artichoke plant is almost twice as big as my daughter.
 
The actual artichoke that you eat is really the flower bud of the plant. If you look at it closely, you’ll see what I mean.  If the bud isn’t cut off a big purple flower will actually show up.  If your artichoke blooms it’s too late to eat the vegetable so enjoy the pretty flower and watch for bees swarming!
 
What to tell the kids:  Artichokes grow to a little bigger than a tennis ball and have petals that almost look like leather.  The petals (actually called bracts) surround the heart of the plant.  You can eat the bottom part of each petal and the heart inside. Boil or steam it!
 
After the growing season, be sure to continue watering your artichoke plant.  You should try to water your plant at least every 3 or 4 days. Also try not to get the leaves wet and concentrate on watering just the soil around it.
 
The kids have actually gone gaga over an artichoke macaroni and cheese dinner.  (You can email me for the secret recipe.)  However, our favorite way to eat artichokes is by pulling the leaves right off and dipping them into a mayo/ranch sauce. The “meat” of the artichoke is on the end and you just scrape it off with your teeth!