Any Fellow Artichoke Eaters?

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I know it's a lesser-known regional vegetable that flourishes here on Califuckia's central coast - I have several out of state relatives who have never seen or touched an artichoke in their lives. But anyway, I love boiling an artichoke for about 60-90 minutes in a mixture of brine, pineapple juice and lemon juice (to give the green leaves a nice, sharp zing) and eat them with mayo. You peel off the leaves, dip the puffy, meat end of the leaf in mayo and use your teeth to suck all the "green meat" off the leaf, then dispose of the leaf remnant. Then when the leaves are gone and you get to the bizarre-looking, alien heart of the artichoke, you can dip the whole motherfucker in mayo and eat it until there's nothing left. Like all plump green plants, it's packed with all varieties of nutrition. Including anti-oxidants that keep us from oxidizing (because that would be a worldwide tragedy if that happened).

I got into this artichoke w/mayo habit when I was a young child and every time we visited our late grandma's house, she'd feed us a lunch of tomato soup with soda crackers and a boiled artichoke like clockwork. And the funniest/damndest thing is that at 45, I still often cook up grandma's same childhood lunch for myself from time to time.

ANY FORM! Soup, salad, steamed with leaves dipped in butter, DIPS--any dip with artichokes. OMG.

 

[Gracie]

Doesn't hurt the leaves..which is what you want to eat. And the heart, of course.

Microwaves are good for popcorn and hot chocolate. Nothing more.

And making Artichokes tender faster so you can dip those leaves in lemon butter or ranch dressing....and on to the yummy heart.

Vegetables are best fresh. If they require cooking they aren't worth bothering with.

Green peppers for instance. Fantastic raw, disgusting cooked.

Same with shrooms. HATE them cooked. LOVE them raw with a little salt sprinkled on 'em.

 

[WillMunny]

I love Artichokes! And...to cook them faster...NUKE THEM!

Sorry, no. Artichokes are best when you boil them for over an hour in brine and the sour fruit juices of your choice. Pretty much everything is better on the stove than the microwave. Plus, I love the warm, steamy "green" smell of them when they've boiling for awhile.

 

[WillMunny]

I know it's a lesser-known regional vegetable that flourishes here on Califuckia's central coast - I have several out of state relatives who have never seen or touched an artichoke in their lives. But anyway, I love boiling an artichoke for about 60-90 minutes in a mixture of brine, pineapple juice and lemon juice (to give the green leaves a nice, sharp zing) and eat them with mayo. You peel off the leaves, dip the puffy, meat end of the leaf in mayo and use your teeth to suck all the "green meat" off the leaf, then dispose of the leaf remnant. Then when the leaves are gone and you get to the bizarre-looking, alien heart of the artichoke, you can dip the whole motherfucker in mayo and eat it until there's nothing left. Like all plump green plants, it's packed with all varieties of nutrition. Including anti-oxidants that keep us from oxidizing (because that would be a worldwide tragedy if that happened).

I got into this artichoke w/mayo habit when I was a young child and every time we visited our late grandma's house, she'd feed us a lunch of tomato soup with soda crackers and a boiled artichoke like clockwork. And the funniest/damndest thing is that at 45, I still often cook up grandma's same childhood lunch for myself from time to time.

ANY FORM! Soup, salad, steamed with leaves dipped in butter, DIPS--any dip with artichokes. OMG.

Artichokes are a very versatile food item, aren't they?

 

[Gracie]

Too damn hot to cook on the stove. When I have a hankerin' for artichokes..I want them NOW.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Globe Artichokes are related to the Thistle weed. Flowers look similar. There is also what's called a Jerusalem Artichoke, which is a root type vegetable and is in no way related to the Globe.

I've always boiled or steamed in plain water for up to 30 minutes or so and dip in either plain butter or garlic butter. The heart is just as good if not better than the leaves.

Most pickled hearts are done in a seasoned oil.

Cali may be the largest producer of artichokes, but they can also be grown in the backyard garden. I have a couple here in the PNW...….though it is a challenge, for me anyway, to keep them from dying off during the winter.

 

[WillMunny]

Too damn hot to cook on the stove. When I have a hankerin' for artichokes..I want them NOW.

LOL, you're forgetting a little adage that also applies to cooking, "Patience is a virtue."

 

[WillMunny]

Globe Artichokes are related to the Thistle weed. Flowers look similar. There is also what's called a Jerusalem Artichoke, which is a root type vegetable and is in no way related to the Globe.

I've always boiled or steamed in plain water for up to 30 minutes or so and dip in either plain butter or garlic butter. The heart is just as good if not better than the leaves.

Most pickled hearts are done in a seasoned oil.

Cali may be the largest producer of artichokes, but they can also be grown in the backyard garden. I have a couple here in the PNW...….though it is a challenge, for me anyway, to keep them from dying off during the winter.

Interesting, it seems you know some things about artichokes even I don't. Although I always suspected they work well in a bunch of butter and/or garlic. In that sense I'm a bit boring - my condiment has always been mayo. I do know that the general west coast fraction of the US is where they thrive the most.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Globe Artichokes are related to the Thistle weed. Flowers look similar. There is also what's called a Jerusalem Artichoke, which is a root type vegetable and is in no way related to the Globe.

I've always boiled or steamed in plain water for up to 30 minutes or so and dip in either plain butter or garlic butter. The heart is just as good if not better than the leaves.

Most pickled hearts are done in a seasoned oil.

Cali may be the largest producer of artichokes, but they can also be grown in the backyard garden. I have a couple here in the PNW...….though it is a challenge, for me anyway, to keep them from dying off during the winter.

Interesting, it seems you know some things about artichokes even I don't. Although I always suspected they work well in a bunch of butter and/or garlic. In that sense I'm a bit boring - my condiment has always been mayo. I do know that the general west coast fraction of the US is where they thrive the most.

Actually I don't think I've tried mayo....but I have heard many do. I guess it's personal preference.

I have never tried to pickle artichoke before....like I do with cucumbers & other veggies using a brine of vinegar, salt & water & other seasonings....but the stores sell pickled artichoke hearts (and pickled mushrooms) that are in a seasoned oil.

As for growing it in odd places that it normally wouldn't.....I'd say to do some research & make whatever adjustments to maximize the environment. I used to know someone that grew them in Arizona.

 

[WillMunny]

Always remember, folks, artichokes work surprisingly well as a side dish to a steaming hot bowl of tomato soup & crackers that my old, 80-something grandma always served us kids for lunch for years every time we visited. I guess that's a perfect lesson to listen to your elders, they know some things that you don't.

 

[WillMunny]

Globe Artichokes are related to the Thistle weed. Flowers look similar. There is also what's called a Jerusalem Artichoke, which is a root type vegetable and is in no way related to the Globe.

I've always boiled or steamed in plain water for up to 30 minutes or so and dip in either plain butter or garlic butter. The heart is just as good if not better than the leaves.

Most pickled hearts are done in a seasoned oil.

Cali may be the largest producer of artichokes, but they can also be grown in the backyard garden. I have a couple here in the PNW...….though it is a challenge, for me anyway, to keep them from dying off during the winter.

Interesting, it seems you know some things about artichokes even I don't. Although I always suspected they work well in a bunch of butter and/or garlic. In that sense I'm a bit boring - my condiment has always been mayo. I do know that the general west coast fraction of the US is where they thrive the most.

Actually I don't think I've tried mayo....but I have heard many do. I guess it's personal preference.

I have never tried to pickle artichoke before....like I do with cucumbers & other veggies using a brine of vinegar, salt & water & other seasonings....but the stores sell pickled artichoke hearts (and pickled mushrooms) that are in a seasoned oil.

As for growing it in odd places that it normally wouldn't.....I'd say to do some research & make whatever adjustments to maximize the environment. I used to know someone that grew them in Arizona.

Pickling artichokes keeps the flavor nicely sharpened. Because long-time boiled vegetables tend to lose flavor and get bland. As well as lemon juice or the high-acid fruit juice of your choice, to give it a "bite" on its own.

 

[WillMunny]

Globe Artichokes are related to the Thistle weed. Flowers look similar. There is also what's called a Jerusalem Artichoke, which is a root type vegetable and is in no way related to the Globe.

I've always boiled or steamed in plain water for up to 30 minutes or so and dip in either plain butter or garlic butter. The heart is just as good if not better than the leaves.

Most pickled hearts are done in a seasoned oil.

Cali may be the largest producer of artichokes, but they can also be grown in the backyard garden. I have a couple here in the PNW...….though it is a challenge, for me anyway, to keep them from dying off during the winter.

Interesting, it seems you know some things about artichokes even I don't. Although I always suspected they work well in a bunch of butter and/or garlic. In that sense I'm a bit boring - my condiment has always been mayo. I do know that the general west coast fraction of the US is where they thrive the most.

Actually I don't think I've tried mayo....but I have heard many do. I guess it's personal preference.

I have never tried to pickle artichoke before....like I do with cucumbers & other veggies using a brine of vinegar, salt & water & other seasonings....but the stores sell pickled artichoke hearts (and pickled mushrooms) that are in a seasoned oil.

As for growing it in odd places that it normally wouldn't.....I'd say to do some research & make whatever adjustments to maximize the environment. I used to know someone that grew them in Arizona.

With some form of artificially controlled environmental conditions I can see artichokes growing outside of their central CA belt. As long as the growing conditions are adjusted to compensate.

 

[hjmick]

I know it's a lesser-known regional vegetable that flourishes here on Califuckia's central coast - I have several out of state relatives who have never seen or touched an artichoke in their lives. But anyway, I love boiling an artichoke for about 60-90 minutes in a mixture of brine, pineapple juice and lemon juice (to give the green leaves a nice, sharp zing) and eat them with mayo. You peel off the leaves, dip the puffy, meat end of the leaf in mayo and use your teeth to suck all the "green meat" off the leaf, then dispose of the leaf remnant. Then when the leaves are gone and you get to the bizarre-looking, alien heart of the artichoke, you can dip the whole motherfucker in mayo and eat it until there's nothing left. Like all plump green plants, it's packed with all varieties of nutrition. Including anti-oxidants that keep us from oxidizing (because that would be a worldwide tragedy if that happened).

I got into this artichoke w/mayo habit when I was a young child and every time we visited our late grandma's house, she'd feed us a lunch of tomato soup with soda crackers and a boiled artichoke like clockwork. And the funniest/damndest thing is that at 45, I still often cook up grandma's same childhood lunch for myself from time to time.

I used to partake of the wonderful thistle, the Mrs. still does... I will from time to time... we grew a plant in out back yard for several years, the wife enjoyed the fruits of that plant...

I lived in Ventura County for more than 30 years, close to the agriculture areas, don't recall ever seeing them grown there... I do recall seeing them grown inland...

 

[skye]

I love artichokes ..... always have! I cook them in boiling water for like half an hour more or less.....let them cool.... and them make a mix of olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar .....and I dip each leaf in that and then the heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

I love artichokes ..... always have! I cook them in boiling water for like half an hour more or less.....let them cool.... and them make a mix of olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar .....and I dip each leaf in that and then the heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

That sounds terribly bland.

This forum lacks cooking skills

 

[skye]

I love artichokes ..... always have! I cook them in boiling water for like half an hour more or less.....let them cool.... and them make a mix of olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar .....and I dip each leaf in that and then the heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

That sounds terribly bland.

This forum lacks cooking skills

it's all good Grampa.....all good

 

[WillMunny]

I love artichokes ..... always have! I cook them in boiling water for like half an hour more or less.....let them cool.... and them make a mix of olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar .....and I dip each leaf in that and then the heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Have you tried mayo on them? That's how I was brought up on artichokes.