All Choked Up for Artichokes
Always lending themselves to the plates of others, artichokes have got the kindest ‘heart’ around! They’re a member of the thistle family, but don’t let that scare you. Once you remove the pointy thorns from the outer leaves, these hearty vegetables will do you no harm. Folks all around the world enjoy artichokes cheffed up in a variety of ways. While boiling or steaming them is a popular option, you can also stuff them with sausage, cheese and bread crumbs, saute them with oil and serve on rice, or use them to make a healthy, antioxidant rich tea. Even with all these internationally inspired ways to prepare them, farmer Jenn still stands by using her insta-pot for the tastiest and fastest cooked chokes around! Give us a holler if you’ve discovered any creative new way to use these beauties.
Artichokes have got quite a history, claiming the title as one of the oldest cultivated vegetables around. While it’s unknown exactly where they were first grown, we know that they came to California in the 1920s when farmer Andrew Molera (State Park ring a bell anyone?) was approached by some Italian immigrants. They easily convinced Mr. Molera to try growing artichokes as a much more profitable crop than his sugar beets. Now, a whole century later, almost all the artichokes cultivated in the USA come from Monterey County, California!
Unfortunately, it wasn’t without a whole lot of drama that artichokes grew in their justified popularity. You read that right, Artichoke drama. In the same decade that Molera began cultivating them, a member of the mafia in New York, known as the “Artichoke King” was not-so-stealthily growing an unethical monopoly on artichokes and causing ‘artichoke wars’ to break out in the fields (machetes and all!). A war on vegetables- now that’s not something you hear every day. The NY mayor put a ban on the ‘sale, display, and possession of artichokes,’ making them illegal in the state. Though it wasn’t for long, since the mayor admitted to loving them, so he lifted the ban after only a week. We don’t blame him.
Thankfully here at the farm, we haven’t had any night raids on artichokes. We have, however, had a tougher than usual year cultivating them. Partly due to the mild summer last year, partly due to new soil, partly due to… we’re still figuring that out! But really- we’ve been discussing new crop formations, fertilization techniques, watering, nutrition, you name it. Artichokes are easily affected by any kind of variance, and a real ‘labor of love’ to grow. We harvest them often after or in heavy rains, making it tough to get through the rows and easy to take an unexpected plunge in the mud. We use large backpacks on our backs to toss the chokes in and keep moving. Harvesting artichokes, according to farmer Tyler, is a right of passage here at Spade & Plow. And since artichokes take so long to grow (6 whole months!) and are harvested for another 5 months, they’re in the ground for nearly a year. This means that they not only take up a lot of ground space, but also a lot of head space.
As artichokes are slowly starting to roll in, we encourage you to get your insta-pots and saucepans ready for this historically and flavorfully rich vegetable! You’ll know a good one if its leaves are in a tightly packed formation and if it feels heavy for size. Don’t worry if you see a little browning or peeling. Those are ‘frost kissed’ chokes from the winter and are much more tender and sweeter than those that look perfectly green. Don’t get too CHOKED UP when you see them in CSA this month. They’ve missed you too!