Artichoke and Cardoon

The beloved artichoke (Cynara scolymus) is a well-known food in the US. The part consumed is the flower bud, which is cooked in a variety of ways (roasted, steamed, baked). People who take the time to eat an artichoke are food lovers—only a food nut would be interested in the unique flavor of Cynarine, a hydroxycinnamic acid, enough to take the time to pull apart the fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and scrape off the little bits of tender, flavorful meat in each bract, before finally reaching the heart. Lazy people will just purchased pickled artichoke hearts which have only a hint of the flavor that the fresh hearts have.

The flowers of artichoke and cardoon are gorgeous.

Artichokes are rather gorgeous plants, like an herbaceous agave. And they can produce so many buds that you may let some of those buds go to flower. Artichoke blooms are spectacular and do well as cut flowers.

The cardoon is a more robust plant with much thicker midribs.

Lesser known but of consideration is the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) which grows similarly to an artichoke, and at first-glance may be mistaken for one. While the smaller flower buds are edible like the artichoke (though not quite as meaty), it is the midribs of the large leaves that are eaten.

Harvested cardoon.

Cardoons have a much larger, thicker midrib which is peeled and roasted and has a similar flavor to the artichoke heart when prepared correctly (enough of the bitter peel has been removed). The flowers of the cardoon are also gorgeous.

Once cleaned, cardoon looks almost like celery.

Both plants are extremely high in antioxidants. The total antioxidant capacity of Cynara species is one of the highest reported for vegetables.

Both plants are perennial, though dead-looking in the summer after blooming. They are generally cut back in late June/early July and will re-sprout in the monsoon season or fall. They usually live more or less than about 5 years.

Start seed in the summer indoors or in greenhouses to be transplanted in late monsoon or fall, or find plants in one-gallon containers in nurseries. Plants will grow throughout the cool-season, though frost can cause some cosmetic damage to the leaves. Plant in full to part sun, with well-amended soil, and even, moderate moisture. Feed occasionally with an organic fertilizer. In the spring, blooms will start to emerge and they are picked in the budding stage. Buds are generally harvested once they reach full size, just before the bracts begin to spread open. Harvesting artichokes requires that you cut off the bud along with 3 inches of stem.

Grilled Artichokes with Garlic Parmesan Butter.

Cardoon leaves can be harvested whenever they look ready and sometimes the entire plant is harvested. The flavor of cardoon leaves is greatly improved by blanching the leaves (depriving them of sunlight by wrapping them). This was traditionally done by burying the plant underground, thus, cardoon plantations in Spain are often formed by characteristic earth mounds surrounding each plant, the earth covering the stalks.

There are many varieties of both artichoke and cardoon available, especially by seed companies that specialize in Italian heirloom crops.

Purple Italian Artichoke