What is globe artichoke

After you harvest the main flower bud, secondary buds will appear, and these too can be harvested when large enough. Globe artichokes become more prolific each year until, after several years, they run out of steam and the plants need to be replaced. Boil or steam young flower buds until tender, then drain and serve with melted butter, vinaigrette or hollandaise sauce. To eat, remove the leaf scales one by one, dip in the butter or sauce, then suck out the juicy flesh from each scale.

Finish off with the succulent heart. Mature flowers take longer to cook and are less flavoursome, but can be cooked and eaten in the same way. Buy now. Take action Why take action? Support us Donate Careers Commercial opportunities Leave a legacy.

Join the RHS today and support our charitable work Join now. Hot links Browse inspiration articles Buy plants online. Buy tickets. RHS members get reduced ticket prices Join now. Plants can be kept for several years and each year suckers will form at the base of the stems. They should be cut back to 30cm high in autumn. In winter they are pruned with the four strongest shoots left to flower the following spring. If flower heads are left on the plant and allowed to dry they are attractive additions to dried floral arrangements.

Also remove excess stem, leaving 1 — 2 cm. Place the whole head in a pot of water to which you have added some lemon juice and perhaps some garlic and a herb like bay leaf. Drain the head. Try dipping the lower portions of the leaves in mayonnaise, or a vinaigrette prepared from oil, lemon juice with finely chopped herbs like parsley, then scraping them off with your teeth.

When the lower leaves have been removed, scoop out the fine, hairy portion which is inedible, and then the remaining heart can be eaten with the dip. Pull or cut off the lower leaves until the central portion is revealed. At the same time, working relatively quickly, drain the artichokes, towel dry them, and slice them about 1 cm thick or cut into wedges. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the artichoke slices, tossing them a few times, then season with salt and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes or a few turns of black pepper.

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the water or wine and the lemon juice, and cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 12 minutes or so, removing the lid and stirring a few times, until the artichokes are tender. Stir in the parsley. This is more a veg starter or preamble than a mezze-style dish, but we love globe artichokes so much that we want to encourage everyone to eat them.

Servs 6. Remove the toughest leaves from close to the base of each artichoke and trim the stem to about 3cm long or, on good-sized ones, remove the stem completely, so the artichoke will sit flat on its base. Place in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water with a squeeze of lemon juice, or in a steamer, and cook for 15—30 minutes, depending on size and freshness.

Just-cut artichokes will need less cooking. An artichoke is cooked when a leaf from the middle pulls away easily and the heart is tender when pierced with a knife. To eat, pull off the outer leaves, dipping them in your chosen sauce and scraping away the tender part with your teeth. Work your way down to the tiny, papery leaves near the base, discarding these. In smaller artichokes, the leaves are more tender baby artichokes may not even have a choke ; in larger ones, the hearts are bigger.

To serve whole, cut the tough tips of the leaves off with scissors, holding the stalk to keep the artichoke steady. Pull the pale centre leaves out, then scoop the choke out with a spoon, without disturbing the heart underneath. To prevent browning, drop each one in a bowl of water to which a little lemon juice has been added. Drain upside down. Iron, copper and aluminium cookware may cause artichokes to discolour; stainless steel, glass or enamel is better.

Artichoke hearts are easily available bottled in oil, and are great as part of an Italian anti pasti course. Otherwise, boil or steam the whole artichoke head, then pull the leaves off and dip them in hollandaise sauce, melted butter or garlic butter, drawing the leaf through your teeth to remove the tender flesh before discarding the rest.