Artichokes are in! December 4, 2014

artichokes, meredith 1, shd 2013It’s artichoke season! We’ve dug up our first few and its a  good crop. There are three unrelated artichoke plants, Jerusalem, Chinese and Globe Artichoke, the one that we grow here at Martineau Gardens is the Jerusalem artichoke. Related to the sunflower family, it grows tall stems, over 4 foot in height. The part that is edible, the knobbly brown tubers, are hidden below the surface of the vegetable beds. It’s not until harvest time (usually December) that we find out how well our artichokes have done.

Call into the Gardens to buy a handful of artichokes*. If you’re wondering what to do with them, we recommend turning  them into soup or roasting them. Jamie Oliver has a tasty looking recipe here:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/saut-ed-jerusalem-artichokes-with-garlic-and-bay-leaves

*if you’re making a special journey, call ahead to check supplies!

Artichokes