Artichoke bouquet for the bees

I've been wanting to cut back the artichoke plant for weeks. But every time I went out to look at it, another flower had opened, and the bees were all over the place. Didn't have the heart to chop down a bee resource. So I waited...

Then a couple of days ago I noticed that all of the artichoke flowers had finally opened. So, I made a bee bouquet and put it in the backyard.

A friend told me she saw artichoke flowers for sale at an Oakland farmer's market...$5 a stem. I guess that makes this a $30 bouquet - wow! Maybe I should put that in the garden harvest tally... Plus all the other artichoke flowers that bloomed while still on the plant; there's been at least a dozen over the last couple of months.

Now, I can cut back the artichoke plant like I'm supposed to! Had to use a saw...the main stalks were a few inches thick. Now, I'm hoping for a fall crop of artichokes, though my "bee-love" may have made me miss that opportunity :)

Artichokes Bloom! And new baby artichoke plants...

As discussed earlier, artichokes are not only great to eat, but they also produce large, lovely flowers. However, in order to actually see the flowers, one must resist eating the artichoke. The dilemma here is that we tend to eat the immature flower bud. I had a series of out-of-town work trips recently that kept me away from my garden for a couple weeks and so several artichokes got too big/mature for eating. Thus, paving the way for artichoke flowers:

I'm thinking it's about time to cut the leaves and flowers off the artichokes.

I believe this is what the local farmers do around this time of year when the plants start to look quite raggedy. It seems harsh, but it's supposed to encourage new growth and possibly a fall crop. Any ideas, or advice?

Due to the success of my first plant, I decided to go out and get it some friends. So, I've now added 2 more "Green Globe" artichokes to the front yard:

Once they really settle in, they should take off!

Also, in case you were wondering ;) - this is what chard gone to seed looks like:

It's about 5 feet tall...more funky-ness for the front yard!

Artichoke: Flower or food?

As you may know, I'm growing an artichoke in the front yard. It's almost harvest time, but I'm having trouble deciding between food or flower.

Artichokes that you might buy at the farmer's market or grocery store are the immature flower buds of the artichoke plant. Kind of like cauliflower or broccoli, with one major exception. Artichoke flowers are gorgeous!

photo courtesy of: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net


What do you think?

Food, to feed the tummies?











photo courtesy of: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net


Or a flower, to feed the soul?





















photo courtesy of: http://www.freeclipartpictures.com

Artichokes rising

Neighbors have been asking: "What is that huge plant in the front corner of your yard? Is that an Artichoke?"
My reply: "Why yes, it is!"

And it's a behemoth:

Artichokes are king in Castroville, which is only a few miles from my house. In fact, they host an Artichoke Festival every year in the small agricultural town. http://www.artichoke-festival.org/ has all the details of the 50th celebration of this lovely thistle.

Just one of several posters available for purchase on the site:













There's a reason artichokes are so widely grown in Castroville and I'll bet you can guess it.

That's right, climate. According to the festival organizers:

"Artichokes are a marine climate vegetable and thrive in the cooler coastal climates. The artichoke does best in frost-free areas with cool, foggy summers but will grow almost anywhere there are at least 100 frost free days. Freezing temperatures will kill the buds and hot, dry conditions destroy the tenderness though artichokes do, however, like full sun."

A baby artichoke just beginning to emerge.

It's all about the cool weather crops here on the Central Coast!