Cooking/eating Cardoons

[lettucegrow!]

I have a huge Cardoon plant that has self seeded itself right in the middle of my veg. patch. Fortunately I love the plant and I read that you can eat the stems- boiling or roasting but has anyone attempted it and are they worth it? Thought this might be an interesting addition to the Sunday dinner.

[Snadger]

I also have a large cardoon which I grew from seed. I remember on the Victorian Kitchen garden series they wrapped it with a straw rope in the autumn possibly to blanch the new shoots?
Iknow that Seakale it treat similar to rhubarb and you eat the young blanched shoots but can't remember if you did the same with cardoon?

I'll just have to dig the VKG DVD out to find out!