Globe artichokes - when ready and spikey...

[OakR]

Hello

I was given a couple of Artichoke plants last year that are fruiting this year.

I've no idea how you know when they are ripe to harvest?

also they seem very spikey, is this normal or a different variety? If normal, what is the best way to remove the spikes - they are very sharp.

Thanks!

[ameno]

Those look more than ready. In fact the larger ones look a bit over, to be honest.
And the spikes are normal - they are a type of thistle, after all. Indeed their wild ancestor, the cardoon, has far spikier flowers than that.

Also, if you don't already know your remove a good two-thirds of each head (including all the spiky bits) and throw it away, anyway. It's only the heart which you eat - all of the outer layers are peeled off and discarded, and the top is trimmed off with a sharp knife.
I imagine you can find a guide to preparing them online somewhere.

It's why I've never wanted to grow them, to be honest. I've bought artichokes from the shops in the past, but preparing them is such a faff, and there's so much waste, that I've never fancied growing them, especially as they make pretty large plants yet only yield maybe 10 heads per plant at most.

[Snoop Puss]

I've bought artichokes from the shops in the past, but preparing them is such a faff, and there's so much waste, that I've never fancied growing them, especially as they make pretty large plants yet only yield maybe 10 heads per plant at most.

Yes, the waste is enormous. You throw out far more than you eat. But in fact that's why I resent buying them - all that money straight in the compost bin - and would much rather grow them. Plus, I love the flowers when they open. Gorgeous colour and so dramatic.

I love fresh artichokes. You've got a treat in store there, OakR. Agree with Ameno, the whoppers are definitely ready now if not perhaps a little over, but not much. Globe artichokes are picked when they're still quite tightly closed. Have a look at ones in the shops to get an idea. And yes, spikes and prickly leaves are the norm, as Ameno says.

[Plot70]

I looked up cardoons after I was given some seedlings. They are harvested commercially for the leaf veins.
The leaf veins are dropped into boiling water for a few seconds and peeled for there hearts. These are sold bottled as artichoke hearts.
The flowers are good for attracting bees and the seed heads are good for nest lining for small wild birds.
The flower buds of the cardoon can be used like artichokes but are more fiddly for less reward.

[Snoop Puss]

I've never seen cardoon leaf veins sold bottled as artichoke hearts here, Plot70. But I have had artichoke leaf ribs battered and deep fried. And they are delicious.

Here, cardoon stalks are treated much as you describe, but it's the stems rather than the leaf ribs that are eaten. I've only tried them once, in a restaurant to save the palaver of preparing them. Done in an almond sauce and they too were really good. Borage stems are also popular here, peeled and plain boiled. A huge amount of preparation for something that's not that great to eat in my view. But borage leaves get dipped in batter, deep fried and served with a drizzle of honey. And they are worth eating.

[Plot70]

It is interesting about the stalks. I read that it was the leaf ribs.
Chickens like the leaves themselves.

[ecudc]

Those are definitely ready and look lovely. Artichokes, especially those grown from seed can be a bit spiny. I think in supermarkets they may snip or grind them off so you don’t notice them or they have managed to grow some non spiny ones….which might not be suitable to British weather.

when you cut them cut the stem long which you can trim down later. The stem is quite bitter so wash your hands after you have been handling them.

[Snoop Puss]

Did you pick them, OakR? Bet they were delicious.

[ameno]

Those are definitely ready and look lovely. Artichokes, especially those grown from seed can be a bit spiny. I think in supermarkets they may snip or grind them off so you don’t notice them or they have managed to grow some non spiny ones….which might not be suitable to British weather.

I think the ones you usually see in the shops are Green Globe, which are fully spineless (well the flower heads are, anyway. Don't know about the rest of the plant). There are probably other spineless varieties, too.
Green Globe plants are quite widely available in the UK, if anyone specifically wants to grow a spineless one.