Jun 24
2010

Not Quite Ready for Artichoke Dip

Every since I heard that my local friend Kirsti has successfully grown and harvested as many as 12 artichokes a season in her small garden, I’ve been having serious artichoke envy.

For several years in my younger days I lived in California not so far from Castroville, a major hub of artichoke activity. Before I moved from east to west I had never before even tasted an artichoke. But in California you can’t go to a party or a restaurant without being offered some sort of appetizer, soup, entree or dip whose main ingredient is artichoke.

Faced with a steamed artichoke for the first time I was confused and a bit intimidated. How are you supposed to eat this baby?

The natives and seasoned immigrants quickly showed me how to peel off the outer leaves, dip them into a proffered sauce and gently nibble away or scrape the tender bottom part of the leaf with my bottom teeth. Once you’ve eaten all the leaves and remove the hairy, choke-y innards (if they’re still there) you remove the heart at the bottom, slice it up and eat that too. Oh heaven.

The only thing better is to have all that work done for you and mixed into a dip or soup or some such deliciousness that undoubtedly has unspeakable numbers of calories and a high percentage of fat. Oh, those were the days when those thoughts never even crossed my mind. *sigh*

Well, earlier this spring my artichoke envy was reaching frantic heights when I couldn’t locate any starters and was thinking I would have to start the whole process—a bit late—from seed.

Isn’t it appropriate that my friend Mary Ann from Gardens of the Wild Wild West, oh roper of cattle and wearer of cowboy boots, should come riding to my rescue? She sent me seven wonderful little plants all the way from Boise, Idaho, to plant in my garden.

I treasure these plants and fret over them. I can’t let Mary Ann (some of us call her Ida) down!

Here’s my first baby artichoke. I don’t know what’s going on with the other six plants, but one little artichoke plant has decided to encourage my efforts by pushing out a little globe about the size of a large marble.

Artichoke envy satisfied. Almost.

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Robin
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14 Responses to “Not Quite Ready for Artichoke Dip”

  1. Mr. McGregor's Daughter Says:
    June 24th, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    It won’t be long! I’ve always scraped with my top teeth. I wonder if using the bottom teeth is a California thing?
    .-= Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..Wildflower Wednesday: Asclepias purpurascens =-.

  2. Anette the Gardener Says:
    June 24th, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    Congratulations with the artichoke. It’s always exiting when you try to grow something new, something that you’ve not previously had in your garden. I hope it’ll taste good once you harvest it.

    Best,
    Anette
    .-= Anette the Gardener´s last blog ..A garden pond =-.

  3. Mary Ann Says:
    June 24th, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    I use my bottom teeth. YEEHAW!!

  4. Rick Says:
    June 24th, 2010 at 6:35 pm

    I am with you, I am not ready for anything artichoke! Teeth scraping? Sounds like a visit to the dentist.
    .-= Rick´s last blog ..Friday funnies… =-.

  5. meemsnyc Says:
    June 24th, 2010 at 7:54 pm

    Oooh, a baby artichoke! How cool!
    .-= meemsnyc´s last blog ..Organic Gardening is Hard But Worth It! =-.

  6. Cindy, MCOK Says:
    June 24th, 2010 at 9:04 pm

    I got some beautiful artichokes off my plant a few years ago. I’d have had more if I hadn’t picked several when they were young. Baby artichokes and immature artichokes are NOT the same thing … I only learned that after my failed attempt to cook them!

  7. Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings Says:
    June 25th, 2010 at 4:17 am

    I remember my first artichoke too, and now I can’t imagine how good one you grew yourself would taste. Heaven indeed. When that baby gets bigger, let us know Miss Bee.~~Dee
    .-= Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings´s last blog ..Wildflower Wednesday: Sabatia campestris Nutt. =-.

  8. Gail Says:
    June 25th, 2010 at 7:17 am

    Robin, Those first artichoke memories are always fun! I had grilled baby artichokes the other day, at of all places, a chain restaurant. They were excellent! gail
    .-= Gail´s last blog ..I Love The Prairie~Wildflower Wednesday =-.

  9. Dirty Girl Gardening Says:
    June 26th, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    It looks great! And don’t worry, if it dies I’ll send you 20,000 more! I’m in Half Moon Bay, CA – where most of those ‘chokes you ate at parties came from! :)

  10. Artist Says:
    June 30th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    Hi, I am a painter and a gardener, well a future gardener. I just discovered your blog, great, I’ll come back to learn more.
    .-= Artist´s last blog ..Burgeoning Hope =-.

  11. Garden Tips Says:
    July 4th, 2010 at 2:33 pm

    Artichokes are great!
    .-= Garden Tips´s last blog ..Gardening Soil =-.

  12. Lora Says:
    July 10th, 2010 at 11:48 pm

    Hey! I, too, lived near Castroville once upon a time and am attempting my first artichoke plant this season in Calvert County!

  13. Loulou La Poule Says:
    July 14th, 2010 at 10:37 am

    When I lived in Arizona, my next door neighbor grew gonderous artichokes and left them on my front door in unmarked brown paper bags. Now I live in on the SE Coast, where you can’t even find them at the Bubba Lion grocery store!
    .-= Loulou La Poule´s last blog ..Oh Dear- the Sky Is Falling! =-.

  14. Helen Yoest @ Gardening With Confidence Says:
    July 21st, 2010 at 11:48 am

    Hey BB,
    I just wanted you to know I added your blog to the soon to be launched North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association blog roll for NC Blogs!

    http://www.tarheelgardening.com/wordpress/

    I also wanted to make sure you received my new link for Gardening With Confidence’s blog

    http://www.gardeningwithconfidence.com/blog.

    Thanks!

    I hope you are doing well!

    H.
    .-= Helen Yoest @ Gardening With Confidence´s last blog ..Taking Photos of Your Garden with Barbara Pintozzi =-.

Right Now at Bumblebee

February 6th, 2012

Another Monday.

Harry and I spent the better part of the weekend painting the master bedroom. We traded off between rolling and detail work and we both made our fair share of messes. For a while Sophie perched on top of a chaise to supervise our work. Sarah was distraught. She does not like change.

Today we get back to normal. I will have to do something about my manicure. Speckled fingernails in Benjamin Moore Light Pewter is not really a good look.

Here’s wishing you a happy, calm and productive week.

Robin

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February 3rd, 2012

If you’re in the neighborhood and just happen to have your paintbrush and paint clothes with you, stop on by. Harry and I are taking the day off from work to start painting the master bedroom. We figure it’ll take until Sunday. Harry does most of the rolling—no small chore with high ceilings—and I do all the tedious detail work. You, of course, can pitch in wherever you like.

We’re painting it a dove grey. So if you see some grey in my hair in the next few days, it’s paint. Got it? The grey is paint.

Robin

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February 2nd, 2012

Happy Groundhog Day! What are you doing to celebrate?

We’ll have a special dinner of NOT groundhog. Dinner will be a special pasta (TBD) and some yummy homemade yeast rolls. Then we’ll pull out the photo album of past Groundhog Days and reminisce. We will toast Puxatawny Phil by opening the first bottle of my homemade apfelwein, which I hope is sparkly by now. If it’s any good, you’ll hear more about it.

Cheers!

Robin

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February 1st, 2012

Working from a home office is not always what it’s cracked up to be. I have a lousy IT department (me). Interruptions range from barking dogs to crowing roosters. I hear my business phone ring during non-business hours.

But there is a lot good about a 15 step commute. Such as today. It’s cloudy and a bit drizzly, but the temps will climb into the mid 60s for the second day in a row. I will turn off the heat, throw open the windows and give the house—and office—a good airing. Ahhh!

Robin

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