In Season: Artichokes
I’ll never forget the first time I saw an artichoke plant — it was wild and unexpected. When it comes to cooking, this veggie may also be a bit mysterious to some folks. Artichokes are more user-friendly than you might think. Oh and they’re good for you, too.
When, Where & What
Artichoke season runs from March to June and then again in the fall months. Most of the U.S.-grown artichokes come from California — that’s probably why I rarely see them at my local farmers’ market in Connecticut. Because they take 150 days to grow and require attentive care, artichokes can be a bit pricey; they go for about $2 each at my local grocery store. They’re definitely worth the occasional splurge, though.
An ancient symbol of fertility, artichokes vary in color from dark green to purple. Common varieties include Green Globe and Big Heart. “Jerusalem artichokes,” or sunchokes, are tubers that look similar to ginger root, but don’t be fooled — these guys aren’t artichokes at all; they’re actually a member of the sunflower family.
Nutrition Facts
One steamed artichoke has about 65 calories, no fat and 10 grams of fiber (that meets more than one-third your daily need). They’re rich in vitamin C, folate and potassium and are high in antioxidants. In fact, cooked chokes ranked seventh on the USDA’s top 100 list of antioxidant-filled foods. One particular antioxidant, silymarin (also know as Milk Thistle), is believed to help detoxify the liver.
What To Do With Artichokes
Artichokes have a mild, earthy flavor that’s truly unique. I love that you can dress them up with a fancy stuffing mixture or dress them down by steaming and dipping pieces in olive oil-and-lemon sauce. Most folks are intimated by the trimming part. Once you learn that, you’re all set — check out this great step-by-step guide to master the technique.
When artichokes are out of season or you don’t have time to prep them, go for canned (in water) or frozen artichoke hearts. You can roast or sautée tender artichoke hearts quickly. I add them to pasta, salads, dips and homemade pizza with lots of oregano. Last night, I made a quick quinoa side dish with sautéed asparagus, artichoke hearts, corn, basil and pine nuts. It was easy and absolutely delicious!
Shopping Tip: Choose artichokes that are brightly colored and firm and have tightly packed leaves. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I use canned/in a jar artichokes often. Does the fact that they are in olive oil and in glass jars (exposed to sunlight) effect their nutrition value?
Hi Sarah – the biggest nutrient differences to consider with artichokes packed in oil are the calories and fat coming from the oil. They are absolutely delicious – just keep the extra calories in mind when portioning out how much to use in your recipes.
Wow – to a Californian, your step-by-step instructions to prepare an artichoke is almost sacriligeous! Throwing away all those wonderful leaves. That’s the part I like the best – scraping the “meat” from the leaves layer by layer until you get to the “prize” – the heart. Yum!
I was raised in a CA “Butterworth” family, I grew up pulling off the leaves, dipping the leaves in melted butter and scraping off the meat. It’s a welcome childhood memory as they were a big favorite of my Mom’s.
Of course those were NOT healthy eats – but sure were yummy.
Kim – this Virginian agrees with you completely. That was a terrible thing to do to an artichoke!
Dana White, CA 5/22 comment above, talks about your great step-by-step instructions on cooking artichokes. WHERE IS IT? I don’t see it in this article at all.
This is how I have heard to cook them: Cut the bottom off flat, Trim thorns off on tips of leaves. Put in Micro Saranwrap and put upside down in a bowl. I forgot how many minutes to Micro it. Or, you can steam them? Is this correct? Donna Juista My niece loves them and eats them every chance she gets but it’s hard to her to cook as she works, four, 10 hr. days.
Hi Donna – In the article, there’s a step-by-step guide to trimming an artichoke down to the center (here’s the link). I agree with the other comments – the outer leaves are delicious. To prepare that way, just trim the very top of the artichoke and remove a few of the tough outermost leaves. Cut the bottom to create a flat surface and then steam until tender.
We eat the whole thing, and I make them in the microwave. Cut off the bottom to make it flat. Cut about 1 inch off the top. Cut the pointy part of each remaining leaf, just to be nice to your diners. Brush all cut parts with lemon so they don’t turn brown. Put in a microwave safe dish and put a little water in the bottom. Cover with plastic wrap. I usually make 3 large artichoke and the take about 10 minutes in the microwave. Cook until the leaves pull out fairly easily. Dip leaves in garlic butter or garlic oil. Yum. When you get to the center, cut out the choke and eat the heart. Double yum!
I was raised on pulling the meat off the artichoke and I loved it. You don’t have to dip them in butter there are so many other dips you can use. Oh if anyone knows of a recipe for baking baby artichokes please let me know. Thank you.
I love artichoke’s! Being Italian I put some unflafored bread crumbs in a bowl with the same amount of “good grated cheese” (maybe 1/2 cup each) add fresh or dry parsley and a little salt mix and stuff the center of the artichoke. Drizzle a little pure olive oil over the top and you have a wonderful tasting artichoke.
Also from an Italian family. No need to “dissect” the artichoke. Just wash, snip off the thorns and stuff with bread, garlic, lemon juice, your favorite herbs, (fresh if you have on hand), olive oil, S & P. Set artichokes in a pot straight up with a little water and EVO, cover and steam until the meat on a leaf is soft. Delicious and healthy too!
Here is a great link, enjoy.
http://www.artichokes.org/index.html
We’ve always cooked them ver simply. I boil water to cover the chokes, add fresh chopped garlic and celery leaves to season, and cook until leaves are tender. We eat ALL the leaves except the tough tiny ones. The kids love to eat to the center and then watch me take off the choke so we can enjoy the hearts. We dip both leaves and chokes in a lo-cal blend of spray butter and lemon juice with a shake of celery salt. Sometimes I jump-start the boiling by washing and wrapping the chokes in a clean dishtowel, then microwaving them for a couple of minutes. I hear it’s not a good idea to use saran wrap in the microwave – releases petroleum chemicals that we all can do without!
I find artichoke very tasty. It is good for health. It is rich in iodine. It reduces cholesterol and improves blood circulation, it is also helpful for diabetic people and is great for liver. It is also good for hair and is excellent treatment for eczema. It has many more uses and benefits.