As a native Californian, I had always taken a proprietary stand on the artichoke issue. Not that I developed artichokes or even owned any artichoke-bearing plants – it is just that Californians believe that the center of the artichoke universe is…California. That is, until I ate artichokes in Spain and Italy, where – come artichoke season – markets are flooded with adult and baby artichokes destined for the cookpot and a sluicing with olive oil and fine seasonings.
ANCIENT ARTICHOKES
A perennial plant that grows year round in a suitable climate and is native to the Mediterranean region, the artichoke has a distinguished and lengthy past, first noted in the third century BC in Greece, but a few centuries later, more widely publicized as being a product of Sicily, Italy. Whatever its origins, the artichoke plant loves warm climes and fertile soils to reach its four-foot height. The artichoke thrives in Spain, Italy, France and California, where the center of the American artichoke culture is Castroville. Folks in Castroville commemorate the artichoke annually with a big artichoke bash called the Castroville Artichoke Festival in mid-May, a party that includes artichoke eats, a parade, music, a farmers’ market and a 10-K run.
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Springtime artichoke recipes: Artichoke and Goat Cheese Frittata, Orzo and Artichoke Hearts, and Vegetarian Stuffed Artichokes| Sheknows.com
Springtime artichoke recipes
