Artichokes may be steam-cooked to eat.
Nearly all the artichokes sold in the United States are grown in California. The artichoke crop grown from 2007 to 2008 was worth more than $50 million. Artichokes are part of the thistle group of the sunflower family. A full grown plant is roughly 4 feet tall and spreads 6 feet wide. The artichoke plant has long, fern-like leaves. The part that you eat is actually the immature flower bud. The largest buds appear on new shoots at the top of the plant. Before you cook and eat an artichoke, start by cutting off its thorns.
Instructions
1. Cut off all the thorns on your head of artichoke with kitchen scissors. Most artichokes have small thorns on the end of each leaf. Rotate the artichoke to cut off all the thorns about 3/4 inch from the tip of the leaves.
2. Chop off the excess stem leaving about 1 inch of stem on the artichoke. Rinse your artichoke under the faucet, with cold water, to wash it before cooking. Repeat the trimming and cutting with all your artichokes.
3. Place your washed and trimmed artichokes in a large pot with about 2 inches of water. Cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring the water to boil to gently steam your artichokes for 25 minutes or until the outer leaves pull off easily.
4. Remove your artichokes with tongs and place on a serving plate. To eat, pull off a leaf and dip the inside, fleshy end into melted butter, or other dip.
5. Grip the other end of the leaf with your finger and use your teeth to pull off the soft, fleshy part of the leaf with the dip. Discard the rest of the leaf. Eat all the leaves in the fashion until you get to the center area, which is fuzzy and inedible.
6. Scoop out the fuzzy "choke" of your artichoke that is just above the stem with a butter knife, after all the leaves are eaten and removed. This is the heart of the artichoke. Cut it up, dip in melted butter, and eat.
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