Do you eat artichokes? Artichokes are not only delicious, but incredibly nutritious. I’ll give you 5 reasons why you should be adding them to your menu.
I’d never seen so many artichokes in my life.
Seriously. I cannot describe to you my feelings after stepping in between the rows and rows of artichoke plants, with perfectly formed, purple Sangria artichokes popping up to the heavens for as far as the eye could see. It was surreal.
I was at Baroda Farms in Lompoc, California, along with my blogger friends Cathy from She Paused For Thought, Valentina from Cooking on the Weekends, Kelly from Tasting Page and Judy, who organized the event, from Two Broads Abroad.
Basic Recipe: How to Prepare and Eat Artichokes
Mary and Oakley from Frieda’s Produce, were our gracious hosts along with Steve Jordan, owner of Baroda Farms, who gave us such a fantastic tour of his artichoke fields and filled us with awe as he recounted many facts and stories relating to the prickly thistles.
As this was my first farm outing, I didn’t realize the beauty I was to witness that day, so I only had my iPhone, but everyone else brought their “real” cameras. I urge you to visit my colleagues’ sites as some of their shots are truly breathtaking; you will find all the links at the bottom of this post.
Artichokes aren’t just wonderful to look at and the most photogenic of thistles, there are many reasons why you should be eating artichokes, if you aren’t already…and here are my Top Five:
5 Reasons to Eat Artichokes
1. They’re easy to cook, and extremely versatile.
Don’t be scared of them. I know they look very intimidating, but they are so easy to work with when you know what to do: Here are two recipes to get you started with one of the most common artichokes, complete with step by step directions.
If you don’t want to mess around, here is the simplest and tastiest way to prepare artichokes, as I posted above.
If you do want to mess around, and “gild the lily” so to speak, then click HERE.
2. They are good for your health.
From the Washingtonion:
They are a great source of fiber.“In addition, artichokes contain polyphenols, which are disease-fighting compounds. They’re also a treasure trove of anti-inflammatory antioxidants. A 2004 study by the US Department of Agriculture found that artichokes were one of the top vegetables in terms of total antioxidant levels. They also contain vitamins C and K, magnesium, potassium, and folate.”
(I have to add my two cents here: like so many healthy foods, some people tend to make artichokes less healthy, by dipping them in mayonnaise. Step away from the mayo and try steaming them with a little olive oil, salt and garlic, which will increase the artichokes’ final nutritional value, and flavor; the recipe is at the top).
3. Artichokes are incredibly delicious.
This is subjective, I know, but you don’t realize how picky I am when it comes to fruits and vegetables! Artichokes have such a unique and pleasing flavor; you at least need to try them if you haven’t done so.
4. Impressive.
Okay, tell me who isn’t impressed by someone who loves to eat artichokes?
5. Patriotic: help your fellow Americans!
In my opinion, Americans do not eat artichokes nearly as often as they should. They are not widely available to those in smaller towns, simply because there are not enough people to buy them if they were to be sold in their markets. Let’s spread the good news of the beautiful artichoke: tell your produce manager that you want to discover the wonderful world of artichokes! The more artichokes we eat, the more popular they will become!
After our trip to Baroda Farms, we decided to cook and eat artichokes together, because that’s what food bloggers do! To see more about artichokes and find out what we cooked together, see the links below.
With special thanks to Frieda’s Produce and
Steve Jordan of Baroda Farms!
Left to right: Valentina from Cooking on the Weekends
Judy from My Well Seasoned Life
Cathy from She Paused For Thought
Me
Front and center, Kelly from Tasting Page
Life in LA…
A mural in Lompoc, about a two hour drive north of LA.
[…] (You can read about my trip to an artichoke farm HERE.) […]
[…] site She Paused for Thought or maybe you checked out Valentina’s of Cooking on the Weekend or Christina’s Cucina’s or Kelly’s of Tasting […]
It was a wonderful day and cooking them was just as fun. Can’t wait for our next adventure
Me too, Judy! So much fun!!
I regret my decision to skip this adventure and stay in bed on that morning! GREG
:(
Love, love, love artichokes! And I can think of more than 59 reasons per artichoke!! Each leaf is just so good and meaty…. I loved both your and Valentina’s shots. Thanks for sharing! ~ David
Thanks, David!!
I can remember very well the first time I saw a real artichoke on the plant. It was not the island of Ischia. We were walking around, more or less, at random, and someone had an artichoke plant growing in their garden. What a wonderful site it was. So I can really relate with your experience at Baroda Farms.
Oh lucky you, Frank! I have always wanted to go to Ischia…what a great memory! CC
Wow, those pics are from an iPhone? Am truly impressed!
It does take some great shots, but can’t truly compare to a DSLR. Thanks, Adair!
I loved your stuffed artichokes! I look forward to cooking with you again.
Same here, Cathy!! ;)
Being from California I am really familiar with artichokes and Castroville which is the artichoke growing capital in the USA. I really miss having them. Iowa is just too far away to get them fresh.
Awww…that’s tough, Kari! You know what you’re missing!! :(
Love artichokes, they are delicious and you are so right once you know how to prepare them it’s a breeze. What a lovely farm those artichokes are gorgeous,
Yes, they are only intimidating until you realize how unintimidating they are!! :)
I LOVE artichokes! We just planted 4 in our front yard because they’re beautiful as well. I love your photos & wish I could have been there with you!
You would have loved it, Susan! I tried growing artichokes, but didn’t have good luck; everyone else seems to succeed, though! Enjoy them!
What a great time. I love visiting the farms around us in the Bay Area. We can learn so much from the farmers. Can’t wait to try out your recipe.
Thank you, Sandi! Yes, we are so lucky here in California for so many reasons! CC
Dear Christina,
What a lovely post! I love artichokes anyway they can be made. So interesting how they grow, and the photos you took are very impressive. The artichoke is so different and pretty in its own way. But best of all is how they taste, and that is yummy! Like you recipes and I bet you and your blogger friends had a blast cooking them. I will have to check each one of these blogs out. Love all your reasons for eating an artichoke…they really are so good. My Italian family has make them for years in a number of ways and even when my nieces, nephews, and my son were very young they loved the artichoke. Thanks for sharing this outstanding post! Blessings on a good week///Dottie :)
Thanks, Dottie! Yes, we really enjoyed our farm outing and then cooking them together! We plan to do it again because we had so much fun!