Globe Artichokes
Globe artichokes are architectural perennial plants grown for their edible flower buds. They make an impressive addition to both vegetable gardens and ornamental borders but are most suited to larger gardens as they can grow to 1.8m tall with a 1.2m spread. Once established though they can provide you with those lovely chokes for about 5 years.
Seeds can be started early indoors from February onwards in a heated propagator or warm room.
How to grow Globe Artichokes
- Soil and Site – Prefer fertile, well-drained soil in full sun and a sheltered position.
- Sowing – Sow indoors from February to March. Germination is best at temperatures of 18–21°C.
- Planting Out – Keep your plants in a warm room until May when you can harden off and plant out after any risk of frost has past, spacing at around 1m apart. As a perennial plant it should be kept out of your crop rotation.
Cultivation & Care
- Water regularly in dry spells.
- Mulch annually with compost in spring around the base of the plants. Globe artichokes are a great coastal plant and if you have the resource available, they benefit greatly from a mulch of seaweed.
- Cut back the flowering stalks as soon as possible after harvesting to promote the growth of strong suckers and a heavier yield the following year.
- Protect crowns in winter in colder areas.
- Once you have established plants it is easy to propagate new plants from suckers which appear at the base of the plant. This should be done in early spring by digging gently around the base of the plant to expose the suckers and cutting them away with a sharp knife. These can then be planted into their final position.
Harvest
Harvest buds before they begin to open, typically from the second year onward from June to August.
Culinary Use
Globe artichokes are harvested before the flower opens and eaten by removing the fleshy bracts and dipping them in butter, vinaigrette or garlic mayonnaise. The tender heart is considered the most prized part.
Recipe – Steamed Globe Artichoke
Based on a traditional Italian preparation. Take the whole head and using scissors just clip away the very thorny tips of each petal then:
- Steam whole buds for 30–40 minutes;
- Serve with melted butter, lemon and garlic.
- You can then each them by pulling away each petal and pulling the base of each between your teeth to eat the fleshy part until you eventually end up at the artichoke heart. At this point you'll need to scrape away the inner 'furry' part of teh choke before you can eat that delicious heart!
Nutritional Information
For the 100g of artichoke
- Calories – 18 kcal
- Protein – 2.9g
- Carbohydrate – 2.7g
- Fat – 0.2g
- Fibre – 1g
Globe artichokes are rich in magnesium, folate, potassium and Vitamin K. They are also rich in fibre and antioxidants and support digestive health.