As I understand it, artichokes were first cultivated in the
middle east, where they were valued for their leaves rather than their pulpy flower
buds. We drove through the heart of artichoke country once (hah), in the autumn
of 2009. At first, we had no idea what we were looking at. We traveled I-5 from
San Jose to Anaheim, past acres and acres of spiky shrubs in tidy rows, each of
them waving several angry purple-green fists. Nearly all commercial artichokes (99.9%)
are grown in central California, amid cool, foggy summers and mild, frost-free
winters. In such a mild climate – zones 9 and 10 – artichokes are perennials. It’s
even possible to grow them in zones 7 and 8. Alas, I live in zone 5, maybe 4. I’ll
have to content myself with a small potted artichoke in my sun room. Or, I’ll
just wait a few months until the little fists go on sale.
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