What a faff

[ACE]

Artichokes for dinner, all that faff for a couple of mouthfuls. I have loads on the plants so we had to have a go at them, nice but nothing to write home about but the perfect slimming food as they must negate any calories with the preparation and fiddly eating. I have a couple of dozen to give away tonight at the pub, the rest will be left to flower.

[ACE]

[Digeroo]

I love watching the bees swimming in the big blue flowers. 

I once had some lovely fried ones in Italy.   But agree there is so little to eat.

[pumkinlover]

I did wonder when I saw your post with the artichokes.  About third of my allotment was full of them when I took over but having faffed once they went on the compost heap. A few for the 🐝 would be nice.

[Digeroo]

Are we  talking about globe artichokes or Jerusalem artichokes. 

[pumkinlover]

I think that Ace means globe as I have seen a photo  of the plot but can't remember if on here or FB.

[ACE]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1438688836169944&set=pcb.1438689192836575&type=3&theater

[squeezyjohn]

I've had a load already too. 

I don't begrudge them being a faff to prepare although I see how doing just one or two would be a bit pointless.  If you pick 10 or 20 small chokes you can do them all in a big stock pot together for about 20 minutes, plunge in to cold water to coon, the outer leaves come off very easily together, trim the top leaves with a knife, trim the skin round the bottom and cut in half and plop them in a mix of lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. 

The result is a big bowl of top quality sweet artichoke antipasti that you can keep in the fridge and would cost about £20 in a deli (and plenty of material for the compost heap!)

[Digeroo]

My plants are huge this year they are already up to my forehead and no sign of a flower yet.  Hoping for a bumber crop.  I did not know you could cook them whole and then sort them out.  But I doubt I will get 20 or 30 more like four or five but they are usually quite large.

[BarriedaleNick]

To my palate they taste of nothing at all.  Adding garlic, lemon juice and olive oil makes them taste of garlic, lemon juice and oil but I might as well be eating cardboard.
Naturally I don't grow them but they also take so much space for such a small return that very few people do on my site..
Naturally we do have an Italian couple whose plot seems almost given over to them!