An Unexpected Artichoke

Artichoke with deep purple accents

An Artichoke of a Different Color

Because my garden is small, I often will buy my veggies in single or six packs.  When you do this, you rely on the tag to know what you are buying.  I have been planting artichokes for the past four or five years, always selecting a seedling labeled "green globe."   I am always rewarded with a show of green artichokes of varying sizes. 

This year, the artichokes surprised me.  When the 'chokes started growing, they were green and had deep purple accents.  Then, the surprise went further when I saw I had two styles growing.  The one is the round, globe style seen in the veggie displays in grocery or farmers' markets.  The second style which grew never was tight or globe-like.  The leaves are elongated and presented themselves in an open style right from the beginning.

Artichokes 2009

I planted this artichoke during the winter. It has grown day by day. These are one of the most interesting plants to grow. The leaves are grey-green and have great texture. As it grows from the inside out, the center gets quite dense and looks like a whirling vortex of leaves. Before you know it, the first flower bud appears at the center of these leaves. The flower of the artichoke is an edible bud. At the early stage the leaves of the artichoke are bright green and tinged with pink on the edges. If left on the plant, it will burst forth as a spikey purple flower like the thistles which grow in the open spaces here in SoCal.

The first year I grew artichokes I thought this had to be a joke. This enormous plant and all you get is one artichoke. I couldn't figure out how farmers could afford to grow these delectable treats. Then the truth was revealed. Suddenly little 'chokes started growing all over the plant. That year, my one artichoke product 12-15 artichokes. Amazing.