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MMMM, Good

July 20th, 2016

I buy artichokes at the store every once and again. Since they are so pricey, they’re a rarity in our diet. This year I decided to try growing them. I’d read about people doing it in Vermont, and Eliot Coleman grows them on his farm here in Maine. So I started them back in February so I could give them the long season and the jolt of cold weather they enjoy.
seeding artichokes 1
As you can see, there were two different varieties in the pack of seeds I planted. Both of them are producing chokes at roughly the same time. I noticed the first choke about two weeks ago. Artichokes are wonderful in the garden, not only because they are delicious, but because they are stunning plants.
artichokes 2
artichokes 1
We harvested two and had them for dinner on Monday night, one of each variety. We dipped them in a mix of homemade mayo and a bit of balsamic vinegar and they were delicious. I’ll definitely be growing these in the future, I’m thinking they will be lovely in the ornamental beds, I love the robust texture of the leaves.

Did you grow any new vegetables this year?

4 Comments to “MMMM, Good”
  1. Kim Shrader on July 20, 2016 at 6:59 am

    My family loves artichokes too. I’m in central Maine and am very excited to hear that you have been successful with them. This is my first year growing in Maine so I did not plant anything new. Hearing of your success I will plant artichokes next year for sure. When did you transplant outside?
    Thanks for your blogs!
    Kim

    Reply to Kim Shrader's comment

    • Susy on July 20, 2016 at 9:25 am

      I transplanted them in April so they’d still get some cold weather but not really hard freezes. You could transplant them into bigger pots and put them in a sheltered location as well, then transplant in May.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. Nebraska Dave on July 20, 2016 at 9:23 am

    Susy, nope. No new vegetables this year. Now that I have some of the design structure done at Terra Nova Gardens, I can concentrate on growing and maintaining the beds next year. So maybe then will be the time to branch out and experiment with new vegetables. Mine probably would be squash. I have harvested squash in the past from volunteers but never planted it intentionally. The battle there is the dreaded vine borer.

    Have a great artichoke eating day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  3. MC on July 21, 2016 at 5:25 am

    Yes, these same artichokes! I wasn’t sure they got enough cold weather, but then I saw the first choke! Stunning plants. I am letting some if the chokes go to dlower because I want to see the blooms. I also tried some broccoli and cauliflower, just a few, and was happy to have modest auccess. Time to seed for the fall!

    Reply to MC's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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The Main Vegetable Garden

I have a small potager out behind the house, it's an ornamental vegetable garden. In it I grow a lot...

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