These are artichokes that have gone to flower. Artichokes are flowers that you can eat.
If I wanted to eat these, I would have picked them (cut them)before they flowered to prepare them, but I love these purple flowers. Pollinators like bees love them too.
Not everyone in the world has artichokes. I thought everyone knew what an artichoke was!
Years ago I had friends visiting from China, who were completely astonished and interested in artichokes, because they had never seen them before.
Artichokes are from the THISTLE family.
Do you eat them?
Grow them?
Know what they are?
Artichokes are a tough flower, with a little barb-like point at the end of each leaf. They are not always easy to prepare.
Once in Italy at the outdoor market I saw them really removing their hard leaves quickly with a knife, over and over like this....amazing!
To prepare artichokes (when they are green) to eat:
I wash them
Then cut off all of the pointy ends
Wash again
Then boil with salt and a couple garlics for 1-2 hours until you can put a fork through the bottom very easily
Then serve with Lemon Juice, Garlic and Salt (blended into a sauce) for dipping.
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