Artichoke Season

Have you tried them? This time of the year artichokes are the biggest, the freshest and the best price.

I love them! If you haven't tried them before, here is an easy way to start.

Rinse the artichoke off and trim the stem flush with the bottom.

Put them in a pot of boiling water. I added about 1 Tbl. of olive oil and 2 squeezes of lemon.

Boil lightly for about 35- 40 min. until the leaves wiggle a little when you pull on them.

Drain and put in individual bowls with a little melted butter for dipping.

They are ready to eat. You kind of scrape the leaves on the meaty end with your teeth.

After enjoying the leaves you'll get down to the choke.  I don't know how anyone ventured to start eating these in the first place- this does not look appetizing.

Take your spoon and scrape the bristly part off.

 You will be left with the heart, which is delicious. It tastes different than the leaves, a little nutty.

 Dip it in butter....yum!!!!!

Be sure and have a bowl for the discarded leaves.

There are many recipes for artichokes. This will get you started- and what a great way to get young kids to eat vegetables. It's an activity meal!!!

These are my 2 big boys when they were young- LOVING them, with buttery faces!

(Mickey, look at your cute Ben!)