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Artichokes are a big thistle plants that grow wild in most of southern Europe near the Mediterranean. In the Untied States, California's Monterey County is the largest agricultural grower of the artichoke. It has been named "The Artichoke Center of the World."

The Globe Artichoke blossoms into a large head from an edible bud on a long stem. The base of the artichoke is called the "heart" and the inedible part of the bud, purple in color, is called the "choke". The spiny leaves surrounding the heart are triangular in shape. The Globe Artichoke comes in two sizes, medium to jumbo and Baby artichokes. Most commonly consumed artichokes are the medium to jumbo artichoke. When choosing an artichoke, make sure the leaves are dark green, firm and heavy. They should be tightly held together. You can test this by taking the stem of the artichoke and shaking it. If it is firm and doesn't spread, you have a healthy artichoke. Avoid artichoke that look moldy, dirty, have black spots and are shriveled.

Wash your artichokes turning the flower, or head, upside down and shaking out the water and dirt. Rinse in between the leaves and shake again upside down. Pat dry the artichoke on a paper towel. Pull off any blackish leaves or hard in texture. Note that sometimes there will be some light brown spots on artichokes. This is caused from frost which has been known to concentrate the flavor.

Cut the entire stem using a stainless-steel knife. This should allow the artichoke to sit upright by itself in a stainless-steel pot. If you choose to boil the artichokes, place them in a glass or stainless-steel pot to prevent the artichokes from turning blue or black. Tin foil has the same effect on artichokes.

On a cutting board cut off between 1" to 2" of the top layer of the prickly leaves. Removing the tougher leaves and cutting open the top will allow for more even steaming. This will also make it easier on you if you are going to stuff the artichoke. On the remaining leaves nip the tips of each outer leave about a 1/8". Remove any dangling leaves at the bottom of the artichoke. Grabbing the bottom of the artichoke, smash the open head onto the cutting board or counter. You may have to repeat this twice. This will allow the leaves to spread for stuffing and steaming. Once the artichoke has been trimmed, place in a bowl of water with a teaspoon of lemon to prevent browning from oxidation.

Baby Artichokes are the same as medium to jumbo artichokes except they grow closer to the ground where they are protected from the sun. Preparing the Baby Artichoke is similar to the traditional Globe Artichokes. Rinse the Baby Artichokes in the same manner as the medium to jumbo artichokes and cut off the stem with a stainless-steel knife. Bend back the outer green leaves and snap them from the base of the stem. Continue to doing this until the leaves are half green and half yellow. On a cutting board cut the artichoke back to where the yellow leaves meet the green leaves. Like the medium to jumbo artichokes, snip the prickly tips of the outer leaves. Slice the Baby Artichoke in half. If there is a purple fuzzy at the core of the artichoke like the medium to jumbo, remove. You can now quarter the halves depending on your recipe. Place the trimmed artichokes into a bowl of water with a teaspoon of lemon until ready to use.

Learn more about this author, Rosanne Sloane.
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