Artichoke bitterness
Punpal
been rather bitter and funny-tasting both times. I know the season is over,
but I was wondering if I can start now to make next year's artichokes taste
good. I reside in the high desert area of Southern California. Any help will
be most appreciated.
Pat Kiewicz
I believe artichokes like mild winters and mild summers, too.
Sometimes I play with growing vegetables not well suited to my area. This
year, it was artichokes. I started them indoors early enough to set out
before the last light frosts. (That would help trigger them to bloom. One
season would be all I could expect, as there is no way I can overwinter them.)
We had a cool, damp June and the first (main) choke was great, and so, too,
a few smaller ones. But then the hot, dry weather set in and the last chokes
I harvested were bitter tasting, so I let the plants flower. I know my
weather is colder in the winter and (usually) hotter in the summer than the
plant really prefers, so even getting a few really good artichokes was a
success (and more than covered the cost of the seed packet, based on the
market price of artichokes locally).
--
Pat in Plymouth MI
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)
simy1
My cardoons (very close relative) all went to flower this summer, and
were rather bitter. The summer was very hot. Your climate is not
suitable for artichokes. That is why 90% of the world artichokes are
grown within tens of miles of the Pacific Coast.
Janet Fairchild & Tak Nakamoto
simy1 <si...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
That is why 90% of the world artichokes are
> grown within tens of miles of the Pacific Coast.
Alas this is no longer the case. New varieties of artichokes have been
developed ("Imperial Star" for example) which are specifically designed to
be grown in the central valley and further south. These are chokes which are
propagated by seed instead of by the traditional root divisions. And farmers
grow them as annuals instead of as a perennial. These new varieties simply
don't taste as good as the standard globe artichoke. Their petals aren't as
meaty.
A side effect of this change has been that even here in northern california,
we can no longer buy the standard globe artichoke root divisions from
nurseries. The nurseries much prefer to sell seed started chokes because
they are much more economical to grow. I've spent 2 years trying to get a
standard globe root division for my home garden. I've yet to succeed.
Tak Nakamoto
Punpal
that it's not something I'm doing. Well, at least they do make pretty
flowers!