Subscribe Via Email

Like reading this blog? You can get the complete text of the latest articles at Within My Means in your email inbox each morning by entering your email address below, then verifying the subscription. Your address will only be used for mailing you the blog, and each one will include a link so you can unsubscribe at any time.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

May 22, 2010

Holy Blackberries, Batman!

(today's garden haul)

Besides a few major clean-out days, I've been pretty much ignoring my garden this spring--but it hasn't forgotten me! Today was the first day I was able to harvest a full handful of blackberries. And my artichoke plant seems to have split this year, so technically I have two plants right next to each other. The older plant has eight artichokes on it! I harvested the first one today, and plan to steam it tomorrow to enjoy with lemon butter.

(the artichoke plant, with one baby that can't be seen)

Since I didn't plan to eat the artichoke for a day or two, I went online to find out the best storage methods. Turns out I shouldn't have washed it, but since my garden's pretty much organic, I wanted to make sure I wasn't bringing any bugs into the house.

(a close-up of the beautiful cut artichoke)

I dipped the cut stem into lemon juice to help keep its coloring, and after a few minutes of draining, placed it in the fridge in a sealed plastic bag. It should keep this way for up to five days. This site has a great pictorial of how to prepare and cook an artichoke, including methods for stuffing, etiquette, and nutritional info.

(my hand included for perspective--it's pretty sizeable!)

Leave a comment on the blog if you're available for dinner--I know what I'll be serving!

3 comments:

  1. Oh, the advantages of living out in LA! My artichokes plants are just babies and it will be a rush to the frost to see if I get one (1!) artichoke this year.

    I would love to come to dinner!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm looking forward to starting artichokes and asparagus in August/September. Your artichokes are beautiful, do you know the variety? -Laurie from Tarzana Victory Gardeners

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Laurie,

    Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog! I took the rest of the package of artichokes to our class and donated them to the group, so I can't look for the seed package to check the variety. I think they were the usual Jerusalem or Globe Artichokes. There's also a section of my blog's sidebar that has all my favorite gardening sites, so check them out when you have a chance. I'll look forward to seeing your garden progress this summer!

    ReplyDelete