As with all fruits and vegetables, there are many varieties of artichokes. But none are as meaty as our Lyon Artichokes (pronounced Lee-OWN).
Talley Farms has 5 acres of these special “chokes,” which came to us from a special person. Steve Jordan from Lompoc traveled to Italy and Spain to find the best choke. Around the year 2000, he purchased the U.S. rights to the Lyon artichoke from a French breeder and opened his own breeding laboratory in Lompoc to develop different varieties.
The Lyon has a rounded globe shape and is hard to find in stores since Steve quit growing and leased out his land. Most varieties grow through the cold, winter months, producing fruit in the spring and a smaller crop in the fall. Artichokes like icy weather, so don’t worry if the outer leaves show scaliness from frost damage. It’s the inside that counts, and ice makes the heart meatier. The easiest way to cook artichokes is to steam them. The tastiest way to enjoy artichokes is to grill them!
Grilled Artichokes
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, olive oil
Directions
- With a sharp knife, cut off the stems, leaving about 1-2 inches (you can eat the stem too!), and cut the top off the choke straight across. With kitchen shears, trim the thorny tips (if any) off the leaves. Pull off any loose or damaged small leaves from around the bottoms.
- In a large pot over high heat, place the artichokes face down in 1-2 inches of boiling water with their stems facing upward. Add a few lemon slices if you like and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes (longer if chokes are large) or until a leaf can be pulled off easily or you can stick your fork easily into the middle of the choke. (You may undercook chokes if grilling.)
- Cut each in half lengthwise. Scrape out the fuzzy center (the choke) when cool enough to handle. Combine 1 clove garlic (or more), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, and olive oil in a bowl. Brush the artichokes with the garlic mixture and set them, cut side down, on a grill over medium heat. Grill, turning once, until lightly browned, 5-6 minutes or until warm.
