Artichokes: From Farm to Kitchen to Table

Some would say that no matter how delectable they may be, fresh artichokes are just plain intimidating, and there’s no getting past their armor of compact, spike-tipped leaves (called bracts). If you encountered one unexpectedly, you might think you’d stumbled upon a pangolin or some kind of medieval weapon! So what would ever convince anyone it’s worth it to give fresh artichokes a try? 

If anyone knows the answer, it’s the folks in California, where the artichoke was named the official state vegetable in 2013. California produces 99 percent of all artichokes grown in the United States, and most of them are grown in the farming communities of Monterey County, on California’s central coast. Thanks to the region’s marine layer, temperatures remain moderate year round, creating perfect growing conditions for artichokes. 

In March of 2023, a local business association launched the Monterey County Artichoke Trail, which has a clever interactive map that enables you to plan your own tour of farms, restaurants, and other attractions that highlight the importance of artichokes in the region’s agricultural history, social fabric, and economy.

Eager to learn more about what makes California’s coastal farmlands—and its artichokes—so special, I reached out to Laura O’Leary, senior farmland project manager of the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a private nonprofit land trust founded in 1977 that has permanently protected more than 87,000 acres of open space, farmland, and parkland in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. While this region—known as the Peninsula—is just outside of the region where most commercially sold artichokes are grown (Monterey County), it is home to a large number of smaller farms that produce crops (including artichokes) for more local distribution. 

Farmland in the Peninsula, with its proximity to Silicon Valley, has been particularly vulnerable to development pressure. According to POST, since 1990, 46 percent of farms in San Mateo County have disappeared, mostly due to wealthy buyers purchasing lands for private estates, which has driven up land prices and put the squeeze on local farms. O’Leary explained that to carry out their mission, POST seeks sellers who are interested in protecting their lands in perpetuity. POST raises funds to purchase those lands at competitive prices and then supports buyers who are interested in sustainably maintaining properties within the parameters of conservation and agricultural conservation easements. 

Through POST’s Farmland Futures Initiative, O’Leary works directly with farmers on land sales, purchases, and leases and on the specifics of their easements. She offers technical assistance as they grow their operations, support their workers, and steward their lands. O’Leary invited me to accompany her on visits to several POST farm partners. I learned lots of wonderful things about artichokes, but above all, I was able to witness the incredible verve of farmers who are digging in to preserve California’s agricultural heritage and reimagine its future.

Here are some of the farmers I met.

José Ramirez of R&R Fresh Farms in Pescadero, California

With support from POST, José Ramirez of R&R Fresh Farms in Pescadero, California, was able to secure farmland, build infrastructure for his business, and help ensure that the land would remain protected in perpetuity with an agricultural conservation easement. R&R Fresh Farms specializes in certified organic olallieberries and other berries (including a u-pick program), fresh herbs, and a wide range of produce. The R&R farm store also offers a range of locally made products, including their popular homemade seasonal hand pies.

Ryan Casey of Blue House Farm in San Gregorio, California

In 2016, POST awarded Blue House Farm a long-term lease on 74 acres of farmland along the San Gregorio Creek, a key habitat for steelhead trout. One of the most significant steps Casey and his team took to start building a sustainable farm operation was to create a reservoir-based irrigation system, protecting the creek and its wildlife. In March of 2024, POST announced that Casey was able to purchase the property he’d been leasing from POST for 8 years, giving Blue House Farm a permanent home and the land a long-term steward. Blue House Farm grows an incredible array of certified organic heirloom beans, available online.

Teresa Kurtak of Fifth Crow Farm in Pescadero, California

Teresa Kurtak is a founding co-farmer of Fifth Crow Farm, a 150-acre diversified certified organic farm in Pescadero, California. According to Fifth Crow Farm’s philosophy, Teresa and co-farmers John Vars and Mike Irving are committed to making Fifth Crow “an engine for positive change in the food system. We want to build an agriculture that is economically viable, socially just, and ecologically sound.” Fifth Crow Farm is committed to providing year-round employment with health and other benefits for its professional farm workers. 

Fifth Crow Farm also specializes in dried heirloom beans (available for shipping in bulk), continuing a generations-old tradition of bean farming in the region. Pescadero, with its cool, moist microclimate, is perfect for slow-drying legumes, which results in notably tender, creamy, and flavorful cooked beans.

When I spoke with Kurtak, she explained that an artichoke plant can grow as large as 6 feet in diameter and that artichokes themselves are actually the plant’s immature flower buds. When mature, artichoke buds burst into vibrant purple inflorescences—which are clusters of small flowers that grow together to form larger heads, also known as composite flowers. Broccoli heads are also inflorescences!

When it’s finally time to enjoy the harvest, the simplest and most common way to prepare artichokes is to cook them whole by boiling or steaming them in water (usually acidulated with lemon to prevent oxidation). Artichoke enthusiasts famously pluck the tender leaves one by one from cooked artichokes—dipping the fleshy ends into drawn butter, mayonnaise, or any number of dressings—and then scrape the tasty edible morsels from the leaves with their teeth. (Whether you scrape your leaves upside down or right side up says a lot about you!) As the leaves are removed from the base, the nutty-vegetal heart is exposed, ready to be trimmed, sliced, dipped, and savored. 

O’Leary is one such enthusiast. “I like to leave a little stem on and boil/steam in a little bit of water, olive oil, lemon slices, and salt. Sometimes I throw a clove of garlic in the water. Then, I have to admit, I’m a mayo dipper!” The inch or two of stem just below the heart, O’Leary said, is meaty like the heart (as long as it hasn’t gotten too mature and fibrous) and, once trimmed of its tough exterior, is “another vehicle for dipping mayo.” 

Kurtak, who grows the gorgeous, purple-tinged, tennis ball–size variety of artichokes known as Imperial Star (which she grows as annuals, since cold winters make growing certain perennials a challenge at Fifth Crow Farm), likes to can artichoke hearts herself. “Home-canned artichoke hearts are incredibly delicious,” Kurtak said. She preserves hers with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. “They are so much better than what you can buy in the store.”

Many places in California have their own ways of preparing artichokes, some now time-honored traditions.

Arcangeli Grocery Co. in Pescadero, California, has been family-run for five generations. What began as a small operation selling grocery staples, house-butchered local meats, and hot meals for farmworkers has grown into a destination for specialty items produced with local ingredients. Their most popular item is the Artichoke Garlic Herb Bread, which you can buy “half baked” so that you can finish baking it to crusty perfection at home. You can also find local artichokes transformed into Artichoke and Olive Tapenade, Artichoke Pesto Spread, Artichoke Parmesan Bruschetta Topping, Artichoke Parmesan Pizza Sauce, and many other products, all available for purchase at the store.

Similarly, Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero, California, is famous for its artichoke soup and won a James Beard Award for American Classic Restaurant in 2003. The artichoke soup and chilled artichoke hearts are an artichoke-lover’s dream. 

Inspired by these simple styles of cooking and eating, and by the classic French dish called artichokes à la barigoule, in which artichokes are braised in wine and aromatics, I developed a straightforward recipe with a touch of pizazz, Braised Whole Artichokes with White Wine, Fennel, and Orange, to convince doubters to take a chance on these beauties. Let me know what you think in the recipe comments!

Ready for more? Try these other recipes with fresh artichokes.

• Artichokes have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties among all vegetables. They are also high in fiber; low in fat; and good sources of various vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, folate, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium.
• Castroville, California, in Monterey County, hosts an annual Artichoke Festival and has earned the nickname, “The Artichoke Center of the World.” Marilyn Monroe was named the first California Artichoke Queen at the inaugural festival in 1949.
• In the United States, outside of California, artichokes also thrive in the agricultural conditions of Central Texas.
• Artichokes, sunflowers, and lettuce are related! All are members of the Asteraceae family of flowering plants. Artichokes were originally cultivated from wild cardoons (also known as artichoke thistles) in North Africa before they spread throughout the Mediterranean. 
• In the right conditions, artichoke plants are perennial and can produce for 5 or 6 years. A mature artichoke plant can produce up to 20 artichokes per season. The largest artichokes—the primary buds—grow from the centers of the plants. Medium and baby artichokes grow from lower stems.
• If you don’t harvest an artichoke, it will bloom into a dazzling purple flower head. Artichoke flowers are not edible for humans, but they are a great source of nectar for pollinators such as butterflies and bees.
• Artichokes are the principal botanical in Cynar, a celebrated Italian amaro; it makes a great cocktail! (Click through to try it and leave a comment letting me know what you think!)