cardoons

The cardoons are blooming beautifully in the garden these days and the bees love them. This artichoke flower bud is not the one we're accustomed to eating...it's the midrib of the leaf that's eaten here. I've only grown these for the amazing dramatic look of the plant and for it's flowers that are lovely dried. Last year, I was lucky to get to use them in a bridal bouquet. The bride was from California, where artichokes are commonly grown and she liked the idea of having a little part of home with her as she married here on our island, far from the artichoke fields of California. It was fun to use these beauties in a bride's bouquet! Too bad I didn't take a photo.
And too bad I didn't have some cardoon when I was in San Francisco with CJR a couple years ago...they were in season!...and on the menu of a couple of the restaurants we went to. I have only tasted them once and not part of a real meal so I'm going to have to make sure that I try harvesting and using them from the garden this spring.
Here's what wikipedia has to say about Cardoon.