"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" wrote in message
...

"Des Higgins" wrote in message
. ie...

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" wrote in message
...

"Des Higgins" wrote in message
. ie...

I am also a glutton for fashion whims and now want globe artichokes
after
seeing that Carol Klein digging up muddy handfuls and making chips.
Des in Dublin

Are those the Irish undeground version of Jerusalem Artichokes:-)

Ahhhhhhhhh bugger!!!
got me Cynaras and me Helianthusses mixed up so I did.
That's a fair cop guv.
(both silly names anyway :-)

Cynaras and Artichokes is different. Now you do have to have be very
strange to want to eat Cardoons.

Believe it or not (and here I puff out my large manly chest and seek revenge
for having been caught mixing up my edible daisies and thistles)
Cardoons are very edible (I had them in Madrid in a student restaurant 18
months ago; seemed to be stems or big leaf stalks) where they were called
Cardo and I guessed what they were and they tasted strongly of the thick
creamy sauce that was ladled all over them and I survived and they seemed
nice enough. Probably had to be boiled in caustic potash for a week. Globe
Artichokes are also Cynaras though: Cynara scolymus (says I after a hasty
google to check). That'll teach you for pointing out my embarassing
vegetable blunders.

If you do go for J Artichokes then get the ones that make big fat
tubers-because they are a swine to clean.The small things take ages to get
the muck out of all the crevices,even after boiling.
And there is nothing wrong with the fart thingy-it aerates one's piles.


I already ehhhhh have well aerated piles so it is possible the J-artichokes
could even improve matters.
I found Dobies deliver them to Ireland so here goes. I used to have a clump
of something very similar (invasive perennial sunflowers with mad knobbly
roots) when I lived in UK in mid 90s and they were beautiful plants so I am
happy to try them anyway. The chips will be a bonus :-).

Des