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Cardoon takes work, but worth it

Recipe: Artichoke cousin needs triple blanching to remove bitterness

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Cardoon is an artichoke cousin, but instead of flower buds, eat the stems.
(Photos: Debbie Arrington)
Like its close cousin artichoke, cardoon is a spring oddball. How did people ever figure out how to eat it?

Handsome in the garden, cardoon looks like a gigantic artichoke plant, growing 5 or 6 feet tall and wider across. But instead of edible flower buds, this thistle is valued for the center stem of its wide silvery leaves.

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Remove fuzz with a metal spoon.
Trimmed of its leaflets, that stem looks like a giant celery stalk, often 18 to 24 inches long. Naturally bitter, that stalk has ridges with tough strings on one side, silvery fuzz on the curved inner side. Both strings and fuzz need to be removed before using.

Making cardoon palatable takes work. But the end result is delicious, like artichoke heart in stalk form. It's an Italian delicacy and worth the time, if you're lucky enough to get some stalks. (Look for them in farmers markets.)

Traditionally, cardoon is marinated (like artichoke hearts) and served in salads or as part of an antipasto plate. Don't skip on the blanching; it helps remove the bitterness and brings out that artichoke flavor.

Marinated cardoon
Makes 1 pint
Ingredients:
4 stalks cardoon
Salt
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions:
Wash cardoon and remove any leaflets along edges.
With a metal spoon, scrape off silver fuzz from inside each stalk. With a sharp knife, remove strings from ridges on back of each stalk.
Cut stalks crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

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Blanche cardoon pieces THREE times
before marinating
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Plunge cardoon pieces into boiling water. Blanch for 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain and repeat blanching TWO MORE times. (Yes, cardoon needs triple blanching.)
After the third blanching, cardoon should be fork-tender.
Mix together lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning. Pack cardoon pieces into a jar or other non-reactive covered container. Pour marinade over cardoon pieces. Stir to mix.
Cover tightly and place jar or container in refrigerator. Let cardoon marinate for a week before using.
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Add marinated cardoon to salads and antipasto.
Once marinated, it will keep in the refrigerator for at least three months.
Note: Because olive oil solidifies in the refrigerator, remove cardoon at least 30 minutes before serving.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

Aug. 25: Crape myrtles, Sacramento's unofficial tree of summer

Aug. 18: Pollinators adore scabiosa, aka pincushion flower

Aug. 11: Hardy hibiscus adds big tropical impact

Aug. 4: Dianthus a deceptively hardy flower

July 28: Naked Ladies put on summer show

July 21: Thank Luther Burbank for these long-lasting beauties (Shasta daisies)

July 14: How to keep hydrangeas happy

July 7: Grow these bright cosmos for bees and butterflies

June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden

June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners

June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)

June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself

June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude

May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?

May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs

May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power

May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens

May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend

April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look

April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower

April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact

April 7: Calendulas do double duty

April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come

March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)

March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots

March 17: The perfect flower for beginners? Try zonal geraniums

March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come

March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy

Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?

Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come

Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers

Feb. 10: Let's talk Valentine's Day roses

Feb. 3: Why grow flowers?

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Find our summer recipes here!

Garden checklist for week of Aug. 16

During this break in the heat, feed your garden. Make sure to water before and after applying fertilizer.

* In the garden, direct seed beets, carrots, leaf lettuce and turnips.

* Plant potatoes.

* Harvest tomatoes, beans, squash, pepper and eggplants to prompt plants to keep producing. Give your plants a deep watering twice a week, more if planted in containers. Also, give them a boost with phosphate-rich fertilizer to help fruiting.

* Watch out for caterpillars and hornworms in the vegetable garden. They can strip a plant bare in one day. Pick them off plants by hand in early morning or late afternoon.

* Feed citrus trees their last round of fertilizer for the year. This will give a boost to the fruit that’s still small.

* Mulch can be your garden’s best friend – it conserves moisture while blocking out weeds. But don't let mulch mound around stalks, stems or trunks. That can promote rot.

* Camellia leaves looking a little yellow? Give them some chelated iron. That goes for azaleas and gardenias, too.

* Pick up after your fruit trees. Clean up debris and dropped fruit; this cuts down on insects and prevents the spread of brown rot. Then feed fruit trees with slow-release fertilizer for better production for next year.

* To prolong bloom into fall, feed begonias, fuchsias and container plants. Always water before fertilizing.

* Fertilize fall-blooming perennials, too. Chrysanthemums can be fed until the buds start to open.

* Prepare for a fall full of flowers by paying a little extra attention to your garden. Cut off spent blooms from roses, annuals and perennials, then give them a boost of fertilizer. Make sure to water plants before feeding. Roses will rebloom about six to eight weeks after deadheading.

* Indoors, start seedlings for fall vegetable planting, including bunching onion, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radicchio and lettuce.

* Sow seeds of perennials in pots for fall planting including yarrow, coneflower and salvia.

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Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

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Add asparagus to your edible garden

Soggy soil and what to do about it

Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Change is in the autumn air 

We don't talk (enough) about beets

Fava beans do double duty

Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

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Time to shut it down? 

How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

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To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

: Put worms to work for you

Grow food while saving water

Enhance your food with edible flowers

Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

Does this plant need water?

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How to grow summer salad greens

 Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

Help pollinators help your garden

Battling early-season tomato pests

Make your own compost

Where are the bees when you need them?

How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

Grow culinary herbs in containers

When to plant summer vegetables

Don't be fooled by these garden myths

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