Seeing the place that the artichoke takes up in the vegetable garden and considering what is left on the plate at the end of the meal, we can doubt the relevance of cultivating this plant monster reserved for large gardens. But if you have the space, don’t hesitate!
Native to the warmer Mediterranean regions, Egypt, North Africa, perhaps Ethiopia, the artichoke is a successful thistle. It is believed that the Greeks and Romans ate a related plant. The artichoke would have remained confined to North Africa before disappearing from evidence; until the Middle Ages we only find traces of cardui, cardes and cardons. Its culture really began in Italy in the 15th century – it undoubtedly arrived in France thanks to the Italian wars between 1494 and 1525, the first traces dating from 1532, in writings from Avignon –; it then seems to slowly reach Navarre, from Andalusia at the beginning of the 16th century. From its connection with the world of thistles, the artichoke will have a poor reputation; it is said that it is unworthy for men to eat food intended for donkeys. However, at the same time, it is a delicacy in certain regions: Catherine de Medici was very fond of it, and it was to supply the tables of the great that its culture flourished in the Loire; Roscoff, in Brittany, but also Macau, in Gironde, will make it a specialty, as well as in the surroundings of Nice and Ollioules in the Var, regions still sharing most of the production.
Culture
The artichoke is bulky, and lasts for several years, so it is reserved for large gardens . We can now easily find plants in garden centers, duly identified; also the sowing fell into disuse. Prefer plants in pots, especially as two years later, you can carry out seeding to have even more plants.
Plant or eyecup, plant your subjects in March-April, leaving 1.50 meters in all directions between two feet. Provide rich, supple, deep soil and a sunny, open exposure. Do not bury the plants or the eyecups too much, leave their collars slightly visible above the surface of the soil.
The first condition for successful artichoke cultivation is to maintain the humidity of the soil at base level, from planting to harvest. Be regular about watering. Better yet, lay down abundant mulch, it will also be used later in winter. The second condition is to protect it from the cold, because the artichoke, strong in appearance, is quite cold. In regions where the cold is around -6°C, it is a necessity. Here we find the use of mulching, but in really cold regions, as winter approaches, remove all the dead leaves, the stems that have produced, gather the foliage and tie everything together in a somewhat loose manner, all likewise, to avoid rotting of the heart. Mound the base with earth, cover the plant partially or completely with dead leaves or straw, very dry. Ventilate from time to time to prevent the development of rot, especially during wet winters.
The right artichokes
Camus of Brittany
The largest of the artichokes (300 g to 500 g per flower head) and also the most produced, widely cultivated in the West.
Green of Laon
It is the best for growing north of the Loire due to its resistance to cold.
White Hyérois
It is the artichoke of the great South-East, cultivated from the Var to Roussillon. Beautiful flower head with tightly packed bracts.
Since the 1980s, INRA has developed a whole series of varieties with the best performance, particularly appreciated for their resistance to diseases. Locally you can find small series of plants in garden centers, look out for Caribou, Salanquet, Castel, Carlite, Cari, Calico, Popvert, Salambo.
And if you prefer purple artichokes, try Violet de Provence. It gives small, pointed and conical flower heads, weighing less than 100 grams for the largest, with tight purple scales. The whole head is tender, eat whole. The smallest ones are called “poivrades”, the largest “bouquets”. A delight to taste between March and May then from September to December.
The Artichoke
Common name: Barigoule, bérigoule, scolyme
Latin name: Cynara scolymus
Family: Asteraceae
Perennial plant with ample, upright growth, from 1 meter to 1.75 meters growing in clumps. Large jagged leaves, wide and long, more than 1 meter, grayish, covered with more or less down, especially on the reverse side. Stems bearing green or purple flower heads, round or elongated (artichokes) formed of scales (bracts), fleshy at the base. Hermaphroditic, purple flowers.
The doctor Artichoke
The artichoke is both choleretic, it promotes the secretion of bile, and cholagogue, it improves elimination. It is also digestive and diuretic. Experimentation shows that it is also hypocholesterolemic thanks to the cynarin it contains. The “leaves” of the artichoke that we consume are in fact the bracts of its inflorescence; in medicine, it is the true leaves located along the stem which are classified in the French pharmacopoeia for their richness in cynarin. At home, the simplest method of administration is infusion: put 20 grams of dry leaves per liter of simmering water and leave for 15 minutes. Drink it during the day and at the end of a meal during a treatment lasting several days, lightly pinching your nose because it is very bitter. Please note, the artichoke should not be administered to people suffering from biliary disorders without the prior approval of a doctor.
The artichoke catches your eye
In September-October, in the South and the West and preferably at the beginning of spring in March-April in other regions, clear the earth around the mother plants and collect the most beautiful carnations (sprouts) which have 4 to 5 leaves by cutting with a spade to recover the intact start with a few roots. Reduce the length of the foliage by half and shorten the roots to make them even (this is called “dressing” the plants). Plant every 10 centimeters without burying them too much, taking care not to cover the core with soil. Water copiously to settle the soil around the roots. Notice the recovery when new leaves appear. Thin out in the row or transplant in the final location.
The trick of old gardeners
At the end of the first year, the artichoke’s own vegetation is enough to shade its base, but the first year the old gardeners sowed white clover between the rows. Like any plant, clover enriches the soil with nitrogen and serves as green manure at the same time.
Sowing, if you really want to
Sow in February-March under cover at the rate of one seed per pot. Raise for 2 months, if necessary repot in a larger pot of 7 to 9 centimeters and plant in the final location in May. It is also possible to sow in pockets directly in place, in March in the South, in April-May elsewhere, by placing 4 to 5 seeds every 80 centimeters to 1 meter for thinning later. Generally more robust, plants grown from seed do not always faithfully reproduce the characteristics of the parents.
