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Is this an artichoke or a cordoon?

UK, United Kingdom Gb

They are small, tiny even and the heads dont taste very nice. I bought these are rhizomes on ebay. This is small because its a re-sprout from an earlier crop.



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Answers

 

Then I would hazard a guess that you have a Cardoon. They both belong to the same species, but one is a sub species of the other. Can't remember which way round though.

The cardoon is used mainly as a forced veg by putting a rhubarb forcer over the crown in spring to draw up succulent, blanched young growth that is eaten.

9 Aug, 2009

 

You can eat cardoons just like globe artichokes if you cut the heads before they open as flowers. They are a bit fiddly as they don't have a proper 'heart' or 'fond d'artichaut' like the real artichokes. But cardoons make massive plants much bigger than artichokes so I wonder if you have some kind of thistle? If it's the flower buds which are 'tiny', try thinning them out so there's only one or two on a plant.
Blanching the leaves by tying cardboard and paper around the growing leaves in spring isn't worth the effort in my view, as it tastes like a very poor celery.

9 Aug, 2009

 

Im had a feeling I'm been mis-sold actually. Im starting to think its some sort of decorative thistle

9 Aug, 2009

 

The genus Scolymus (Cardoon and Globe Artichoke) are in the thistle section/tribe of the Daisy family so you would not be wrong!

9 Aug, 2009

 

I think you have a cardoon suffering from anorexia!

12 Aug, 2009

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