How to Care for Cardoons

Here are the cardoons growing in my garden. They are generally taller than artichoke plants.

Earwigs and their eggs seem to like living among the stalks.

A smaller, new shoot will have stalks that are more tender.

Trim the leaves from each stalk.

Here are a bunch of cardoons ready for peeling.

Use a potato peeler or knife to remove the stringy exterior ribs.

Then cut each stalk into pieces. Try tasting them uncooked.

Add juice of half lemon and the lemon itself to a quart of water. The acidified bath helps prevent discoloration.

I had some green garlic and spring onions that I added to some olive oil and sautéed.

Then I added the cardoons, which were drained. I cooked them for less than ten minutes. I wanted them to keep their crunch.

I tossed bread crumbs with the cardoons in a bowl and topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

I served the cooked cardoons with a nearby vase of cardoon stalks. They were a distinctively earthy side dish.