Flower Photos - Orange Roses and
Green Artichoke Arrangement -
The Artichoke Capitol of California is Castroville. It's
where Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean) got her start as a
beauty queen at the annual Artichoke Festival.
Artichokes grow throughout the world in Italy, Spain,
France and the U.S. They are a tasty food and also make
unique decorations for plant and flower arrangements.
How
fitting that in California where the center
of the world's great artichoke capitol lies
in Castroville, we often see flower
arrangements that contain artichokes! This
is the perfect flower centerpiece to please
both women and men because it contains food.
Hopefully they'll figure out that you're not
supposed to eat the grapes, but it would be
a perfect end to this somewhat edible
flower, fruit, food arrangement shown in the
photo above.
Artichokes are grown in their ideal climate
less than 100 miles from San Francisco in a
region nestled along the West Coast near
Santa Cruz and Carmel. Monterey County is
home to artichokes. It celebrates their
bounty with an annual Artichoke Festival in
Castroville. And as many compared the
untimely death of Marilyn Monroe to Anna
Nicole Smith, a bit of trivia yields that
both women posed and playfully graced a
variety of functions with the Artichoke
Festival being Marilyn's. Some say she
actually launched her career after serving
as the Castroville Artichoke Queen.
The
artichoke is the flower bud of a thistle
plant and comes in over 50 varieties with
the Globe offering most. The Globe Artichoke
was believed to be first cultivated in
Naples, Italy around the mid-15th century.
Today, the Globe Artichoke is found growing
in France, Italy, Spain and the U.S.
California provides nearly 100 percent of
the local crop, and approximately 80 percent
of that is grown in Monterey County.
Apart from food use, the Globe Artichoke is
also an attractive plant for its bright
floral display.
To eat an
artichoke, you must first cook it (boil it
in water). By pealing the layers away, one
reaches the center fruit that's the most
coveted "heart" of this tasty appetizer.
Upon arrival, you'll discover a thistle type
fiber that if you try swallowing, it can
cause you to choke (thus the arti-choke).
The artichoke is most often served with a
dipping sauce such as melted, salted butter;
lemon and butter; olive oil; mayonnaise; and
a variety of creative sauce creations.
Artichokes solid in olive marinade are tasty
on salads and in other food dishes.
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