Artichokes may feel a bit alien at first, but they can be fun and delicious! Not to mention, it’s one of the top vegetables containing the most antioxidants, keeping the whole family strong and healthy.

Artichoke is a Great Source of:

• Fiber—great for liver and digestive health
• Iron—improves muscle and brain function
• Antioxidants—for a boost to the immune system
• Vitamin A—for cell health
• Vitamin K—aiding bone and brain health

Did You Know?

• Artichokes are a staple health food within the Mediterranean diet.
• The artichoke plant can grow to be six feet in diameter and up to four feet tall!
• There are 140 different species of artichokes, but only 40 are grown commercially as food.
• The edible part of the artichoke is a flower bud before it begins to bloom!

How to Harvest and Store Artichoke

Ready-to-eat artichokes should be firm, compact, and heavy with an even, bright green color. You want to avoid black bruises or a purple tint. To safely store, cut off the bottom stem from the artichoke, sprinkle with water and place in an airtight bag for 5-7 days. Before cooking, cut off the thorny leaf tips with a kitchen scissors and remove any dry leaves completely.

How to Eat Artichoke

Remove the individual leaves and use your teeth to remove (and eat!) the softer flesh. Discard the leaves after you have removed the soft flesh.

Tips to Get Children to Eat Artichoke

• Under a guardian’s supervision, have your child help prepare the artichoke before cooking. They can help peel off dry leaves or even cut off the thorny leaf tips with safety scissors!
• Let them dip the artichoke in their favorite dips or condiments like butter, cheese, or ranch.
• Because you use your teeth to remove the soft flesh of the artichoke, they are generally more fun for kids to eat. Make it an adventure!

Ways to Eat Artichoke

• Boil
• Steam
• Microwave
• Sauté
• Roast

Globe artichokes are a low-fat, low-starch vegetable high in insoluble fiber. They are also high in folic acid (notable for expectant women, since folic acid helps prevent neural-tube birth defects) and contain other nutrients including magnesium, chromium, manganese, potassium, phosphorous, iron, calcium, and Vitamin C.

As you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect yourself and your family.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Your local markets carry a wide variety of nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables. However, harmful bacteria that may be in the soil or water where produce grows can come in contact with fruits and vegetables and contaminate them. Fresh produce may also become contaminated after it is harvested, such as during storage or preparation.

Eating contaminated produce can lead to foodborne illness, often called “food poisoning.” So as you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect you and your family.

Buy Right

You can help keep produce safe by making wise buying decisions.

• Choose produce that is not bruised or damaged.
• When buying pre-cut, bagged or packaged produce — such as half of a watermelon or bagged salad greens — choose only those items that are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
• Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from raw meat, poultry, and seafood when packing them to take home from the market

Store Properly

Proper storage of fresh produce can affect both quality and safety.

• Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (like strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms) in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40° F or below. Use a refrigerator thermometer to check! If you’re not sure whether an item should be refrigerated to keep its quality, ask your grocer.
• Refrigerate all produce that is purchased pre-cut or packaged .

Separate for Safety

Keep fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood — and from kitchen utensils used for those products.

• Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with soap and hot water between preparing raw meat, poultry, and seafood and preparing produce that will not be cooked.
• If possible, use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• If you use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards, run them through the dishwasher after use

Prepare Safely

When preparing any fresh produce, begin with clean hands. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after preparation.

• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fresh fruits and vegetables before preparing and/or eating. Throw away any produce that looks rotten.
• Wash all produce thoroughly under running water before preparing and/or eating, including produce grown at home or bought from a grocery store or farmers’ market. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Produce is porous. Soap and household detergents can be absorbed by fruits and vegetables, despite thorough rinsing, and can make you sick. Also, the safety of the residues of commercial produce washes is not known and their effectiveness has not been tested.
• Even if you do not plan to eat the skin, it is still important to wash produce first so dirt and bacteria are not transferred from the surface when peeling or cutting produce.
• Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.
• After washing, dry produce with a clean cloth towel or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present on the surface

What About Pre-Washed Produce?

Many pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce items are pre-washed and ready-to-eat. If so, it will be stated on the packaging, and you can use the produce without further washing.

If you choose to wash produce marked as “pre-washed” or “ready-to-eat,” be sure that it does not come in contact with unclean surfaces or utensils. This will help to avoid cross contamination.

About Foodborne Illness

Know the Symptoms

Consuming dangerous foodborne bacteria will usually cause illness within 1 to 3 days of eating the contaminated food. However, sickness can also occur within 20 minutes or up to 6 weeks later. Although most people will recover from a foodborne illness within a short period of time, some can develop chronic, severe, or even life-threatening health problems.

Foodborne illness can sometimes be confused with other illnesses that have similar symptoms. The symptoms of foodborne illness can include:

• Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body ache

Take Action

If you think that you or a family member has a foodborne illness, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Spring Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups red cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
• 2.5 cups vegetable juice, low-sodium
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté the cabbage, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and peas for 10 minutes.
2. Add vegetable juice and water. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and add basil. Let simmer for 10 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
4. Serve in individual serving bowls and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients

• 4 large artichokes
• 3 cups breadcrumbs
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 cup pecorino cheese, grated
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

Directions

1. Cut 1” off the top of the artichoke with a serrated knife and snap off any dry or tough leaves. Use a kitchen scissors to trim off any thorny leaf tips. Remove the stems.
2. Combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, parmesan, pecorino, parsley and olive oil in a bowl.
3. Separate the leaves on the artichoke to give them some breathing room. Stuff the crumb mixture between each leaf.
4. Stand upright in a steamer basket over simmering water. Cover and steam over medium-low heat until tender (add more water if needed), about 1 hour 20 minutes. 
5. Remove from basket and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
6. Serve while warm.