I have a foodie confession to make. Until a few weeks ago I had never seen a globe artichoke growing. Although I cook with them and know what they look like, I had no idea of how they grew, imagining that they probably grew like cabbages at ground level. In retrospect, given that they are a member of the thistle family, this was a little daft. They actually grow on really tall plants about 6ft high! On my way home yesterday I spotted a sign for home grown artichokes and stopped to buy their last two.
I was shown on a cookery course in Puglia how to prepare them and since then I have enjoyed using them in fresh pasta sauces. They are not half as difficult to prepare as they look. You simply peel off the bottom dark green leaves with a sharp knife, cutting with the knife behind each leaf, which will leave the bulb intact and when you get to the paler yellow leaves you cut across the top of the artichoke. I have to say that it is not the easiest of things to explain in words and it was only when someone showed me that I finally understood. There are some lovely recipes on http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2006/10/artichokes-overcoming-the-fear/ and I am looking forward to trying one of the recipes with the two I bought yesterday!