The Cardoon

Each year I'll plant a few strange items in the garden, just because I like odd things.  I wanted to show you a plant that we've grown in the past and have growing this year, too.  This is by far the easiest thing to grow.  I think it is easiest because it is, in essence, a weed.  Funny how you don't have to nurture weeds - they just grow!  The plant I'm talking about is the Cardoon.  Cardoon is in the thistle family and is related to the artichoke.  You might notice the resemblance to the artichoke in the bloom of the cardoon from the picture below:

Cardoons are blooming in our garden

This plant is prevalent in Spain and Italy and can be eaten.  In the past, we have prepared a French dish called Cardoon Au Gratin.  It was good, but it certainly was a lot of work to prepare.  You must take the stalk and remove the outer layer along with the 'strings' that grow on the stalk.  The outer portion of the cardoon stalk is VERY bitter.  You don't want to put your fingers in your mouth after doing this or you'll be sorry.  I learned this the hard way!

In some parts of the world, this is an invasive weed that grows everywhere.  I can see how that is true. Although I think it is a pretty plant, it gets big, with large leaves and overtakes everything in its path.  I've cut it back and it just regrows from the roots. I'll generally let it bloom, let it dry out, and then gather the seeds for use next year. If anyone would like some, I'd be more than happy to share.  Isn't this a beautiful bloom?

The Cardoon Flower

Now, one thing I learned, but haven't tried yet is that you don't have to import thistles or weeds like cardoon from other locales to grow and eat.  Any Louisianan knows that we have plenty of thistles and weeds that will grow on their own without propogation of seeds.  What I didn't know is that you can eat them.  If you live in Louisiana (or maybe other parts of the south), you've no doubt seen this thing below growing on roadsides or perhaps in your yard.  They are everywhere!

Image Credit

You might have learned from experience not to kick them as they have sharp prickly spines on them!  It is best to chop them with a shovel or hoe.  What I learned is that you can eat this thistle.  It requires a little preparation, but not as much as the cardoon.  All you do is chop the stalk, remove the leaves and peel the darker green outer layer off.  What remains is a pale greenish yellow hollow stalk that can be eaten raw.  It is supposedly cool and crisp.  I think with the warmer weather, all the thistles may be too far mature for this, but I've made a mental note of this and I'm going to try to eat one next year.

One man's trash (weed) is another man's treasure (feed)!