Artichoke

Description
Permanent herbaceous plant, very robust, with up to 2 m high and a 4-5 cm thick stem, which is covered with leaves. The leaves are large 30-60 cm long, spiked and deeply divided. Spikiness and thorns vary by variety. The upper part of the leaf is green and smooth and the lower part is grayish green and hairy. In the second year after planting, they develop a flower stem. At the top of the stem, round spiky flowerbaskets are developed, which we gather before flowering. The plant blooms blue violet, early in the summer. The root system is deep and well developed. We plant in March and April, and we harvest from April to May.

Fresh or dried leaves and their preparations are suitable for medicinal use. Smoked flower buds of young flowers are used in the culinary arts.

Growth conditions and habitat
Artičoka originates from the Mediterranean, where there still remains the majority of it. They need a lot of heat and sun to grow. In winter it can survive temperatures to -5C. They dislike too much moisture. The soil should be deep and humid. We create young plants with seeds, or more effectively with root growth.

Culinary use
It has been confirmed that it was already used by the Egyptian 500 years BC. In the Roman Empire it was considered a vegetable specialty. In France and England they are expected to start being used in the 15th century, where they were enjoyed  mainly by nobility.

It helps  regulate liver function, cleanses and strengthens it. It helps the appetite and digestion. It reduces cholesterol, aggravation of blood vessels, blood sugar, regulates the secretion of the bile. The most important effective compounds in the leaves are caffeoquinic acid derivatives, flavonoids and sesquiterpenic lactones (bitter glands that help digestion of digestive juices).

Strunjan Artichoke: The leaves have small or no spikes at all or division. The flower is the size of a  ping pong ball or slightly larger. To maintain the same plant characteristics, we reproduce them exclusively by division. The most appropriate time for this is September-October. In the culinary arts, we use the  flowers before they bloom. We pick them up in May until the first days of June. Artichokes came to the Slovene Istria during the time of the Venetian Republic.

Sources:
• http://www.my-personaltrainer.it/erbe-medicinali/carciofo.html
• Dr. Joerg Gruenwald,Christof Jaenicke: Zelena lekarna, Mladinska knjiga založba, 2014
• Simon Ašič, Domača lekarna patra Simona Ašiča, Celjska Mohorjeva družba, 2008
• Sakelšak Matjaž: Optimizacija vzorčenja listov artičok za izolacijo DNA. Zaključna naloga. Univerza na Primorskem, Fakulteta za matematiko, naravoslovje in informacijske tehnologije.