Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
commend some kind of roofing, as wet leaves or straw quickly leads to rot. Seeds can be harvested the
following year.
HARVEST As for artichokes.
SELECTION CHARACTERISTICS
• “meatiness” and minimal stringiness of leaf stalks
• minimal content of bitter compounds (taste blanched plants)
• resistance to frost (and rot)
Cardoon—a protected Swiss variety
Cardoon is part of the traditional Christmas meal in Geneva, Switzerland—not cooked but rather
scalded, with boiling salt water and a bit of milk. The variety 'Cardon épineux Argenté de Plain-
palais' recently received an AOC (“controlled designation of origin”) certification and, when
marketed as a traditional Swiss specialty, must be produced in the greater Geneva area. This
variety came to be around 200 years ago and grows to be 5 ft. (1.5 m) tall; its fleshy leaf veins
and stalks have prickles. Although difficult to grow and prepare, it is considered to be the best
cultivar there is, culinarily speaking.
BLANCHING The blanched leaf stalks are what is eaten from cardoon plants. Blanching removes the
fairly strong, bitter taste that cardoon naturally has. The blanching process is time-consuming, but the
reward is a delicious winter vegetable. Starting in early autumn, plants are loosely tied together at nu-
merous positions and covered with straw, ground cover, or cardboard. Be careful not to injure the leaf
stalks. If needed, hill up soil around the plants to improve their stability. Depending on the temperat-
ure, blanched leaves can be harvested in two to four weeks. After around mid autumn blanching can
no longer be done outdoors. Dig up plants with roots still encased in a ball of soil and continue to
blanch from late autumn to late winter in a root cellar or other dark room.
CULTIVATION HISTORY Wild cardoon is recognizable by its extremely prickly leaves, stems, and
flowers. It comes from the Mediterranean region, and the cultivated form presumably originated in
Spain, whence it spread to southern France and eventually to central Europe. Cultivation in Germany
began in the 17th century. Over and over again, cardoon was all but forgotten, only to be rediscovered.
In western Switzerland, it is still grown on a large scale.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search