Artichoke: Violet de Provence

Description

If purple is the colour of royalty, this is the Queen of all artichokes. It’s as pretty as it is delicious. If you’re looking to add a little sex appeal to your garden (who isn’t?) then this is the veggie for you. Each year that goes by will produce more heads on the plant. These artichokes are a delicacy, and require little more than a light steaming or pan frying and lashings of lemon butter (or hollandaise sauce) to serve. Mmmm.

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My own growing notes:

Small, purple, flavourful bud. Statement foliage. Delicious!

The Violet de Provence is a purple-budded traditional French heirloom which has a finer flavour than its green cousin, and much prettier flowers. If its early buds are picked small enough, they often don’t have a ‘choke’.

All artichokes are statement plants – and they need space so that they can produce flower buds year after year for fans of this delicacy. Remove all the buds before they grow to full size as this helps the plant consolidate its growth. Also, once the buds ‘bloom’ the opportunity to eat and enjoy them is past. Pick them while the scales are closed. (The second year’s production is usually better than the first.)

The plants may need to be staked as they can grow rather large and become brittle. At the end of flowering, cut the plant down to the ground. You may even get a second flush of buds before the end of the season. The plant will push out pups after the main plant is finished. 

Sow seeds in trays 10 mm deep. Transplant into their final positions when established. Feed well each Spring, and water regularly. 

20 seeds