Preserved Artichokes

Preserved Artichokes

Living in Central Washington, I pretty much never see fresh, locally-grown artichokes. I've had a couple friends who've proudly grown a few here and there, and while I'm taking a crack at it this year, my little guys are only about 8 inches tall. Any hope for uber-fresh, right off the stem artichokes, is way down the road, if I succeed in growing them at all. So, I was super excited while taking last weekend off to celebrate me and JM's anniversary, that I found fresh baby artichokes at a farm stand down the road from where we were staying. Hooray for Horse Drawn Farms on Lopez Island! I bought all that they had with the intent to preserve them. Artichokes are my daughter's favorite veggie, and while there wasn't a ton, there was enough to work with.

Baby Artichokes from Horse Drawn Farms, Lopez Island, WA

Preserved Artichokes
Ingredients
6 lbs fresh baby artichokes
6 cups white vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 T black peppercorns
1 T chili flake (I used some leftover from last year's dried Thai chilis)
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 small sprigs oregano or other fresh herbs
12 short, wide-mouthed half-pint jelly jars with lids and rings, sterilized
extra virgin olive oil 
1/2 small bottle of lemon juice

Start by thoroughly rinsing and brushing off each artichoke. Set aside a large bowl of cool water with lemon juice added. Prepare each artichoke by peeling away tough outer leaves until the heart or pale green inner leaves are exposed. Trim stem. Cut off top half-inch of artichoke. If the artichoke is slightly larger, cut in half. If the larger artichoke has the "blossom" or fuzzy flower interior, scoop it out with a spoon and rinse before adding to the lemon water.

Watch for painful thorns--these guys smart!

 

Bring the pickling liquid to a boil: vinegar, pepper and salt. Strain artichokes and add to the hot pickling liquid. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add artichokes to jars. Add chili flake, garlic and oregano to each jar, followed by brine and a topping of olive oil. leaving a half inch of head space. Wipe rims down, and seal with lids and rings. Add to boiling water canning kettle for 15 minutes. Let cool at room temperature.