Look What I Found!

So THIS is what they do! Well, I knew they did that, but was never sure from whence the actual artichoke would emerge..smack dab in the middle of the plant...I read that each plant would probably offer three or four, so I wasn't sure whether they would come up on stalks from the sides or what...but here you go! In one sense I really don't like sounding like a person who has never before seen an artichoke plant (and I have not), but here in Louisiana it's just not something we grow...and that's my excuse! let me adjust that thought...it's not something we've grown BEFORE, but I do believe we'll be doing this again in the future! These plants, grown from seed in the fall, have been in the greenhouse all winter and here it is early spring - they have outlasted the lettuce and all of the broccoli, and I wasn't convinced we were going to see any artichokes before it just became too hot for them. But there you have it! Here is a baby one...I have no idea how big they will actually get - we'll have to see. But after all of the that trouble, I cannot imagine why anyone would pick the little tiny ones...micro-greens I can understand; greens come and go so quickly - but not these!

Oh and by the way...the strawberries up above - picked them this morning...It's what I could snatch from the ants...the setup is a win-win for ants...black plastic under which to thrive and juicy berries right there! We'll get more, but not much without dealing with the ants. Sometimes, if you just mess up their living area, they'll get pissed and move. I don't think that will work in this case. In the meantime, some strawberries are better than no strawberries.