salsify and cardoon

[tsuyako]

Has anyone grown these? I don't fully understand what Cardoon is. It looks like celery but tastes like an artichoke? Does is come back every year or do you need to reseed it?

Does Salsify actually taste like oysters? I'm very curious about both of these vegetables, so any information would be great.

Thank you!!

[Denninmi]

Yes, cardoon is a species in the same genus as globe artichoke, but instead of the flower buds, the edible part is the celery-like leaf petioles. In order to eat it, you need to blanch the stalks by wrapping them for a few weeks with something dark in order to keep out the sunlight -- this reduces the bitter compounds in the stalks and makes them more tender. In your zone, cardoon would be a perennial.

Salisfy doesn't taste like oysters in my opinion. It is kind of hard to describe, the flavor is very mild, actually doesn't have a lot of flavor compared to many things, really. I guess the closest thing I can think of to it in terms of the flavor is an artichoke heart. I think the "oyster" thing may have come about more because of appearance than flavor -- after you peel and cook them, they turn sort of a grayish color, pretty similar to the color of a cooked oyster. At least that is my theory.

[tsuyako]

Thanks Denninmi! I think I'm going to try some cardoon this year as it just looks cool. Both plants I am just way to curious about .

[remy]

I love Cardoons!
Here's a link to a pic of some of my cooked ones:
http://seedsample.com/wp-content/upl...4/p1010878.jpg

Here's the recipe:

Cardoons Italian Frittata style

Burdock stalks may be substituted for Cardoon. In spring up north where Cardoon does not easily grow, crazy Italians, such as myself, sometimes can be seen cutting burdock in open fields.

* Cardoon stalks leafy/spiny parts removed, cleaned well
* Eggs
* Bread Crumbs Italian style seasoned (or add your own Italian spices)
* Black Pepper(even with seasoned bread crumbs I like to add more)
* Oregano(again even with seasoned, I like to add more)
* Parmesan and/or Romano Cheese(with the addition of this, I think it is salty enough, but you might like to add salt)
* Oil for frying

Chop Cardoon into small pieces like you are cutting celery for potato salad, but not quite that small. Put in big pot to boil with enough water to cover. Bring to boil. If your cardoon was not kept covered well when growing and isn’t super white, it could taste strong. If so, at this point drain Cardoon out and then re-pot with new water and bring again to a boil. (This works good for any overly strong tasting green.) Then turn down heat and simmer until tender. I’m not sure on time. Check after 15 minutes see what you think. Once it has a good texture to you, drain. Let cool enough so as not to cook eggs that you will be mixing with the Cardoon. In a large bowl, add eggs to Cardoon, enough to cause a goopy mess (about 3 eggs to a lb.) Then start sprinkling in the bread crumbs and mix everything together. Keep adding bread crumbs a little at a time so you cause a wet batter that holds onto the cardoon pieces. You don’t want it too ooze away from the cardoon while frying, but you don’t want it too dry that it won’t hold together either. Mix in extra spices and cheese.
Get a good pan to fry in.( I love a big cast iron skillet.) Heat pan on med-high and add enough oil so fritters won’t stick and will brown nice. Some people do the big whole pan frittata, some do smaller ones. Smaller ones are easy to flip, so many people do that. Add cardoon mix to pan in portion sizes you like. They should be like fat pancakes. Let brown on one side before flipping, and then cook the other side until a nice brown. Transfer to a plate with paper towels to drain and cool slightly. Then eat, yummy!

Remy

[tsuyako]

Wow remy, that sound delicous! I'm going to order some seed from Baker Creek next payday and get them started once I receive them. I will keep this recipe until the day I harvest them in 8-9 months!

[Denninmi]

I'm surprised that no one has come up with an alternative method of growing perfectly blanched cardoon, which is to grow it in a large pot during the summer, and then cut off the top, bring into a completely dark basement or closet, and force it in the same way that Belgian endive is forced.

I know this works, because I'm trying to overwinter some cardoon and artichoke roots in the basement in large paper lawn and leaf bags, and they're growing some big tops in the bag. I don't know if they'll make it to spring, but I could certainly harvest some of these creamy white cardoon shoots to use if I wanted to.

[remy]

Originally Posted by tsuyako

Wow remy, that sound delicous! I'm going to order some seed from Baker Creek next payday and get them started once I receive them. I will keep this recipe until the day I harvest them in 8-9 months!

I know you'll love them!
Remy

[Direct Sunlight]

Hey if nothing else this shows I did a search instead of just posting.

Am wondering how salsify works as a fall crop. I find next to nothing about planting it in the fall, and what little I find conflicts. I find that it can be planted at the same time and way that carrots can, and that it isn't grown for the fall. It isn't a carrot, so...

Anyone ever tried this, or am I going to be a trailblazer on this one?

[Masbustelo]

I grew Salsify once. I was pretty disappointed. I remember it as being bland and tasteless. It didn't produce much volume or size of roots for me and I decided I wouldn't grow it again. Spell check is suggesting falsify, which might be a good cognomen.

[Direct Sunlight]

Hmmm, not stellar recommendations by anyone. I've already got the seeds, so I'll throw some out there and see what happens. I can resurrect this thread later. Even cassabanana got its own thread so why not?