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Monday Morning in the Kitchen: Freezing Artichoke Hearts

My artichoke plant outdid itself this year.  We have been eating a lot of artichokes.  As artichokes are one of the most delicious vegetables ever, I have been quite happy with the overabundance. 
The only problem has been that we haven't been eating artichokes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday.  (Lunch and dinner on the same day sometimes, but never breakfast.)  I gave some away, but I realized that the season was quickly drawing to a close and my plant was still covered in artichokes.  

 I hated to see any go to waste, so I decided to freeze the hearts of the remaining 'chokes.  It's really a quite simple (though somewhat tedious) process.

 After picking the artichokes, cut each one into fourths.

 Remove everything but the heart.

Add some lemon juice or commercial citric acid (like Fruit Fresh) to a bowl of water, and drop the artichoke hearts into the solution.  That will help keep the hearts from darkening.
As you can tell, the hearts are only a small portion of the artichokes.
After getting the hearts, blanch them by putting them in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, then remove them from the hot water and put them in a pan of cold water.  When they are cool, put them in a freezer bag or container, label, and freeze.  

The fresh artichoke season is now officially over at our house, but we will enjoy artichoke hearts later!

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Thanks for a freezer and a productive plant!

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Comments

  1. NancyMay 19, 2014 at 7:45 AM

    Call me strange, but I don't care for artichokes. Glad you were able to freeze your excess for later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiMay 19, 2014 at 8:40 AM

      No, I won't call you strange. More for me! :-)

      Delete
  2. Rozy LassMay 19, 2014 at 9:44 AM

    Nancy is not the only one. People rave about artichokes and asparagus, even Brussels sprouts, and I think "What's the big deal?" To me they are yucky! But everyone is different. So glad you were able to preserve the excess of your favorite vegetable. You get double blessings, first for growing it, and then for preserving it. Thanks for your good example!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chris CarterMay 19, 2014 at 9:56 AM

    Such a GREAT idea!!! Thanks for sharing it with us Kristi! :) I totally pinned it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. BiancaMay 19, 2014 at 10:51 AM

    Well, even more strange; I never had artichokes. Seems like a lot of work for such a small piece of such a big thing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MarissaMay 19, 2014 at 11:04 AM

    Oh wow!
    I just had an amazing artichoke salad the other day in a fancy hotel restaurant and promised myself I would buy some. And this morning I was looking up recipes for it. HA!
    Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Marisa BMay 19, 2014 at 12:38 PM

    They look delicious- love artichokes....I only buy them when they are on sale; they can run anywhere from 1.00 to 2.00 each when they are 2 for 1.00 or 3 for 1.00 it's party time... At times I also bought the baby artichokes; smaller ones sometimes loose, often packaged - 6 or 8 in a package...Enjoy they look yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Linda RoyMay 19, 2014 at 2:55 PM

    Those first two photos are absolutely stunning! I would frame those and hang 'em in my kitchen. And I love artichokes, so thanks for the tips.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kristi CampbellMay 19, 2014 at 5:21 PM

    Artichokes are my favoritest veggie of all. They're up there with lobster, which, yes, I know is not a vegetable. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownMay 22, 2014 at 2:26 PM

    I love artichokes, too! And artichoke plants that have gone to seed are just beautiful - love the flowers!

    ReplyDelete

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