How to Choose the Best Artichokes at The Grocery Store: Tips and Tricks

Artichoke lovers, the time has finally come. We are now in the ideal season to eat, in the most varied recipes and preparations, the vegetable that you like so much. A commonly appreciated food and a vegetable with many benefits and properties: the artichoke, consumed in the right quantities, is able to regulate appetite, has diuretic effects and is recommended for keeping cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension under control.

Like many other fruits and vegetables in general, you need to adopt some small tricks to choose the best artichokes at the grocery store or the farmers' market, at the right level of ripeness and with the optimal consistency to be then treated in the kitchen. In the following lines we will illustrate some easy tricks to adopt to orient yourself in the vast choice of artichokes that, in this period, populate the shelves from North to South of the U.S.. In short, how do you identify the best artichoke? What should you pay attention to?

Tricks to Choose The Best Artichokes

Whether we want to make them, for example, roasted or fried, it is always important to choose the best artichokes to then have a good quality result on the palate. Identifying the most suitable specimens is not as difficult as it might seem, just put into practice a few tricks to be able to bring home the freshest and ripest artichokes at the right point.

Let's analyze the stem and leaves in detail. How should these parts of the vegetable look? The stem must be straight and firm, free of any yellowed or soft parts. If the stem still has leaves attached, it is better to check that these are fresh. The tip of the perfect artichoke we are looking for must also be well closed, characterized by dark green leaves and free of spots. To be sure of the freshness of our vegetable, grab it with your index finger and thumb, press and check whether or not it offers resistance. If we feel it as firm and does not flatten, then we can be sure of its freshness.