Artichokes are a wonderful vegetable. I am flabbergasted by the size of the gigantic artichokes that I can find here in the states. A few years ago I was finally able to find someone that is growing and harvesting baby artichokes, which are my favorite. The smaller the artichoke, the less effort goes into cleaning it. Especially baby artichokes don’t have a choke that bothers you, so you don’t need to slice the artichokes in half to remove the choke. I braise them, I fry them, I use them in salad, I even save their hearts and oil for about a year. There are so many things that can be done with artichokes, and they’re rich in iron and super healthy.