How to grow an Artichoke The artichoke is one of the most curious plants you will ever encounter. It is actually a perennial herb from the thistle group. Scientifically, it belongs to the Asteraceae family, which includes all asters. Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. As an edible vegetable, the artichoke was first developed in Sicily, Italy, though there is mention of it in both Greek and Roman literature as early as 77 AD. It is known that the North African Moors cultivated the plant near Granada, Spain, around 800 AD and that the artichoke was introduced to England in the mid-1500s, however it was not well received. The Spanish brought the first artichokes to America when they introduced them to California in
View more
