The Red Flag To Look Out For When Shopping For Fresh Artichokes

It's easy to get stuck in a cooking rut, especially with vegetables. We're all familiar with the go-to basics like carrots, corn, and broccoli, but if you're looking to add some variety to your side dishes, artichokes might be just what you're looking for. There are more than a dozen varieties of artichoke — some of which you might not be familiar with — and although they have different flavors, coloring, and sizes, there's one thing they all have in common: Picking the very freshest artichokes at the store is the first step to guaranteeing a stellar dish.

Do the professionals have any tips and tricks they look for? Absolutely. And when Daily Meal reached out to gardener Sarah Raven, author of "Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook," we got some great tips for picking out the best artichokes and one massive red flag. She told us, "You should be looking for artichokes that are tightly closed, [with a] firm bullet texture, with the scales not starting to open, and [are a] fresh grey-green. They should have absolutely no browning!"

This is valuable information, especially considering fresh artichokes are in season from March until June and then again from September to December. That means there are plenty of opportunities to pick up fresh artichokes and experiment with this vegetable that's linked to all kinds of health benefits, from aiding with digestion to helping manage cholesterol levels and blood pressure and improving heart and liver health.

Gardening expert Sarah Raven gave us some tips not only on what you don't want to see when you're picking out fresh artichokes but also some great advice on choosing the best. "You can also test the freshness of an artichoke by holding it up by the stem and jiggling it about; if they're really fresh, they don't flop around," she said. How easy is that?

If you're just starting to dive into the world of artichokes, there are a few other things to remember. If you pick up several different artichokes from the pile, you might notice that some are heavier than others — those are the ones you should be looking at. That brown discoloration Raven mentioned happens as the artichoke gets older, so opt for the green ones if you want to know you're getting one harvested recently. Check for firmness, too — you don't want soft spots. 

Freshness is important in artichokes, and if you've tried this vegetable before and been less than impressed, you may have gotten one that's not-so-fresh. Raven told us that when it comes time to prep, there's something else to look for: "... When you cut the stem, it slices easily in one go. If the stems are tough and stringy — needing a serrated knife to cut them — they won't be quite as soft and tender."

Artichokes have been around for a long time, harvested as a foodstuff since at least 500 BC. We asked Sarah Raven if she recommended keeping them at room temperature or in the fridge, and she told us that the old ways work: "I have dealt with them both ways and throw them straight in the pan. Based on that knowledge, my educated guess is that the best way to use and cook with them is when they're at room temperature."

With that said, ideally, you should use artichokes as soon as possible instead of letting them kick around for a few days. But we've all been there: The days get away from us, and suddenly, our fresh produce is looking not-so-fresh. The good news is that artichokes are easy to freeze. You'll need to blanch them first — just give the individual segments a quick one-minute dunk — then, once they're cool, you can place them on a baking tray, freeze them, then transfer them to an airtight freezer bag or container. Still, you should make sure you date the bag, as they don't have quite the longevity as other vegetables. You won't want to leave them for more than three months, but that said, frozen artichokes are great for a spinach artichoke dip. Or that classic combination can be used in a spinach artichoke frittata for a delicious breakfast that tastes great any time of day.