1. Virtually 100 percent of all artichokes grown in the U.S. come from California.
As commodities go, when compared to items like corn, wheat and rice, artichokes are a minor
crop. Total crop value for the 2002 - 2003 crop year was more than $50 million. Average production for the past 5 years has been nearly 3 ½ million cartons. |
2. The California Artichoke Advisory Board office is located in Castroville, Calif., the
self-proclaimed "Artichoke Center of the World." |
3. Nearly two-thirds of the State's crop come from the fog-shrouded fields
surrounding the town. The moderate climate of the central coast of California,
characterized by cool summers and mild winters, is an ideal growing area.
|
4. The artichoke is a perennial in the thistle group of the sunflower family. In full
growth, the plant spreads to about 6 feet in diameter and about 3 to 4 feet high. It
has long arching leaves that give the plant a fern-like appearance.
|
5. The Green Globe cultivar comprises the majority of plants in commercial
cultivation. The vegetable that we eat is really the plant's immature flower bud.
Buds appear on the new shoots. The size of the bud is determined by the height of the stalk and the bud's position
on the stalk. The largest buds grow at the top end. Mediums grow from side shoots. The smallest, or "babies" grow at
the juncture of leaf to stem, hidden away in the morass of leaves.
|
6. If left to flower, blossoms measure up to 7 inches in diameter and are a
beautiful violet color. Generally, our growers never allow their plants to flower, as
this weakens the plant.
|
7. Harvesting artichokes is very labor-intensive work. The crews walk quickly through the artichoke rows choosing the ripe artichokes and cutting them from the stalks with a special knife.
|
8. Closeup of pickers wielding a short artichoke knife in each hand--cutting and "tossing" the artichoke in the wink of an eye.
|
9. When full, the picking basket can weigh up to 80 pounds.
|
10. Most artichoke growers pack in the field. Eliminating the packing shed process prevents a lot of handling that contributes to bruised product. Large harvesting rigs are parked at the end of the artichoke rows. These machines are specially made to pack artichokes.
|
11. Each harvester drops his canasta onto the receiving end of the rig and picks up an empty pack to return to the field.
|
12. A conveyor belt carries the artichokes past the packers. Each packer is assigned a particular size artichoke to pack. He chooses his artichokes and the rest go on to the next packer until all the sizes are chosen.
|
13. Except for specialty packs, artichokes are packed into standard waxed cartons according to size. The most popular sizes range from 18 jumbo to a carton, all the way to petite 72's to a carton.
|
14 The sized, packed artichokes are now palletized and placed on trailers, ready to be picked up and taken to the nearby cooler.
|
15. The packed artichoke pallets are rolled into a large machine called a hydro vacuum tube. The doors of the tube are closed and a vacuum is created. This removes the heat from the artichokes quickly and water is rinsed over the artichokes. A process that used to take a day in the packing shed is reduced to an hour.
|
16. The cooled, rinsed artichokes are ready to be fork-lifted to the cooler where they await refrigerated trucks to deliver them to your friendly local grocer or wholesaler.
Back To Top | Return Home
|
