Once it’s April, you start seeing farmers selling fresh artichokes in little stands across the city. Artichokes are piled up on one side of the stand, a big bucket full of water with lemon juice sits in the middle. You watch the farmer skillfully shaving off the outer petals until all he’s left with is the artichoke bottom. He then throws it into the water to prevent it from discoloring. When you purchase some, he puts them in a plastic bag with some of the water. Now the artichokes are ready to be taken home to be cooked.
Eating raw, fresh artichokes is quite popular as well. You can often see people buying artichoke bottoms from the stands, squeezing a bit of fresh lemon juice on them (yeah, they bring along their lemon!) and eat it right there like a fruit. I can’t tell you how nutritious this is. So if you have the chance to get your hands on fresh artichokes, try it raw. You’ll love it!
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