How should artichokes be checked and cleaned for bugs?
• ANSWER: Artichoke DESCRIPTION: Artichokes are ball shaped vegetables, about the same size as a tennis ball. They consist of many thick leaves concentrically arranged to form a rosette. These leaves stem from a solid base. Heart of artichoke refers to the base with layers of the innermost center leaves which are edible. INFESTATION: Artichokes can be heavily infested with both aphids and thrips. These insects penetrate deeply between the thick leaves, which provide them with food and shelter. Thus, insects may even be found between the innermost layers of leaves around the heart. INSPECTION: Fresh artichokes may be prepared for use in one of the following ways: If the artichoke leaves are desired, then: 1. After cooking the artichoke pull away each leaf and examine it for small green aphids or gray/black thrips. Pay careful attention to the stem of the leaf (i.e., where the leaf was connected to the solid base). If the heart of the artichoke is desired, then: 2. The artichoke leaves t
