Home gardener

Why do my artichokes are not so great?

Older types of seeds were developed for early harvest and lack ”meat”, size and uniformity. New types that are available are hybrids and cost 10 to 20 times as much as older varieties. They can be significantly slower. Horticultural suppliers do not think you will know the difference.

Why do my plants have so many ants?

Aphids and other sucking insects will pierce leaves and get their nutrition. The ants come along and eat the nectar left behind.

Consumer

Why are my artichokes not the same as before?

Several answers. To be blunt, some growers have harvest artichokes that were (ahem) not very edible. They should know the difference. The store receiving these artichokes cannot discern the poor quality just be looking. Newer types are developed to remain tight (not “pine cone”) so that the artichoke looks better. Older varieties would open up more when over mature. Sometimes an artichoke would look old but would still be edible. Too complicated.

Also, the goal of some breeding programs is earliness.

The markets in many countries value first crops highly. Earliness and meatiness can be incompatible breeding goals.

What about thorns? Is thornless bad?

There were ad campaigns to the industry that said “No to thornless.” All artichokes have some sort of thorn. If you look closely at a “thornless” artichoke you will see small thorns. Some breeders work on less thorns, some for more thorns (so they won’t be thornless). Does this make sense? I guess if your trademark is thorns you need thorns on your artichoke. Smaller thorns can have other side effects that could make the artichoke have a shorter shelf life. What is really going on here is that there was an older variety that had very short thorns and often poor quality and shelf life. A better slogan would have been “Buy ours, ours are better, we know what we are doing. The other guys can be bad. Trust us.”

Can I buy seed?

Yes. There are seed catalogs. I have stopped or slowed down my seed breeding work personally. Someday, maybe. Artichoke breeding is long and costly. In other words, don’t ask. Big Heart Seed does not sell directly to consumers.

Can I buy plants?

I sell plants to California growers. It is economical and commercial. The quality of the product is high. The productivity can be high. It is not as simple as buying seeds. In other words, unless you are a commercial California grower, no need to ask.

Can I buy your artichokes?

There is not enough demand to develop a business that can efficiently sell product directly. Amazon and Walmart have big efficient distribution networks and can drive the cost of delivery down.

Where can I buy them? Which markets sell them?

There is a farmer’s market in Lompoc that sells them in season. We used to do farmer’s markets up and down California. It was a good business, but intense. We have a perishable commodity and a cash receipts We did disclose them to the IRS (yes). I was always uncomfortable with the undefined nature. Were our salesmen employees? How can I preserve the cold chain and food safety chain?

Otherwise, I am semi-retired. Someone else sells my artichoke. I have no direct control over how and where they are marketed. The transition has been tough on my historic customers. Some of my favorite deals were with people I know and trust. New sale company means new customers.

Let me tell you a story. Vancouver had a worlds fair. They had a food expo at the same time. The next year that had another food expo, expecting the same crowds. I went to that expo and there were no crowds. Eventually, there was a guy walking the floor. I could tell he was a “person of interest.” It was Bill Earnest of Metropolitan Markets. I gave him my succinct sales pitch. He nodded and walked on. A few days later I got a call from a commercial buyer, who previously would not return my calls. He bought artichokes without asking price. Weird. It was a nice unsolicited order. Later he confirmed my story and the stores promoted my artichoke. Later with new artichokes in hand, I approached him and we started selling long stem artichoke to Metropolitan Markets. Good volume, Great displays. Everyone was happy. When I sold control of my business, the new company had an ongoing relationship with a different receiver. Within months, total change over. Bill has retired and I have semi-retired, but I miss the northwest.