They grow up so fast. It seems only last week we were headed out of town and wondering if the artichoke plant would even survive a week without us. Apparently there was no need for concern. We got home from a quick trip to Oceanside and Sequoia NP to find our burly artichoke plant was getting ready to bloom. We decided to harvest a few artichokes before they turned into huge purple flowers, but I have to admit I’m curious to know what they would look like if we did let one or two go all the way. There are still plenty more on the monster plant, so maybe we’ll do that towards summer. But right now it’s time to eat some organic artichokes from our garden.