I was able to return to Laura Simon’s amazing garden yesterday evening and take some more photos. Not that different from seeing a baby for it’s 1-year checkup after not seeing him for 6 months. Great to see how the garden has filled out and matured. The highlight of the trip this time was a plant I had never heard of. The cardoon.

The cardoon, also known as the artichoke thistle, is related to the thistle and artichoke as a member of the Aster family. While the flower buds can be eaten like an artichoke, more commonly the plant is cultivated for its stems. These can look like several-feet long celery stalks, are generally blanched before being battered and fried, or used in gratins or sauces. Famous orange-croc’ed chef Mario Batali says that the cardoon is one of his “favorite vegetables” because of it’s “sexy flavor,” but Laura says they’re pretty bland. I read an online description of the flavor as being a cross between celery and artichoke, with a hint of licorice, which makes me think Laura might be right. Anyway, they’re majestic, tall plants that give a nice architectural structure to one corner of her garden.