Mama, those are just green sticks with leaves! Why did donks love those?
Well, mama goes bananas when she has spring artichokes, haha. They are in season now and we are eating frittatas and omelets and little thin-sliced baby artichokes sautéd in olive oil and I was watching the other day when mama even threw a few pieces into a fish soup!
It is interesting food history that wild artichokesl (thistles) were discovered by donkeys in Greco-Roman times. Those donks LOVED them and pretty soon foragers began to grill them or boil them and they soon became the rage.
It was said, however, (when they were forbidden to commoners and supplied to only the rich) that the asses discovered them but the true asses were now eating them.
Catherine de Medici, who adored the newfound vegetable, once ate so many that she puffed up like a ballon and everyone waited for her to literally explode at the table.
They are, let us say, producers of…er…quite a bit of roughage, whatever that is.
Well, I’ll take the butter on mine, no lemon, please.
And just a few, okay?
Interesting that you mention Catherine de Medici. The mom just watched a show on Netflix about Mary Queen of Scots and Catherine de Medici was in it. So we know who she is.
Well, she was somebody, that’s for sure. And Mary, Queen of Scots—amazing! Mama says women ought to be the rulers and we’d be better off, haha.
My Mom loves artichokes with butter……we don’t see Spring ones here though – just the regular large and sometimes “tougher” ones. Didn’t know that donks liked them!
Hugs, Teddy
The donks go wild for the leaves on the stem and the stems are often too tough to bother with so mama gives them to the donks. They really go bananas…which they ALSO love.
The donks LOVE the cast off cleanings of the chokes.
teehee – I’ll bet your Mamma won’t be giving those to the donks!!! If so – want to see photos, LOL!!! We have left over truffle sauce, so going to buy some Charral Steaks – maybe I’ll get a bite without truffles!!! Then Indian food in the freezer tomorrow. And Monday. We’re in Lockdown again – so what do but eat?
Well, you could teach your maman and pap How Much Is That Doggy In the Window? GOOD eats around your part of the woods.
That was very interesting but human food sure is weird!
Well, I guess it is but those artichokes smell really good when cooking even if I can’t have them.
Those look great.
Mama is addicted to chokes.
I don’t think what you call thistles and what we call thistles are the same thing. I will have to look this up.
Well, there are many thistle flora but the ancient ones contained the beginnings of what became cultivated chokes, we think. Will also dig into the Greco Roman past…..