Pickled Artichokes

4.67 from 12 votes
Comment
Jump to Recipe

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

pickled artichokes in a bowl
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

I’ve eaten a lot of preserved or pickled artichokes in my time, but this recipe is the best I’ve yet found. This is a riff off a recipe I found in Eugenia Bone’s Well Preserved, one of the better pickling books to come out in recent years.

I’ve been known to cruise the farmer’s markets late in the morning, eyeing the artichoke vendors. Why? Near the end of the day’s market, the farmers are more willing to sell their stock at a discount. And since I eat a lot of these artichokes, I need to buy a lot. And even here in California, artichokes aren’t cheap.

Why bother with these pickled artichokes? Because they are simply flat-out better than anything you can buy. I am not just saying that. You know when you buy pickled artichokes, and they’re kinda squishy? Soft? These aren’t. These stay firm for months in the jar.

They will soften eventually, though, so eat them within about nine months.

You will want to buy small artichokes for this recipe, and, thankfully, I am seeing packages of “baby” artichokes for sale in supermarkets now, so you have a store-bought option if your local farmer’s market doesn’t have artichokes, which is likely.

Processing all these baby artichokes will take some time, and, well, generate a lot of waste. What to do with all the artichoke leaves you have pulled off to get to the hearts? Make artichoke soup. There is an amazing recipe for this in one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Cooking by Hand: A Cookbook by Paul Bertolli.

If you’re interested in real-deal Italian cooking, not just for that artichoke soup but for all sorts of things, buy Bertolli’s book. You won’t be sad.

pickled artichokes recipe
4.67 from 12 votes

Pickled, Marinated Artichokes

The key here is to use small artichokes, babies really. You can use large 'chokes, but it is a lot more work and you will need to chop the hearts into three or four pieces. Small artichokes are a commonplace in California farmers' markets, but you might need to order them if you live in a colder clime. But it's worth it. These chokes are firm, fresh-tasting and absolutely delicious -- nothing at all like the preserved artichokes you get in the store.
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 16 servings
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 40-50 baby artichokes
  • 1 cup lemon juice
  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 5 sliced garlic cloves
  • 4 dried chiles
  • About a dozen juniper berries (optional)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 4 lemons, sliced in half

Instructions 

  • Put everything but the artichokes in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Cover and turn off the heat.
  • Fill a canning kettle (I use a stock pot) with enough water to cover the quart Mason jars you will need to can these artichokes. You will need something on the bottom of the pot to keep the glass jars off the bottom. I use a steel veggie steamer with the feet pulled off, or you could use spare jar rims. Put it on medium heat.
  • Get a large bowl and fill it with cold water. Squeeze 2 lemons into the water and drop the lemons into the bowl. Pick off the tough outer leaves of the artichokes, leaving only the ones that are tightly attached and yellow at the center. Slice off the top of the artichokes, and trim the outer layer off the choke bottom, leaving as much as you can -- you need a sharp knife for this. Rub the artichoke all over with cut lemon and drop it into the bowl with the lemons. This prevents them from oxidizing and turning brown. Repeat until you are done.
  • Turn the heat back onto the pot with the seasoned vinegar and oil. Put the artichokes in that pot, stir around and bring to a boil. With a slotted spoon, fill the Mason jars 3/4 full with the artichokes. Ladle the vinegar-oil mixture over the chokes evenly. If you run out of sauce, you can add a little vinegar and oil to top off. Make sure the rims of the jars are clean and dry, and that you are using brand-new lids. Close the jars.
  • Submerge the two jars in the now-boiling water of the stockpot. Let this boil for 15 minutes. Let cool on a cutting board until the artichokes return to room temperature. They will keep a year. Refrigerate after opening.

Notes

This recipe makes 2 quarts. 

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 704mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1938IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

You May Also Like

How to Make Chipotles

How to make chipotles at home. You need ripe jalapenos, a smoker, and time. They’re easy to make, and store well.

Hunt Gather Talk: Basic Cheesemaking

I talk with Claudia Lucero of Urban Cheesecraft in Portland on how to make basic cheeses with little or no special equipment. It’s a total geek out session!

Hunt Gather Talk: Sandor Katz!

This episode about fermentation is with one of the legends of the practice, Sandor Katz. We dive deep into the word of ferments in this talk.

About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




27 Comments

  1. These are amazing, I just rediscovered canning and the grocery store had minis on clearance, and when I found your recipe, I made them. I will seriously have to try to not eat the whole jar in one sitting! I had leftover brine (I only filled my jars 3/4 full because it was really potent and topped up with water) that I used on quartered creminis and I think they will be equally delicious. Thank you!

  2. quick question Hank, do you scoop out the artichokes in step three away from the water lemon mix? Or do you pour the water and lemon with the artichokes in the pot to bring back up to a boil?

    1. Shannon: I move them right from the water/lemon mix to the pot to boil them. That keeps them from turning color.

  3. I’d rather not use oil. Can I just omit it, without adjusting (except for the oil’s volume) other ingredients? Will the acid be overwhelming without it?
    Thanks

  4. I presume that this recipe is for ‘globe artichokes’ and not ‘jeruselum artichokes’?

  5. Wow, this looks really good! I’ve never pickled artichoke before. I’ve seen the little baby artichokes in the stores and always wondered what you would use them for. I bet they’d taste excellent fermented too. I definitely need to try this.

  6. I canned 6 quarts last night and they taste amazing. The hearts were bigger than I expected and have a perfect texture. Just the right balance of sweet and acid. Thanks again for the recipe. I’m gonna put up another 20 quarts before it gets too hot. I think I need a bigger pantry…

  7. Thanks for the reply Hank! I’ve been eating them like crazy and they are delicious. I literally have 500 harvestable cardoons within walking distance from my house and would love to preserve some for the off season. I’ll give it a try and let you know how it turns out.

  8. The recipe looks great! I have an abundance of wild artichokes near my house and was wondering if this recipe would work for those as well. Thanks in advance

    1. Trevor: I see you live near me in the Sacramento area. Those are not artichokes. They are cardoons. The flower buds, which is what we eat in artichokes, are VERY spiky and the heart is small. That said, yes, it will work. But it is a tough row to hoe…

  9. So excited to find this recipe! I have 30 lbs of cleaned babies in front of me. They will be jarred today. I grew up with and love artichokes. If you need a reliable source, there are several farms in Castroville, CA. (EG Pezzini Farms). I pick mine up since I have family in that area, but they do ship. For $20, I got 30# of babies.

  10. Wow! These were truley THE BEST artichokes I’ve ever had. This was my first time making them but I’ve eaten many. None compare. Thanks for sharing.

  11. Can I use a little less vinegar? I made these a few weeks ago and have found them a little too sour for my taste. I was looking in my canning book and most of the pickled vegetables had a brine of half water and half vinegar.

  12. When you pickle artichokes can you eat the whole plant including the choke? Or do you need to remove it? (If the answer differs for baby and adult artichokes please let me know.)

  13. I made this recipe and it is so worth the work…but now, after about a month, I notice that some of the batch soaked up all the brine and there’s no apparent liquid in the jar. Do you know if these would still be safe to eat? The brine didn’t leave the jars (obviously), and the the jars are solidly sealed so I assume the acid is intact, but I”m nervous…

  14. Get outta here! You trimmed and prepped fifty baby artichokes in thirty minutes? Impressive.

  15. Just made these and they turned out great! After sampling yours in Bodega Bay, they’ve been on my brain. But not having a source for baby chokes, I had to hunt around to find some in good shape.

    Try as I may, rubbing with lemon then putting in acidulated water didn’t keep them from oxidizing on cut surfaces. Yours don’t have a trace- what’s your trick Hank?

  16. first time my plant made fruit this march. Recommend it with PURPLE OF ROMAGNA artichoke. Was like eating perfume. Who knew??? Wild thorny plant but worth every ouch. If you pick young you can eat every bit of it (minus spikes).