I Heart CA

Artichoke heart, that is.

When I was growing up, artichokes were always a huge treat in our family and we pretended to guard our plates jealously for fear that acquisitive siblings would sneak a couple of our leaves off onto their plates or cop a dunk in our butter dish.

Back then, artichokes were affordable on our family budget only when they got down to four for a dollar. Needless to say, they were a rare treat.

My Dad would always grumble that they were too much work for too little food, but we noticed that he never gave up before he reached the wonderful reward of the heart. We'd try to wheedle a piece of his hard-won heart from him and felt truly loved when he would share a bite.

This is one of a gazillion reasons why I like California - the artichokes are plentiful in the right season and every time I enjoy one, I am reminded of the playful family banter as we dipped into the lemon butter and shared a little literal and figurative heart.