cardoon plant - GARDENING
Cardoon is the feedstock for the first biorefinery in the world converting the installations of a petrochemical plant in Porto Torres, Sardinia, providing biomass and oils for the building blocks of bioplastics. Cardoons can grow up to six feet tall. The plant has large, silvery, grey leaves and purple thistle-like flowers.
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Some gardeners grow them for aesthetic purposes only, because are beautiful in floral arrangements. I have them planted on unused banks to add to my variety of culinary options. If you’re looking for a bold, edible plant to include in your farm’s garden, look no further than the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus). Though growing cardoons is easy and the plants are super-cool looking, harvesting and eating them isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
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Learn how to grow cardoon step-by-step—planting, care through the season, and harvest—your complete guide to growing cardoon! Cardoon, a close relative of the artichoke and native to southern Europe, is mostly grown as an eye-catching ornamental in the United States but in Mediterranean cuisine, it is also used as a vegetable. Depending on the climate, cardoon is grown as an annual or a perennial. Cardoons are particularly popular in North Africa and Southern Europe; in Italy, you’ll find cardone, as they’re known, served as an appetizer with bagna càuda, fried in bread crumbs for a crunchy side dish, or made into cardoon soup. Cardoons are native to the Mediterranean region where they are still popular today.
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The vegetable has a long history, with ancient Romans enjoying cardoons as part of their meals. Typically cooked before eating, they are now grown and eaten in northern Africa and throughout the Mediterranean. A member of the asteracae family alongside dandelion and burdock, the cardoon looks like a cross between a super thick celery and an artichoke, according to Britannica. In fact, the cardoon is such a close relative to the famous green globe that it's sometimes referred to as the artichoke thistle.