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1
Have a bowl of lemon water ready, and dip your palms and fingers in the lemon water.
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2
(This prevents your fingertips from turning black.)
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3
Start peeling off the outer petals.
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4
When you reach the section where the bottom petals are tender as shown, chop off the stem and dip it in the lemon water.
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5
The core of the stem is tender and edible, so trim off the outer ring of fiber and dip the core in the lemon water.
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6
Trim off the hard green parts off the calyx, and dip the remainder in lemon water.
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7
The tips of the petals are hard and fibrous, so cut them off.
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8
Cut off the hard parts of the petals (the red parts) at a 45 degree angle, and dip the artichoke in lemon water.
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9
Cut the artichoke in half.
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10
If the center is hard (if it's prickly to the touch), cut it off, too.
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11
Soak the prepared artichokes in lemon water, until they are ready to cook.
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12
Artichokes are fresh when the petals are tightly furled and haven't started to open.
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13
The stems are edible if they can be cut through easily with a knife.
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14
Artichokes are very astringent, so dip them in lemon water frequently while cooking.
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15
Wipe your fingertips with lemon as you work to prevent them from turning black.
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16
Basically, all of the white or tender parts can be eaten.
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17
In Step 6, the centers of the artichokes I had were tender even if they were red, so I didn't cut them out.
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18
It doesn't bother me, but if the scent of the lemon is too strong, you could also soak the artichokes in water with 1 tablespoon of flour, or with plenty of chopped parsley.
