The Heart of the Matter

A sad tale of artichokes misunderstood—and the glorious years that followed.

Published April 29, 2025

Getty Images

The lovely vegetables in this series all have one thing in common: once you get them home from the farmers market, you quickly run out of ways to use them. Well, we’re here to tell you that these typecast vegetables are a lot more versatile than you might think—and we’ve got the recipes to prove it.


I have the best artichoke story—or among the saddest, perhaps—of anyone you know. Or at least of anyone you know who has eaten artichokes.


Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.