Artichoke Harvest

Who ever it was that figured out you can eat an artichoke must have been very hungry. Not only is it weird looking and prickly and filled with hairy fluffy fuzz, it is a lot of work to prepare. To do all that and not even know if you'll be able to eat the end result...well that would require some serious motivation.
Our neighbor has planted several artichoke plants along the wall in our housing estate. Last year we kept meaning to harvest some and try to cook them but never got around to it. This year Silas has been really interested in the garden and harvesting herbs, lettuce, and radishes (the only things we've had much success with) so we had him help harvest some artichokes this year in his little red wagon.
The first three we cut I ended up putting in the compost because I was lacking motivation. But, I did find a recipe I wanted to try and so I cut three more today and went at it.
The first one was a royal pain. It didn't help that Emmet was strapped to my chest and wailing trying to fall asleep, but I tore my fingers up trying to pull the leaves out of center and get the choke out. The next two were progressively easier, so I haven't sworn them off entirely. There was a huge pile on the counter destined for the compost bin and three little shells ready for stuffing. I used the linked recipe only for inspiration and direction and instead made a stuffing of pork, garlic, onions, and sage, sauteed in a little bacon fat left over from breakfast, and mixed with some panko breadcrumbs.
They simmered in the suggested broth for about an hour and came out tender and delicious. I served them with some spaghetti, to use up the leftover tomato puree I had in the fridge.
Orrin and I really enjoyed the slow process of scraping the leaves and having the stuffing on each leaf was really nice. We set the bowl of broth between us for dipping the leaves into as we ate. For Silas I cut up the artichoke heart and piled it with stuffing and a side of noodles. He had two helpings, so he must have liked it too.
It's always fun to dine on food you have grown or gathered, so I'll be looking for some more recipes to try. But it might be a weekend only meal, or at least I need to do the preparation work when there is someone to wrangle the boys while I wrangle the artichokes.