Castroville – Artichoke Center of the World PelicanNetwork Guide to California Central Coast
Now
You can order
Castroville Green Globe artichokes direct from the farm –
fast Priority mailed to your house. Lowest prices – best
chokes – fastest delivery –
Details • • • • •• •••••Since
the 1920s, Castroville has produced the world’s best
artichokes. Secrets of the great “Globe” ‘choke are known
only to the Italian families who started the industry in
this perfect setting. Please Note:
Currently there is a
glut of “thornless” artichokes in supermarkets – they are
very inferior – they are not Castroville Green Globe
Artichokes for which this town is famous. ••••• •••• • • • • • • • • • • ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Artichokes
surround Castroville, the righteously acclaimed Artichoke
Center of the World. This is where Marilyn Monroe, then
known as Norma Jean, got her start as the first artichoke
festival queen. Anchored in a
thistle kingdom, Castroville is an eccentric little hamlet.
One of Steinbeck’s finest short stories, Johnnie
Bear, was set here. Swiss
Italians, who also grew the first wine vineyards in Salinas
Valley, began the California artichoke industry here. It is
now a $50 million crop for Pajaro Valley – where Castroville
and Moss Landing host nearly all the artichoke fields.
Premiere
growing ground is sacrificed only for a children’s
playground, a waterfowl’s wetland preserve, and an
efficiency of homes and business. All the rest of the land
is dedicated to the business of making Green Globe
Artichokes … which are harvested year
round. Sherri Lazerrini shows off the world famed Castroville
artichoke crop — visit
her produce stand Sherri ships
artichokes to people all over the world, likes to discuss
the virtues and seasonal idiosyncrasies of the beloved
thistle from the family produce stand. You can communicate with her online, and order artichokes
sent to your home. She’s working on a recipe book with
PelicanNetwork that will be available soon. Andrew
Molera, for whom the
state park near Point Sur
is named, planted the first artichokes in these parts in the
’20s. Now more than 3/4ths of the world’s crop is grown
here. And they are grown and harvested by hand. No machines
are involved. Globe
artichokes, the best, and actually the only authentic chokes
that are known for culinary excellence, are only grown here,
and grown only here. The Castroville families, descendants
of the pioneer ‘choke growers, don’t share their secrets.
And they are not grown from seeds. All artichokes, all on
the same plant, even, grow to different sizes. The skilled
pickers in the Castroville fields know when the ‘choke is
mature. After the harvest, the plant is trimmed to the nub,
and it regenerates with a new crop. In the stores the
consumer can identify the Globe artichoke by the pointed
end, or thorn, on the thistle. Moss
Landing,
which straddles Elkhorn
Slough
and the Ocean at the mouth of Pajaro River, is also
prime growing land for strawberries, brussels sprouts,
cabbages and exotic specialty vegetables. Fields between
Moss Landing and Castroville Landmarks are many
in Castroville. Favorites include the Giant Artichoke and
Bing’s Diner.
Historic
cottage on Castroville’s main drag, Hwy One, through
town.
This
little niche of the Monterey Bay is the only place in
the world that can grow artichokes of this
extraordinary quality. It is a rare convergence of
cool misty sea air and alluvial ground filled with
rich nutrients from two rivers, Pajaro and Salinas.
The
Artichoke Festival – 3d weekend in May – features a
parade, a 10-K race, arts & crafts, live music, many
artichoke dishes prepared by celebrity chefs, and
on-going children’s entertainment.
If you want updates about Big Sur and the Central Coast,
join the PelicanNetwork email list
Artichokes Best of California’s Central Coast –••••••••••••
Approved to benefit Pelican Affinity Partners, the community-based non profits who help the arts and environment.
The Butterfly Center at Santa Cruz Park Friends. Books from the online Park Store. See the Monarch Miracle in the Natural Bridges Sanctuary.
Or, at the Monarch Sanctuary in Pacific Grove
Click in the map at the left |
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An arts and nature guide to an infinitely interesting region. Pelican takes the conscientious traveler behind the cover and into the natural and cultural history that makes Central Coastal California so exciting. Coming here soon: regional art crafts, community theater, galleries, events for arts and/or environment, regional cuisine and organic foods and flowers.
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Ranch homes in the Pajaro Valley around Castroville are usually the kind that draw long looks. The front yards are dedicated to crops, as every inch of the soil in this valley is prized for growing. |