Cardoon

Chardon. Chardoon. Cynara cardunculus.

In its general character and appearance, the Cardoon resembles the Artichoke. Its full size is not attained until the second year, when it is "truly a gigantic herbaceous plant," of five or six feet in height. The flowers, which are smaller than those of the artichoke, are produced in July and August of the second year, and are composed of numerous small blue florets, enclosed by somewhat fleshy, pointed scales. The seeds are oblong, a little flattened, of a grayish or grayish-green color, spotted and streaked with deep brown; and, when perfectly grown, are similar in size and form to those of the apple. About six hundred are contained in an ounce; and they retain their vitality seven years.

Soil, Propagation, and Culture.—The best soil for the Cardoon is a light and deep but not over-rich loam. It is raised from seed; which, as the plant is used in the first year of its growth and is liable to be injured by the winter, should be sown annually, although the Cardoon is really a perennial. It succeeds best when sown where the plants are to remain; for, if removed, the plants recover slowly, are more liable to run to seed, and, besides, seldom attain the size of those that have not been transplanted.

The seed should be sown as early in spring as the weather becomes warm and settled, in drills three feet apart, an inch and a half in depth, and the young plants afterwards thinned to twelve inches asunder in the drills. The leaves are blanched before being used.

It is sometimes raised and blanched as follows: Sow the seed at the bottom of trenches made about six inches deep, twelve inches wide, three feet apart, and of a length according to the supply required. At the bottom of the trench, thoroughly mix a small quantity of well-digested compost, and sow the seeds in small groups, or collections (three or four seeds together), at about twelve or fifteen inches apart, and cover them an inch or an inch and a half deep. When the young plants have acquired three or four leaves, they should be thinned out to single plants. During the summer, keep them free from weeds; and, as they require much moisture, it is well to water frequently, if the weather is very dry. In September, the plants will have attained their growth for the season, and be ready for blanching; which should be done in a dry day, and when the plants are entirely free from dampness. It is thus performed: The leaves of each plant are carefully and lightly tied together with strong matting; keeping the whole upright, and the ribs of the leaves closely together. The plant is then bound with twisted hay-bands, or bands of straw, about an inch and a half in diameter; beginning at the root, and continuing the winding until two-thirds or three-fourths of the height is covered. If there is no heavy frost, the leaves will blanch quickly and finely without further pains: but, if frosty weather occurs, it will be necessary to earth up about the plants, as is practised with celery; but care should be taken not to raise the earth higher than the hay-bands.

One method of blanching is simply to tie the leaves together with matting, and then to earth up the plants from time to time like celery; beginning early in September, and adding gradually every week until they are sufficiently covered. Those, however, blanched by the banding process, are superior, both in respect to color and in the greater length of the parts blanched.

Another practice is to earth up a little about the base of the plant, tie the leaves together with thread or matting, and then envelop the whole quite to the top with a quantity of long, clean wheat or rye straw, placed up and down the plant, and tied together with small cord or strong matting. The leaves will thus blanch without being earthed up, and speedily become white. This process is a good one, is economical, and presents a neat appearance.

"In either of the methods, it is very necessary to be careful that the plants are perfectly dry before they are enveloped in their covering: they will otherwise rot." In about three weeks after being tied up, the cardoons will be fit for use.

Harvesting.—When the stems and midribs of the leaves are thoroughly blanched, they are ready for use. Until the occurrence of severe weather, the table may be supplied directly from the garden: but, before the closing-up of the ground, "the plants should be taken up, roots and leaves entire, and removed to the cellar; where they should be packed in sand, laying the plants down in rows, and packing the sand around them, one course over another, till finished. In this way, they not only keep well, but become more perfectly blanched."

To raise Seed.—Allow two or three plants to remain unblanched, and leave them in the ground during the winter, protected by straw or other convenient material. They will grow to the height, and flower and seed, as before described. One plant will afford sufficient seed for any common garden.

Use.—"The stems of the leaves, as well as the mid-ribs, when blanched, are used for soups, stews, and even for salads, in autumn and winter. The longer these parts of the plant are, and the more rapidly they are grown, the more they are esteemed, on account of their greater crispness, tenderness, and color." The "Gardener's Chronicle" gives the following directions for dressing them:—

"When a Cardoon is to be cooked, the solid stalks of the leaves are to be cut in pieces about six inches long, and boiled, like any other vegetable, in pure water (not salt and water), till they are tender. They are then to be carefully deprived of the slime and strings that will be found to cover them; and, having been thus thoroughly cleansed, are to be plunged in cold water, where they must remain until they are wanted for the table. They are then taken out, and heated with white sauce, or marrow. The process just described is for the purpose of rendering them white, and of depriving them of a bitterness which is peculiar to them. If this is neglected, the cardoons will be black, not white, as well as disagreeable." M'Intosh remarks, that, when skilfully prepared, they form an excellent and wholesome dish, deserving far more general notice.

In France, the flowers are gathered, and dried in the shade; and, when so preserved, are used as a substitute for rennet, to coagulate milk.

Varieties.—

Common, or Large Smooth. Trans.

Smooth Large Solid. Plein Inerme. Vil.

This kind grows from four to five feet high. The leaves are large and strong, though somewhat smaller than those of the Tours or Prickly Cardoon. They are of a shining-green color, with little appearance of hoariness on the upper surface, and generally destitute of spines; though some of the plants occasionally have a few small ones at the base of the leaflets.

The Cardon Plein Inerme of the French, which is described in the "Bon Jardinier" as a novelty, corresponds nearly with the Large Smooth or Common Cardoon.

Large Spanish. Trans.

D'Espagne. Vil.

Stem five or six feet high. The divisions of the leaflets are rather narrower, and somewhat more hoary, than those of the Common Cardoon. The ribs are longer, and the whole plant stronger and generally more spiny; though, on the whole, comparatively smooth. It is not, however, always very readily distinguished from the Common or Large Smooth Cardoon. It runs up to seed quicker than the other varieties.

Puvis. Thomp.

Artichoke-leaved. Lance-leaved. Puvis de Bourg. Vil.

The Puvis Cardoon is remarkable for its strong growth, the large size it attains, and the thickness of the mid-ribs of the leaves, which are almost solid. The leaves are thick, and not at all prickly, or very slightly so. The terminal lobe is very large, and lance-formed: whence the name. It is a fine variety, and of more tender substance than the Tours Cardoon.

Red. Trans.

Blood-ribbed. Red-stemmed. Thomp. Large Purple.

The leaves of this variety are green, without any hoariness; long, narrow, and more sharply pointed than those of most of the other kinds. The ribs are large, solid, and tinged with red. A recent sort, excellent in quality, but wanting in hardiness.

Tours. Trans.

Large Tours Solid. Cardon de Tours. Vil.

The leaves of this variety are very hoary on the upper surface; the divisions are broad, sharply pointed, and terminate with rigid, sharp spines. Spines also grow, in clusters of from three to five, at the base of the leaflets; and are very strong, and of a yellowish color. This variety is not so tall as the Spanish or Large Smooth. The ribs are large and solid.

The Tours Cardoon is cultivated by the market-gardeners around Paris; and, notwithstanding the inconvenience arising from its numerous and rigid spines, it is considered by them as the best, because of its thick, tender, and delicate ribs.