Today we posted a great video on how to make homemade spinach and artichoke dip. While you can definitely use canned or jarred artichokes, let's say you spot some beautiful baby artichokes or even large artichokes at your farmers market, how to use them?

Artichokes are an odd-looking vegetable that can appear daunting to prepare (hence, go for the pre prepared stuff), but fresh artichokes are one of the most delicious vegetables out there. Any because they can be a bit of a pain to clean, once you actually do prepare the artichoke, it will taste that much better.

To start, if you see baby artichokes, grab those because they are a little bit simpler to prep. Basically you will use the same technique, but because the baby artichokes are smaller they are easier to handle.

To start, slice off the bottom dried out stem of the artichoke. Don't cut it all off, just the tip that is brown and dry. Next start peeling off the out layers of the artichoke. For baby artichokes, peel about three layers off until the sharp outer leaves are gone. Same goes for a large artichoke but here you want to peel many more layers off. Basically until the leaves become thinner and more delicate. Then, slice off the top third of the artichoke, removing the tops of the sharp prickly leaves. Now, with baby artichokes you can actually steam them as is or slice them in half, either way. I generally slice them down the middle and blanch then roast them in olive oil. Larger artichokes need a bit more persistence. With larger heads, now you need to go ahead and pull back the inner leaves. Don't rip them off, just take a spoon and try to open them up and scoop out the center of the artichoke which is filled with fibrous tiny leaves. Make sure to get all of those out. Next, either steam the artichoke or cut it into segments to cook. And voila, you have now learned to prepare an artichoke!

Tip: If you plan to prep the artichokes in advance, rub them down with lemon or let them sit in a lemon-water bath to prevent discoloration.

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