Finding the Artichoke Heart
An artichoke may look like a green, spiky ball, but it holds a surprise: the part people eat is an unopened flower bud. Inside its overlapping layers is a tender part called the heart. Finding it takes a little work, but each layer reveals something about how the plant grows.
A flower in hiding
The artichokes commonly sold as vegetables are buds of the globe artichoke plant, a kind of thistle. If a bud stays on the plant long enough, it opens into a large purple flower head. What looks like one flower is actually a cluster of many tiny flowers packed together.
Before the bud opens, thick, pointed structures cover and protect the developing flowers. These structures are called bracts, although cooks often call them leaves. They overlap like shingles on a roof. The outer bracts tend to be tougher, while the inner ones are thinner and more tender.
Where is the heart?
Imagine cutting an artichoke from top to bottom. Near the base of the bud, beneath the layers of bracts, sits a solid, fleshy platform. This is the heart. It supports the developing flower parts above it and connects to the stem below. The heart is not a separate seed or a hollow center; it is part of the base of the flower bud.
- cluster:
- A group of things close together.
- developing:
- Growing or changing toward a more complete form.
- immature:
- Not yet fully grown.
- mature:
- Fully grown or developed.
- tender:
- Soft and easy to bite or chew.
- trimmed:
- Made neater by cutting away parts.
- seasoned:
- Flavored with ingredients such as herbs or spices.
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Main Idea
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and which two details support it?
- 2How does an artichoke bud change if it stays on the plant?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“Finding the Artichoke Heart” is a explanatory article reading passage about Artichokes, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (475 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.