-Peel the first layer of outer leaves off of your artichokes, and peel the stem (once peeled the stems are delicious too).

-Add some lemon juice to a bowl of water, and float the artichokes in the water to clean them and keep them from browning. Swish them around briskly to remove all debris before steaming.

-Put the artichokes in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam until tender, about 25-30 minutes for medium/large artichokes. (You can pull off an outer leave to test if it the artichoke is tender.)

-Melt some butter in a pan, add a little garlic if you like.

-Dip and then eat each leave, scraping the meat off the leaf with your teeth. Yum!

-Once all of the edible leaves have been, well, eaten, scoop out the spiny inner leaves as well as the bristley hairs, leaving a delicious heart and stem. Eat and Enjoy!