Article and Photos: Dr Van Kien Nguyen (Canberra Organic – Summer 2021)
My family has enjoyed artichoke tea for years. Each year we would buy artichoke tea from Dat Lat in the central highlands of Vietnam through a network of friends in Ho Chi Minh City. However, we did not know the origin of the tea, or how the farmers grew and processed the artichokes.
In 2019 in Australia we received several bunches of artichoke from a friend in Bairnsdale, Victoria, to grow in our plot in the Charnwood community garden. We were so excited to see the first crop with several flower buds appearing and then enjoyed a second crop in January 2021, with over sixty flower buds. We shared them with some friends so they could make soup and kept some to make tea. We learnt how to make the artichoke tea from a friend on Facebook. There are simple steps to follow:
- Cut the fresh plump artichoke flower buds before they ripen and remove the stems.
- Slice the artichokes finely. x`
- Place the finely cut artichokes in a dehydrator – heat them at 45oc, then increase to 55oc, then to 65oc over a period of 12 hours.
- Put the dried artichokes into airtight bags, seal, and label.
- Place one bag full in the thermal boiler and boil the water at 90oc. This tea is very healthy and good for the hair, lungs, and the immune system.
