In my former life, before living in California, avocados always seemed to be the hallmark of California cuisine. But nothing really made me feel like I lived here until my own little artichoke bloom sprouted. (Mine is the tiny one at the bottom. And I think it's too cute to eat.) Now gardens and farmer's markets around the bay area are thick with these eye catching Mediterranean vegetables. Since I can't bring myself to eat my own, I purchased small ones at the farmer's market and looked for a new recipe. (For simplicity, sometimes I just sliced them thinly and bake them with chicken, lemon and garlic.) But I think I'm going to try the tunisian cauliflower, artichoke and potato salad from the cookbook Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein.