How to Tell if Citrus Is Ripe. Haha ^^ Have fun! =P If you know how, great, if you don't, look up a picture. If, like me, you’ve bought not-quite-ripe fruit, then it’s good to know that most recipes call for medium-ripe avocados. grow throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. The central choke bud should be harvested when it is between 3 to 5 inches in diameter. If you want to know how to tell when an artichoke is ripe, the information in this article can help. You can prepare artichoke hearts by cooking the whole artichoke by boiling or steaming, then cutting out the heart, or by removing the leaves and only cooking the heart and stem by boiling or steaming. Artichoke Seed Plants: When To Start An Artichoke Seed. Seed plants from the artichoke are easy to grow. If you first prepare the whole artichoke, use the same times and tenderness checking methods as you would for serving a whole artichoke. If it's a deep purple on the outside and white on the inside, you're all good. By Jackie Rhoades. Size is the primary way to tell if an artichoke is ripe. Cold winters aren’t a given, so don’t count on your oranges’ rinds to tell you when they’re ripe. They should feel heavy and firm, with the right size for ripe oranges of their variety. Medium-ripe fruit can be gobbled up or left to ripen for one to two days. Read the following article for tips on harvesting and growing artichoke seeds in your garden. There are 4 simple signs to check if a mango is ripe and ready to eat! If you wait too long, the artichoke becomes tough. How to Tell if an Artichoke is Ripe. The secondary side buds are best harvested when between 1 to 3 inches in size. You're all good. Look for bright-green artichokes that are heavy for their size; heavy means there is a lot of meat on the leaves and a large heart. If they’re ready, their stems will pull away from their branches without resisting. For the really firm, bright-green variety, you will need four to five days of ripening time at room temperature. Citrus trees (Citrus spp.) There's a particular way on how to cut it though, because you can't really cut it straight down the middle. Black spots on the leaves are simply oxidization; though unattractive, they do not mean that the artichoke has gone bad. Instead, choose two likely fruits from opposite sides of the tree. Interested in germinating artichoke seeds? Cut it open and see. Ripe artichokes will squeak when squeezed, meaning that the leaves are crisp.