Use a serrated knife to cut of the top 1/3 of each artichoke, squeeze and rub lemon on the cut side to prevent oxidation;

Then use a pair of kitchen shears to trim off the sharp point of each leaf on the remaining artichoke; this is to prevent anyone from accidentally hurting themselves when eating them;

If you have long-stem artichokes, keep the stems! The inner parts are edible and sweet, you can trim them into your preferred length and steam them together with the artichokes;

Transfer the prepped artichokes plus the lemon halves into your steamed, bring the water to a boil and let them steam for about 30 minutes, the time depends on the size of your artichoke;

Once a knife can easily pierce through the stem of the artichokes, then they're ready;

To prepare the butter dipping sauce, melt the vegan butter in a small sauce pan over low heat, add in minced garlic and thyme, cook in a gentle simmer for 2 minutes;

Pour the butter sauce into a dish, remove the thyme sprigs, add the sauce, and take the lemon halves from your steamer pot and squeeze to add a bit more lemon juice into the butter; you'll notice that after steaming the previously squeezed lemon halves can now produce a lot more juice!

To eat the artichokes, fist peel off each leave on the outer layer, dip into the butter sauce, and use your bottom teeth to scrape off the meat part near the stem of the leaves;

Once you reach the inner layers, the leaves will become smaller and smaller, until eventually you reach the choke, which is the fuzzy, furry center, you must remove the choke part as it's inedible and can be a safety hazzard, I find it easiest to remove with a spoon;

Then you'll get the best part of the artichoke, which is the meaty, flavorful artichoke heart, enjoy the entire piece!

And for the stems, if you have them, peel off the outer tough layer, and eat the juicy sweet inner part.