The story of Peerl continues

Due to his superhuman stamina, Peerl survived the horrifying ordeal of being pickled, though he was forever weakened. Not only did pickling prevent Peerl from ever blooming into a lovely flower, but his stem also became vulnerable. As a child, Peerl had been bathed in tomato sauce by his father Assuma, giving the young artichoke a godlike strength and invulnerability. The sauce, however, had been poured over him from above, and so his stem had been but lightly coated. Alas, the wily Del Monte removed the superficial coating from Peerl's stem.