Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: ThePragmatist on December 17, 2012, 11:25
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Hi,
I am going to give Globe Artichokes a try next year and see how they do. I was also considering salsify and scorzonera. Do you reckon they are worth it? Also, are there any other unusual vegetables that you can't easily get in the shops that are worth growing?
Cheers!
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I think if you know you like something it's always worth giving it a go. You never know until you try.
I started growing butternut squash because we like it and it mostly grows very successfully down here - saves on the shopping bills although it's no longer an "unusual" vegetable in most shops.
Good luck with our trials.
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If you don't like the globes, after trying them, then they are gorgeous plants to behold, plus the goldfinches love the seed heads. Also the fruits look lovely on the side in the kitchen :) They are a bit of a faff to prepare and there's lots of waste, so you need a lot of plants to get a decent crop but if you don't mind that then they're worth it ;)
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I grew a row of globes from seed this year. They are huge. Only one bore fruit this year, along with a preexisting plant I inherited with the plot. I found them quite easy to cultivate. Unfortunately they are a bit of a faff to cook, though I found quartering them while small and young meant less messing about and fewer stabbed fingers.
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I've gone for versions of things that I like but that I either can't buy in the shops or are expensive - purple kohlrabi and beans, asparagus peas (not many people like them, but I do), yellow and stripey courgettes, sorrel, italian chicoria, crystal lemon cucumbers, scallop and turk's turban squash etc...
I don't think globes are a faff to cook - you can leave them simmering in a pot while you get a dipping sauce ready and then eat them hot with your favourite distraction (film, book, radio etc). :blink:
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Cheers! Seems there is some love for the Globe Artichoke. I am glad someone likes the asparagus pea as well, I just finished reading a blog post with a series of comments all comparing them to spiky cardboard. I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for it!
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The only way I like asparagus peas was to steam them and serve in a white cream sauce!
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I grow Globe Arti`s (to be honest i just let them get on with it) but do not eat them, if i need something to smother in butter home grown sweetcorn is much better. ;)
I grew scorzonera for a couple of years but it is less tasty than a carrot or snip.
IMO Achocha is an unappetising weed , asparagus pea is pretty but bland.
Mooli radish is worth a go if you are into salads , grated mooli is a definite plus when added. :blink:
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Rather than growing unusual veg which may or may not be worth it when it ends up on the plate I prefer to grow specific varieties of things i like to eat that are not easily available in shops or are very pricey
New potatoes rather than maincrop
Shallots rather than maincrop onions
Chilli varieties that you don't see in the shops
Borlottis and other french bean varieties
The list goes on!
Obviously if you have the time and room to grow everything then brilliant but this is rare
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Chinese cabbage might be worth considering. It seems to prefer cooler weather. Sown late and transplanted mid to late summer it stands well when the weather's cold. Young it can be eaten as a salad leaf and later stir-fried or steamed.
Just a thought. ;)
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Although I like to try new crops I never do more than one experiment per year, mainly because I've got a garden rather than an allotment, so everything I grow I has to be something that a) I know I like to eat, and b) is reasonably productive, and some things I've tried were neither (which could be why they're not easy to find in the shops!)
If space were not a consideration I'd also probably try globe artichokes - salsify underperformed for me and I'm not quite sure I liked it, and let's just say that asparagus peas had very pretty flowers. ::)
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Although I like to try new crops I never do more than one experiment per year, mainly because I've got a garden rather than an allotment, so everything I grow I has to be something that a) I know I like to eat, and b) is reasonably productive, and some things I've tried were neither (which could be why they're not easy to find in the shops!)
If space were not a consideration I'd also probably try globe artichokes - salsify underperformed for me and I'm not quite sure I liked it, and let's just say that asparagus peas had very pretty flowers. ::)
Red flowers and pretty shaped pods.... but can't eat pretty and flavour wasn't a hit at home.
Sweet peas for pretty . ;)
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I love artichoke, my mum cooks them just right!!! :)
Pick them young as that keeps them tender when eating! Lovely! :blink:
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What about Jerusalem artichokes dead easy to grow and dead versatile. I usually have salsify( or the other one in which I can't spell) in and find them useful - as someone else said perhaps not as tasty as carrots or parsnips -but how much are C and P at the green grocers.
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Each to their own I say and finding your preferred veg choices is half the fun of growing :) Having said that, I think a few unusual veg are worth trying and also different unusual varieties as Surbie says.
Salsify was not a hit with me, but it is very easy to grow, so worth trying just to see if you like it. I like asparagus peas, but you have to pick them small and I can recommend seakale, which you force and blanch in the spring like rhubarb.
Some veg just tastes amazing when grown at home as well. You can't buy tomatoes and sweetcorn like you grow yourself and a freshly pulled carrot is a different creature to a supermaket offfering :D Picking soft fruit which costs a bomb to buy rates pretty high as well :)
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I'd second that on the fruit. Things like gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries (if you can't pick them locally), plus tree fruit like plums and gages, are ridiculously easy to grow with minimal effort, but it's shocking how much they charge for them in the shops.
I can't really buy kohlrabi in local shops, nor squash varieties other than butternut, and it's pretty rare (and expensive) to even find caulis other than the mini ones, which are useless for cauliflower cheese. I've never seen chard or golden beet in the shops either. Kale and runner beans bought in the shops are horrible, whereas the stuff I've grown this year was delicious. The cukes I grew were also far nicer than anything I've ever bought. Anything freshly pulled from the garden or allotment is going to taste way better than something that's been sitting on a shelf or travelling for days or weeks, and I'd just rather not eat something that's been irradiated if I have any choice at all :)
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Yup, I already have the start of a soft fruit patch, but I agree they do taste so much better fresh from the plant. Plums are amazing if they ripen on the tree and are always disappointing from the shop.
I hadn't considered chinese cabbage, but that is an excellent thought. Thanks!
I think I will have to give the salsify and scorzonera a try and see how it goes.
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I've found the flat leaved kales really good and easy to wash. Sorrel looks promising as its perrenial germinated well this year. I'll 2nd the fruit too raspberries straight off the canes have heaps flavour.
Just remembered huauzontle really easy to grow not bothered by slugs or pigeons good to eat too.
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I thought this was just about veg second everything said about soft fruit Lots are available in shops but at what a price. Second the sorrel planted some seed years ago and they come up every year fabulous in 'omelette aux fine herbs"
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I really like the taste of Sorrel, I planted some this year.
I have bought some Quinoa seeds to try next year, the internet tells me they are related to Huauzontle, but you use a different part of the plant. Thanks for that one, it was new to me!
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Expanding this thread out a little further: herbs are worth every inch of space and if you GYO you can then use them in lusciously large quantities.
Fresh coriander leaves used with chicken in curry, rather than using spinach, is a joy and delight, as is roasting meat on a trivet of frsh herbs and onion.
I could go on......
.... I could never afford the price of these, buying them in tiny plastic packets :lol:
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Definitely more salsify next year! We just love it, and don't grate it, but put it through a mincer, then add a few almonds and raisins!
It's very nutty, and also keeps for a day or so in the fridge!
And we have some pea shoots on the window sill as a first-time effort...
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I tried Coriander this year, the correct variety for leaf production, but it turned out very spindly. I'm curious how much of it you sow and how closely to sow the seeds. I am going to try it again next year but much more densely packed together to see how that does. I did salvage a handful of seeds which I crushed into a dhal though, so it wasn't a total loss. :)
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Must admit I usually just buy the big cheap bags of coriander seed sold for cooking in the 'World Food' aisle of my local Trashco and chuck handfuls in when I get a bit of spare space :)
It goes to seed very quickly and that makes it spindly, so little and often sowing it the best. I never thin it so its pretty closely packed :)
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When I had an allotment a few years back (I only have a garden now), I tried to grow as many unusual crops as possible... only to realise why most of them are not widely available! Although I had some limited success with celeriac - they were not very big, but they tasted great, and meant not paying £2 each at the supermarket.
Now I only have a garden, I try to grow unusual varieties of things that crop well. So I grew 6 varieties of tomato (to varying degress of success), 4 types of chilli, and 4 types of sweet pepper this year, and only one of those was a common variety (Alicante toms). I also use a lot of the limited space I have for salad leaves. With tiny bags of rocket costing £2, I can save a good few quid with 4 or 5 pots of salad leaves, and also grow the types I like most (I love the spicy mix with mizuna and mustard leaves).
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When I had an allotment a few years back (I only have a garden now), I tried to grow as many unusual crops as possible... only to realise why most of them are not widely available! Although I had some limited success with celeriac - they were not very big, but they tasted great, and meant not paying £2 each at the supermarket.
Now I only have a garden, I try to grow unusual varieties of things that crop well. So I grew 6 varieties of tomato (to varying degress of success), 4 types of chilli, and 4 types of sweet pepper this year, and only one of those was a common variety (Alicante toms). I also use a lot of the limited space I have for salad leaves. With tiny bags of rocket costing £2, I can save a good few quid with 4 or 5 pots of salad leaves, and also grow the types I like most (I love the spicy mix with mizuna and mustard leaves).
There goes a successful gardener, Lazza!
Marvellous result, and intense enjoyment at what's occurring!
I can't better that!
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My salsify came into its own today, I went to the lotty to get some veg but the parsnips are so big I could not lift them in this wet weather. The salsify being about the size of a large carrot came out of the ground easily and I enjoy them in a casserole.
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My salsify came into its own today, I went to the lotty to get some veg but the parsnips are so big I could not lift them in this wet weather. The salsify being about the size of a large carrot came out of the ground easily and I enjoy them in a casserole.
Lils!
Long time no chat!
Well done with the salsify! Exactly as it should be, and let me know what it did for your casserole, as I want a few recipes there!
(Not for me, you understand, as Mrs Growster is i/c that dept; I just wander around with a tincture and get in the way...;0)
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Recipe, easy, just chuck any veg you have lying around into a big crock pot with stock cubes and any meat you fancy. I love parsnips, carrots, Celery, Onions and Salsify as the base and usually use chicken and chicken stock. I use my slow cooker so it is ready when I get home from a late shift and this time of year is just right.
I usually do a very big pot and wizz up anything left over for soup for the next day.
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Sounds like a sound cassers that, Lils!
I want to get going on a salsify gratin one day, as there used to be a restaurant in Canterbury which had it on the menu, and it really did hit the spot! (the salsify, not the restaurant...)
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If this rain keeps up I might try growing rice :unsure:
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Sounds like a sound cassers that, Lils!
I want to get going on a salsify gratin one day, as there used to be a restaurant in Canterbury which had it on the menu, and it really did hit the spot! (the salsify, not the restaurant...)
Recipe please!!!! I still have a couple of rows to harvest and it would be nice to do something different with them
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Sounds like a sound cassers that, Lils!
I want to get going on a salsify gratin one day, as there used to be a restaurant in Canterbury which had it on the menu, and it really did hit the spot! (the salsify, not the restaurant...)
Recipe please!!!! I still have a couple of rows to harvest and it would be nice to do something different with them
TWO ROWS!
You lucky Gal!
Lunch on you when next we find ourselves near your place! (wine's on me...)!
I have to admit that I googled a recipe for' salsify a la gratin', and you'll get loads...
This old chap does a super one, and we'll do this when I can get down to dig enough...
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Try Pennard Plants for more unusual plants. I buy purple podded peas from them every year and they taste really nice and always grow really well.
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I try to grow as many expensive/hard to get veggies as possible. This year:
Okra (grown before but very tiny crop)
Physalis (v. sucessful in greenhouse)
Alpine strawberries are on yr 2, hopefully will get some fruit this year
Artichokes - violetta di chioggia. Already have a cardoon doing well
Thai aubergines (new for this year)
Cavalo nero
Gherkins - v. sucessful last year
Kohlrabi
Lemongrass - new adventure for this year
Chinese artichokes aka crosnes - grown a few years ago but not very high yield
Tomatillo
Okahijiki - tried before but was total failure, trying again this year.
Buying some edible ferns in the hope of fiddleheads next spring [yum yum]
Asparagus - sowed some last year but they got completely under water as I forgot to take them under shelter when we had some torrential rain so they died. they had been doing well
Herbs-wise I grow chervil, savoury, borage, salad burnet, wild garlic
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I'm also having a go at growing a few more unusual things as well as the time tried and tested stuff (didn't grow kale last year, never again!).
AM going to have a go with globe artichokes in the borders, cape gooseberries (which did really well a couple of years ago outside so hopefully even better in a greenhouse), lemongrass and figs. Also got given the Homegrown Revolution book for Christmas. don't like that it slates the staples a bit but bought it would be fun to try some of the unusual stuff so will find out if you really can eat dahlia yams (and if its worth it!).
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will find out if you really can eat dahlia yams (and if its worth it!).
Dahlia yams? Sounds exotic... Hope it's safe. :unsure:
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Apparently safe, according to the book. Not sure it will be economical in terms of yield and of course they might taste foul! Will feed back in 8-9 months or so! Might give day lilies a go too. If I poison myself will ask the family to omit both from any floral tributes as in bad taste!
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will find out if you really can eat dahlia yams (and if its worth it!).
Dahlia yams? Sounds exotic... Hope it's safe. :unsure:
Very safe, although not to my taste. Popular in the far east apparently but then again so is Rhino horn and Tiger penis :unsure:
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Rather than growing unusual veg which may or may not be worth it when it ends up on the plate I prefer to grow specific varieties of things i like to eat that are not easily available in shops or are very pricey
New potatoes rather than maincrop
Shallots rather than maincrop onions
Chilli varieties that you don't see in the shops
Borlottis and other french bean varieties
The list goes on!
Obviously if you have the time and room to grow everything then brilliant but this is rare
I now grow Cobra climbing beans instead of French Beans. They are very similar in taste and texture and I get more crop from a smaller space- and don't miss having to bend down to pick them ::)
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I now grow Cobra climbing beans instead of French Beans. They are very similar in taste and texture and I get more crop from a smaller space- and don't miss having to bend down to pick them ::)
I grew a climbing bean called Corona d'oro (i think) last year and it did very well. Short season but rapid bean growth
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I now grow Cobra climbing beans instead of French Beans. They are very similar in taste and texture and I get more crop from a smaller space- and don't miss having to bend down to pick them ::)
I know what you mean, but i still grow both - however whilst you don't miss bending down to pick them i'd be pretty confident you still miss some of the beans when picking them!!!!!
No matter how much attention i try to give i always miss some!!
edit to fix quote
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Apparently safe, according to the book. Not sure it will be economical in terms of yield and of course they might taste foul! Will feed back in 8-9 months or so! Might give day lilies a go too. If I poison myself will ask the family to omit both from any floral tributes as in bad taste!
:lol:
Nothing ventured nothing gained....... but I think, on this occasion, "after you ma'm" ;)
(I have a family member we could try it out on.......that is said mostly in jest.... I guess. :unsure:)
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Might give day lilies a go too.
I've eaten them and lived to tell the tale :) They have the texture of iceburg lettuce but have no real flavour as such. I grow them just to look at now :)
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Sounds a lot like iceberg lettuce then but prettier!
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Dear Fibilou, I am quite new to posting things so may be in the wrong place but I just noticed that you are giong to choose a new plot? Could you give me any advice on my first post on my dilemna on which plot to choose which I did about 30 mins ago. Sorry to trouble you, if you have any advice on that I would be pleased to hear from you. Incidentally my brother now lives in Eastbourne and I was down there a few months ago, actually on a course at Gail's farm so stayed with then when I was there. Lovely place!
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Sorry, but Fibilou has not been active on the forum since January - so I doubt you'll get a reply from her.
You have some other replies though
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=104145.msg1166510#msg1166510