[mattwragg94]

well as you can see from the title ive just read my RHS allotment book and found a section on veg that you cant buy! well having a scan through ive seen a few unusual varieties:

- hop shoot
- radish seadpods
- tomartillo

the source of the seeds isnt a problem (there on ebay), but i wondered if anyone has grown anyone of the above and what they grew and tasted like?

[Yorkie]

Never heard of them specifically.

Is the first one a hop plant, where you eat the fresh shoots, in the way you grow pea shoots?

Is the second one simply radish which has been allowed to go to seed?

I've heard of tomatillos - is that the same as tomartillos?  People have grown tomatillos on here before; do a forum search.

[mumofstig]

Munchen Bier is the one that people grow for radish seed pods, this old post makes interesting readin 

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=41983.0

[Auntiemogs]

Munchen Bier is the one that people grow for radish seed pods, this old post makes interesting readin 

I didn't know that Mum, I bought some to grow for the root. Looks like I'd better grow them at the back of the raised bed if they can grow so tall...
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=41983.0

[mattwragg94]

yep just read that old post (thanks MOS)

as to answer your questions yorkie, hop shoots are the  young stems off of a hop plant, apparently they are a good alternative to asparagus. no the radish seed pods arn't formed when a radish goes to seed - its a totally different plant. and i think i got the spelling wrong on tomartillo - it is spelt tomatillos.

have any of you got the book - if not i would strongly recomend it, along with carol kliens 'grow your own veg'!

[Yorkie]

I have far too many books on allotment growing already, including all written by the site owner on here ...