Unusual Vegetables

I have acquired over the last few years some interesting fruits and vegetables but there is still room for more in my rather unkempt suburban ‘forest’ garden.

Hazelnut, chilean guava, cucamelons, tomatillos, cape gooseberry which have been welcome additions to the tayberry and rather enormous jostaberry I already have. I am also nurturing a tamarillo or tree tomato which I grew from seed. Hopefully it may fruit in the next 5 years and remind me of a visit in my teens to my uncle and aunt in Kenya.

In the past I have tried various chenopodiums - tree spinach. Unfortunately more preparation was required to engage the adventurous cook in the family to actually use some of them!

The choice is increasingly interesting. Some are better grown in containers in the UK climate to enable alternative locations for winter protection, others are happy with a cool or even cold winter. If it does rain significantly then most need to be in well drained soil as they suffer from the cold and the wet.

Vegetables

Fancy some home grown stir fry or authentic Italian?

Asian vegetables such as Pak choi, Malabar spinach, Strawberry spinach, Yard long beans, Amaranth, Wong bok, Kailan, Daikon radish

Italian. Enjoy a wide variety of types of squash, endive and chicory, chioggia beets or romanesco broccoli

Other

Kohlrabi. A bulbous brassica which is good for winter eating. 

Loofahs. A curcubit that can be eaten small or grown to full size and dried for the traditional Loofah.

Scorzonera and Salsify. Similar to parsnip but nuttier and longer.

Sea Kale. A perennial suitable for coastal areas as it is salt tolerant.

Artichokes and Cardoons. Perennials that are grown for food and give a striking structure in the garden