Grow your own exotic vegetables
It’s time to step up and expand your cuisine with some new experiences. Vegetables can be exciting as well as nutritious and all that is needed is a little planning and thinking ahead.
Before planting, clear out any weeds from your garden area – your vegetables need a pristine environment to survive. Asparagus, watercress and artichokes are three favourites, and need little effort to provide healthy and delicious meals.
For artichokes, prepare a good compost base first. Next, slice off some shoots from the base and plant in protected beds; the roots should take hold in a few weeks. You can’t go wrong with a steady supply of artichokes to complete a lush salad. Sea Kale also takes well to potting, and instead of a salad, it can be steamed and served with a favourite sauce.
Babbington leeks are another favourite but need dry and shady conditions to thrive; harvest them in late autumn after three years; the stems will be up to 2cm thick. One idea is to purchase them from the Agroforestry Trust in Devon.
Another popular vegetable is Yacón, which is better known as a South American crop but it can be grown here as well. Be mindful that it can grow up to two meters and it can be eaten either cooked or raw but be aware they sweet taste can result in some gastric disorders.
The scorzonera, very much like a carrot, is another root vegetable that can add variety to your garden, although it can be prone to causing indigestion. It can be fried or boiled and its leaves are a little like a lettuce.
The toon, or Chinese cedar, can also be grown here and should be kept in a bushy state by planting shoots together which grow to 20cm. The highly nutritious toon has many uses and has a distinct onion and garlic flavour.
