Kitchen Garden Forum

Ok, it's not as well known as the annual grape harvest, but I was really proud of the arrival of this little known wine-making plant:


This year's grapes haven't been much to talk about (especially after the heat of 2006) but the above lovelies actually make a really nice white wine - somewhere between Chateau d'Yquem and Mead

I don't expect many other people grow these (unless they also keep sheep!) and the seeds are getting harder to find. A few years back, I grew Red Mangels, which were magnificent - see picture here.

The ones above are Yellow and I got the seeds from here. The end product needs a couple of years to reach its best (a bit like Chateau d'Yquem ) so should be ready for Malvern in 2009.


Colin

Hi Colin,
My goodness it is a few years since I saw one of these. If I had a pound for every one that I have handled I would be very very rich.
Did you try to eat the young foliage? To me it is very like Seakale Beet(Swiss Chard)in taste and was eaten is a delicacy many moons ago.
JB.

Johnboy wrote:Did you try to eat the young foliage? To me it is very like Seakale Beet(Swiss Chard)in taste and was eaten is a delicacy many moons ago.
JB.

That's a shame, I missed the chance to do that. Will try it again next year.

Colin

Colin

There's a whole site here for connoisseurs of the Mangold.

Thanks for that link Alan - very amusing and informative site.

Mole

Colin - I don't think I've ever actually seen one of these vegetables although of course I've heard of them being grown for cattle food. Silly question, but did you actually grow them for humans to eat, and what do they taste like? I imagine they're rather like a swede?

Primrose wrote:did you actually grow them for humans to eat, and what do they taste like? I imagine they're rather like a swede?

I've never tried cooking & eating them. I do grow them specifically for winemaking, after being introduced to them by my late Father in Law. He was raised in the lore of country matters in Gloucestershire and worked on farms where Mangels would have been grown for animal feed. He also liked to make his own wine, hence the connection.

Apart from swede, I believe they may have a few things in common with Sugar Beet.

I don't know who discovered this, but if you slice & simmer them in water for an hour or so, the resulting liquid is quite aromatic. Fermented with sugar, lemon juice, yeast etc (recipes available on request ) it produces a very nice wine. I have threatened to bring some to Malvern; unfortunatley the last batch was so nice that I've finished it and the current lot won't be ready by next Autumn, so I think we're talking about 2009!

Guess it would be a shame to miss out on this by eating them However, as the hilarious Mangold hurling website shows, sheep do get to eat them.

Colin

We lived off those one winter when I was a child and there was not much else around to eat. As far as I remember, my mother used to grate them and then cook them without adding water. They were then eaten with a spoon, like porridge. Can't remember the taste, but we did eat them.