Kitchen Garden Forum

Pink Fir apples and globe artichokes.

Borlotti beans. Was fascinated by the stripey pods in the catalogue and foolishly thought I could eat them in the same way as runner beans. The few flowers which developed into beans were tough as old boots. Perhaps they are meant to be grown until fat and the seeds saved and dried?

Great question. Reminds me I'm not alone in my disasters!

Purple carrots, as in the freebie giveaway packet by Thompson & Morgan. Think I have about a dozen to pick. And my purple broccoli plants are now 3 feet high and the leaves look like lace because of caterpillars.
Good old faithful Swiss Chard continues to crop like crazy, and the Cobra & Blauhilde purple podded climbing French beans have survived the heatwave well.

These are grown to be eaten as a pulse either fresh from the pod or dried and then soaked before cooking. They're not designed to be eaten like runner or French beans. They are great in casseroles or cooked with and then served with a little raw onion, salt, pepper and a good olive oil.

My Swiss chard grew well and bolted ...it was all over in a flash.... off the list for next year

Now my Bright Lights chard have done well in fact are still doing well...what lovely colours too

I`m not going to grow patty pan squashes. No matter how you cook them they are still tasteless . They are also prolific so no matter how many you give away there are more there stalking you next time you go to the plot .
Seedling

Ha! I managed to give away FIVE to a vegetarian friend last night. Eat your heart out chuck.

However, there's still another 10 in the kitchen and about 50 more at the plot. I'm with Seedling all the way on this one.

Chantal wrote:However, there's still another 10 in the kitchen and about 50 more at the plot.

Believe it or not, I made wine from Mangel Worzels and it was absolutely delicious (had hints of Sauternes, but without the cost!).

Alternatively, Patty Pan Brandy? Or maybe chickens fed on Patty Pan.......no, maybe you're right !

I wouldn't mind so much if everything else had done so well this year. The butternuts are just catching up, I've only had 3 uchuki kuri (spelling?) 4 turks turban, 1 crown prince and 2 marina di choggia, plus of course the one giant pumpkin. Some varieties have failed to produce a single fruit. The courgettes, whilst adequate are in no great quantity compared to previous years but the bloody patty pan are everywhere. Seedling and I are starting to dream about them and the plants are HUGE and exploding with dozens more. If I never saw one again I'd be a happy bunny.

> I wouldn't mind so much if everything else had done so well this year. Some varieties have failed to produce a single fruit.

I can sympathise. This is the first year in 3 that my Butternut's have actually produced much. However I changed tack this year by digging in a bucket of rotted manure beneath the site of each plant, before transplanting. Maybe this helped.

> The courgettes, whilst adequate are in no great quantity compared to previous years

Strange - I've had the same problem too (yet my neighbour has had so many they've all turned to marrowgettes!).

I actually found two butternuts today.
I planted quite a few.

Fortunately the Crown Prince seem to have done reasonably.

The vegetable spagetti certainly have. OH baked one last night and we had it with roast beef, roast spuds (nicola just well washed) and gravy. Texture and flavour much better baked than boild I think.

Weed, if there is one crop that can be grown to cut at all times of the year it is swiss Chard. You don't say what variety or when you sow. My routine is a sowing in Spring will serve the summer but it won't last very long before it goes up to seed, even in that state the leaves that develop are fully acceptable. The important sowing is in late Summer from July onwards, in the end it pays to raise in modules, single out and plant out when big enough to handle. Ours is in polytunnels as the outside crop inevitably suffer from the weather and slugs. Lastly I strongly recommend a tip that not only gives the finest type but also means no more seeds to buy ever. Raise a packet of seed as sown with no varietal name. As the plants start to grow you will see that a certain proportion have pink stems, grow these on and discard the rest, you will then get plants with dark glossy leaves and thick pure white stems. I have compared these in a side-by-side trial with the usually recommended White Silver and it is definitely the winner. Fordhook Giant is good but the leaves are rather too large to be manageable in the kitchen.
Leave a few of the best plants to go to seed and save these, they should remain viable for at least three years.
Allan

Thanks for the information Allan....

I am not sure what the variety was of Swiss Chard I will have to check on the packet when I next visit the plot

The Bright Lights chard are the multicoloured ones with red, orange, lemon and white stalks and leaf veins, they have the dark green shiny leaves you describe

I have to say they are very prolific, colourful and tasty

I have grown Bright Lights several times but I don't recall any of the colours reaching the same quality as my saved specials, The red ones are tough, yellow is always a weak grower.
As we grow with the intention of selling most of the crop and it is always popular as it can't be bought in any shop the quality is vitally important.
We used to pack a selection of colours in each packet so there was a premium on price, the straight packs sold the best. Polythene bags were necessary to stop it wilting, inflated and sealed to prevent crushing.
Allan

Allan....your specials must be exceptional as the colours on my humble batch are intense...its almost a shame to pick and eat 'em