Rural Muse

Although supermarkets are now stocking more varieties of fruit and vegetables than ever before, they still only represent a tiny portion of what is available to the home grower. Flick through any seed catalogue and you will gain an indication of the wealth of plants available. One of the appeals of ‘growing your own’ is producing crops which you simply would not find in any shop.

Commercial growers are motivated by high yield, disease resistant varieties which will guarantee them an income. The home grower is free from these constraints; they can grow exclusively for taste and appearance.

Heritage seeds can offer the home grower interesting variations on old favourites from purple carrots to the beautiful romanesque cauliflower. There is simply no reason to stick with mundane vegetables, many of the more interesting heirloom seeds or more obscure vegetables are usually just easy to grow as your standard cabbage!

Below are a few of the more unusual vegetables I have grown on my plot this year. All were relatively easy to grow and produced a good crop.

Jerusalem Artichoke

Jerusalem Artichokes have a very distinctive nutty taste and can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen. The plants are grown from tubers and can be sown on a variety of soils, although they will thrive best on a sunny well drained site. Plant in spring from February through to May, although preferably once the worst frosts are over in heavy or waterlogged soils. They are actually related to the sunflower and will grow just as vigorously reaching between 4-6ft in a season.

Once the stems are around a foot tall, bulk up the soil around the base of the stems as strong winds can rock the plant and unearth the tubers exposing them to parasites and pests (slugs and snails in particular will happily munch on the tubers and young plants). Only consider feeding in very poor soils as over feeding may result in more vegetative growth, drawing the plant’s energy away from bulking up the tubers.

Once into autumn the plants will begin to die back indicating that the tubers are ready to harvest. Cut back the stem to around six inches from ground level once the foliage has died back. They keep best if left in the ground (although you should mulch to protect from frost) and can be harvested when needed. If you want Jerusalem Artichokes next year, keep back a few around the size of an egg to replant next spring.

Tomatillos

Tomatillos are very difficult to describe to someone who has never had them before. They are somewhere between a tomato and a cucumber with a tart taste. They are generally used to add to salsa and add a fantastic refreshing crunch.  Tomatillos grow in a range of colours; most commonly purple, green and red. They’re native to Mexico and feature in a lot of Mexican cuisine. They are also fairly straightforward to grow as they are extremely vigorous, much more so than tomatoes, and have been one of the most successful plants of 2008 in my garden.  The plants rapidly outgrew the mini-greenhouses I had housed them in and seemed to thrive outside during the summer (even in the far north-east of Scotland).  You will need at least two plants for successful pollination as they are not self-fertile.

The fruit will form around mid to late summer; initially a green husk will be visible which will slowly fill with a fruit. As with all fruits keep well watered, avoiding inconsistent watering which may cause poor fruit development. Once the fruit has reached an ample size (at least filling its husk) it can be picked. The skin of the fruit is very tart whilst the inside has a solid centre almost like a watermelon in texture.

Celeriac

With a distinct celery-like flavour this root vegetable is a highly versatile kitchen favourite. I decided to grow these after I struggled to source them locally. Unlike Celery it is fairly straight forward to grow but does require a long growing season; sow seed as early as possible in late winter or early spring in a heated propagator. Plants can then be raised and hardened off and should be ready for planting out after the last frost.

They prefer moist conditions so a fertile, moisture-retentive soil is ideal. Consider adding organic matter prior to planting if your soil is sandy to improve water retention and ensure plants are kept well watered during dry spells. In summer remove any outer leaves exposing the crown as well as any side shoots which appear. The plant is vulnerable to the celery leaf miner, a fly larva which will damage the upper leaves. Remove any blistered leaves immediately and keep an eye open for further attacks on any surrounding celeriac, parsnip and carrot plants.

The plants can be left in all winter but if the ground is prone to water logging then consider lifting them in autumn for storing. Twist off the stems rather than cutting them as this reduces moisture loss and store them in boxes of moist peat or coir. Celeriac makes a fantastic addition to a beef stew and is delicious with potatoes in a gratin, adding a real depth of flavour.

These are just a few of the more unusual vegetables that can be grown in any garden or plot. It is always worth seeking out vegetable seeds you have never tried before whether it’s heritage varieties or more unusual vegetables.

Gary Groves

Tags: celeriac, jerusalem artichoke, tomatillos, unusual, vegetables

This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 1:10 pm and is filed under Smallholding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.