Alien vegetables from Space

[Guest guest]

Got your attention, didn't it? Before the warranty on my body ran out I was a

rabid gardener, and grew most of the veggies we ate. The talk of golden beets

made me start drooling, because my last garden had those

(http://www.burpee.com/jump.jsp?itemID=216 & itemType=CATEGORY & iMainCat=13 & iSubCat\

=216) Here is where I order them.

 

They are best when harvested still a bit small and one can use everything. The

greens are nicely tart and the beets cook up to a gorgeous orange-yellow, often

with lines of darker yellow/orange through them and are sweeter than the regular

red beet. Another gorgeous beet is a Heirloom one called Chiogg. (red and white

rings inside, very sweet.) With care, these lovely root veggies overwinter in a

cool, dark area, well ventilated. We love beets here, can you tell?

 

As to the alien veggies, okra is the strangest looking thing I have ever

grown. And grown...and grown...Since my growing conditions are about perfect for

okra, it keeps on producing, even over winter. (zone 9). If any of you decide

to grow or harvest this alien pod plant (it is a pod, actually), and your skin

is tender,wear long sleeves and gloves or plant Clemson Spinless. Trust me.

 

My next alien veggie is Brussels Sprouts. If you have never seen them growing

but have room in a garden or container for a couple of plants, go for it. The

sprouts grow on a pyramid shaped stalk. The sprouts ripen from bottom to top,

so you end up picking from the plant all summer/fall long. I have also had these

overwinter and produce all winter. As with all Brassica (cabbages, broccoli,

rutabagas etc), a little nip of winter at the end of the growing season sweetens

them up.

 

Fennel is frankly gorgeous and I have tucked it in non veggie parts of the

garden just for the beautiful foliage. It is another dual use veg. The bulb is

delicious and the feathery green foliage can be used as an herb.

 

Artichokes must be on the alien list too. Pass the lemon butter, please.

 

But I must in all conscience, warn you against Purple Hull Peas, if you are

growing in a warm area. Oh they are delicious! Buttery tasting, wonderful

flavor, beautiful purple/red pods hanging from green plants, easy canner/freezer

veg but...

 

Dear Heavens these grow. And grow. And grow. And grow. Unless you restrain

yourself and plant less than what you think you'll use, you'll be picking these

things all summer long and giving them away door to door. VERY prolific growers.

The first time I planted them I put in 200 feet. I swear if you turned your

back on them, they'd grow even more. We ended up with over 100 quarts of the

hulled peas in the freezer sent probably as much to the local soup kitchen. They

are yummy though and the shelled peas cook up light creamy/green and tender. The

hulls need to be put through something to grind up before putting on the compost

pile. At the end of the growing season we took the fencing down so the deer

would get rid of the rest of them for us. Here's a link for you poor people who

haven't had purple hull peas. There is nothing like a plate of these with fresh

tomatoes from the garden and some cornbread.

http://www.purplehull.com/growingpeas.htm

 

*sighs* I miss my veggie garden. Hopefully I will be able to put one in this

fall. Thanks for letting me ramble! Jeanne in Georgia

Paws To Love NO Kill Shelter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sports Fantasy Football ’06 - Go with the leader. Start your league

today!

 

 

[Guest guest]

LOL NOw they need a kohlrabi in there and then you will have a veggie space

ship.....

Thanks for sending this, good picture of the golden beets. I prefer them over

the red beets but to me all beets are delish.

Donna

 

treazure noname <treazured wrote:

Got your attention, didn't it? Before the warranty on my body ran out

I was a rabid gardener, and grew most of the veggies we ate. The talk of golden

beets made me start drooling, because my last garden had those

(http://www.burpee.com/jump.jsp?itemID=216 & itemType=CATEGORY & iMainCat=13 & iSubCat\

=216) Here is where I order them.

 

They are best when harvested still a bit small and one can use everything. The

greens are nicely tart and the beets cook up to a gorgeous orange-yellow, often

with lines of darker yellow/orange through them and are sweeter than the regular

red beet. Another gorgeous beet is a Heirloom one called Chiogg. (red and white

rings inside, very sweet.) With care, these lovely root veggies overwinter in a

cool, dark area, well ventilated. We love beets here, can you tell?

 

As to the alien veggies, okra is the strangest looking thing I have ever grown.

And grown...and grown...Since my growing conditions are about perfect for okra,

it keeps on producing, even over winter. (zone 9). If any of you decide to grow

or harvest this alien pod plant (it is a pod, actually), and your skin is

tender,wear long sleeves and gloves or plant Clemson Spinless. Trust me.

 

My next alien veggie is Brussels Sprouts. If you have never seen them growing

but have room in a garden or container for a couple of plants, go for it. The

sprouts grow on a pyramid shaped stalk. The sprouts ripen from bottom to top, so

you end up picking from the plant all summer/fall long. I have also had these

overwinter and produce all winter. As with all Brassica (cabbages, broccoli,

rutabagas etc), a little nip of winter at the end of the growing season sweetens

them up.

 

Fennel is frankly gorgeous and I have tucked it in non veggie parts of the

garden just for the beautiful foliage. It is another dual use veg. The bulb is

delicious and the feathery green foliage can be used as an herb.

 

Artichokes must be on the alien list too. Pass the lemon butter, please.

 

But I must in all conscience, warn you against Purple Hull Peas, if you are

growing in a warm area. Oh they are delicious! Buttery tasting, wonderful

flavor, beautiful purple/red pods hanging from green plants, easy canner/freezer

veg but...

 

Dear Heavens these grow. And grow. And grow. And grow. Unless you restrain

yourself and plant less than what you think you'll use, you'll be picking these

things all summer long and giving them away door to door. VERY prolific growers.

The first time I planted them I put in 200 feet. I swear if you turned your back

on them, they'd grow even more. We ended up with over 100 quarts of the hulled

peas in the freezer sent probably as much to the local soup kitchen. They are

yummy though and the shelled peas cook up light creamy/green and tender. The

hulls need to be put through something to grind up before putting on the compost

pile. At the end of the growing season we took the fencing down so the deer

would get rid of the rest of them for us. Here's a link for you poor people who

haven't had purple hull peas. There is nothing like a plate of these with fresh

tomatoes from the garden and some cornbread.

http://www.purplehull.com/growingpeas.htm

 

*sighs* I miss my veggie garden. Hopefully I will be able to put one in this

fall. Thanks for letting me ramble! Jeanne in Georgia

Paws To Love NO Kill Shelter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sports Fantasy Football ’06 - Go with the leader. Start your league

today!

 

 

[Guest guest]

We actually had a lady quit getting her veggie delivery (I work at an

organic home delivery place) because of brussels sprouts on the

stalk. She said she couldn't " deal with " all the " weird " vegetables

lol. They do look like a green medieval weapon on the stalk like that

but no need to be scared of them hehehehe.

Peace,

Diane

 

 

>

> My next alien veggie is Brussels Sprouts. If you have never seen

them growing but have room in a garden or container for a couple of

plants, go for it. The sprouts grow on a pyramid shaped stalk. The

sprouts ripen from bottom to top, so you end up picking from the plant

all summer/fall long. I have also had these overwinter and produce all

winter. As with all Brassica (cabbages, broccoli, rutabagas etc), a

little nip of winter at the end of the growing season sweetens them

up.

>

[Guest guest]

" My next alien veggie is Brussels Sprouts. If you have never seen them growing

but have room in a garden or container for a couple of plants, go for it. The

sprouts grow on a pyramid shaped stalk. The sprouts ripen from bottom to top, so

you end up picking from the plant all summer/fall long. I have also had these

overwinter and produce all winter. As with all Brassica (cabbages, broccoli,

rutabagas etc), a little nip of winter at the end of the growing season sweetens

them up "

 

I love your description of brussel sprouts...they really are alien-looking. I

spent a good portion of last summer working at a farmer's market (selling bread,

but still) and I loved watching people's reactions when brussel sprouts came

into season and the farmers were selling them by the stalk. Half of the

customers had no clue what they were (even though most of them had probably had

the frozen ones forced on them for years) and, once they found out, had no idea

what to do with them. Which is a pity, since they are so amazing cooked fresh

off the stalk. Then, since the last market was the day before thanksgiving, I

ended up carrying about 5 stalks (not to mention several squashes, 5 lbs of

apples, and a HUGE bunch of late dinosaur kale) home with me on the bus through

Cambridge, MA...this big bouquet of brussel sprouts sticking out of my tote bag

got a lot of very odd looks from my fellow commuters. they are one of the

coolest veggies...

 

~Rachael

http://veggieable.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

Sports Fantasy Football ’06 - Go with the leader. Start your league

today!

 

 

[Guest guest]

I love kohlrabi, my parents had it in there garden when I was a kid along

with beats, tomatoes, and swiss chard.

 

Gayle

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

LOL Rachael! I can just imagine the looks! I envy you the kale as it is one of

those virtually impossible to find veggies down here. (they bolt very fast in

our hot weather). YUM on sprout. Funny way to sell them, on the stalk. Guess it

is trendy. From a gardeners stand a shame as one can harvest from the stalk all

summer and into the fall (winter too, down here.) I swear two of our sons just

about stood over the plants with melted butter but of our four sons, two are

vegeholics. (When they weeded the garden they ate more than the deer would.)

 

Oh a horrible thought. Could being veg become....trendy? Yikes! I can see the

price of good old cheap dry beans, peas and legumes going up like gas. (oops,

pardon the pun)

 

Speaking of dried beans, I found a source for dried heirloom beans.

http://beanbag.net/index.html I cannot wait to order! Now to find a good source

for lentils as the things sold down here are ancient. Jeanne in Georgia

Paws To Love NO Kill Shelter

 

Rachael Whitney <rw1647 wrote:

" My next alien veggie is Brussels Sprouts. If you have never seen them

growing but have room in a garden or container for a couple of plants, go for

it. The sprouts grow on a pyramid shaped stalk. The sprouts ripen from bottom to

top, so you end up picking from the plant all summer/fall long. I have also had

these overwinter and produce all winter. As with all Brassica (cabbages,

broccoli, rutabagas etc), a little nip of winter at the end of the growing

season sweetens them up "

 

I love your description of brussel sprouts...they really are alien-looking. I

spent a good portion of last summer working at a farmer's market (selling bread,

but still) and I loved watching people's reactions when brussel sprouts came

into season and the farmers were selling them by the stalk. Half of the

customers had no clue what they were (even though most of them had probably had

the frozen ones forced on them for years) and, once they found out, had no idea

what to do with them. Which is a pity, since they are so amazing cooked fresh

off the stalk. Then, since the last market was the day before thanksgiving, I

ended up carrying about 5 stalks (not to mention several squashes, 5 lbs of

apples, and a HUGE bunch of late dinosaur kale) home with me on the bus through

Cambridge, MA...this big bouquet of brussel sprouts sticking out of my tote bag

got a lot of very odd looks from my fellow commuters. they are one of the

coolest veggies...

 

~Rachael

http://veggieable.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Sports Fantasy Football ?06 - Go with the leader. Start your league

today!