The list of vegetables that used to be popular, and today very rarely found in gardens, is quite long. Among them there are valuable plants with great taste.The fashion for a varied cuisine with he althy and organic dishes makes us remember about such vegetables and return to growing the most interesting of them.
Chard and green lettuce
Leaf beetroot, or Swiss chard, does not produce a thickened root. Instead, it produces large leaves with wrinkled gills and thick, fleshy petioles that are light green, red or yellow. They contain iron and calcium, vitamins C, B1 and B2, provitamin A and a lot of protein.It is a plant with low requirements, but produces the tastiest leaves on fertile soil. We sow the seeds from mid-April, and collect the first leaves (always the outer ones) in June.
Asparagus lettuce (stalk lettuce, Cracow Głąbiki) differs from other forms of lettuce in terms of shape. It does not form heads, and the edible part is thick and juicy flower shoots.Cut them before flowering so that they do not bitterThe plant is grown from seedlings or by sowing seeds directly into the ground.
Spicy scorzonera
Skorzonera, also called snake murder, is a root vegetable. The roots have an almost completely black, inedible and hard skin and white flesh.They are very tasty, they are valued for their nutritional value.They can be boiled, baked and fried.
Skorzonera is a cold-resistant plant, it can hibernate on a flower bed.It likes fertile soil with a high content of humus and permeable soil.During the root growth period, in July and August, it needs a lot of moisture.In deeply cultivated soil, the roots reach a length of up to 30 cm. They are brittle and fragile, so they should be excavated very carefully.
Salsify (oat roots) is very similar to scorzonera.Its roots are a bit thicker, conical and have a light skin.The requirements of both plants are similar. We grow salsify from seeds sown in spring.
Pasternak returns to favor
An example of possible vegetable returns is parsnips. In the 18th century, the plant was almost completely replaced by carrots, potatoes and beets.For about 20 years more and more organic gardening has been returning to the cultivation of parsnips.So maybe it is worth considering introducing it also to our smaller gardens ?
Growing parsnips is not troublesome. The plant requires less intensive care than carrots and gives significantly higher yields.It stores very well, but it is not necessary as the roots can be dug directly from the bed when needed.
Parsnips are similar to parsley, but have larger roots and leaves.Aromatic, nutritious roots contain minerals: potassium, iron, phosphorus and calcium, vitamins C, B1, B2 and E, as well as essential oils.Seeds can be sown directly into the ground in early spring.
A winter kitchen can be enriched with purgatory. In March, plant tubers in a nest bed. Strong, lively plants will grow out of them in a semi-shaded place.During the harvest we keep some of the tubers and plant them again.The rest is used for cooking or shared with our neighbors.
