" The author of the following text is a reader of the magazine Provision for the Garden - Jagoda Bogusz from Jelenia Góra. "
The lucky ones with foil tunnels or greenhouses can eat early vegetables also in winter. However, if we think carefully about our cultivation in a vegetable garden, we can also have fresh vegetables rich in vitamins straight from it.There are several plants that winter well in the ground and can be harvested until spring.Therefore, I encourage you to grow Jerusalem artichoke, scorzonera, chicory, kale and Brussels sprouts.
Jerusalem artichoke is a great addition to tea in winter and a valuable ingredient in my salads.A good one is also steamed briefly.It is a perennial plant that does not require special care.However, it spreads easily, so I planted it next to a fence so that it would not drown out other crops. In spring I usually feed it with compost.
Skorzonera is my daughter's favorite vegetable. She ate them often when she lived in Spain. Although it is a biennial plant, it is grown as an annual. Its black cylindrical roots can be harvested in late autumn and stored like carrots, or left in the ground and dug up in winter during the thaw periods.
In autumn, I mulch the soil around the roots with straw or leaves to insulate the substrate and make it easier to dig them out later.The white juice that is released after cutting the vegetables stains the skin red and you need to be careful when peeling it. I boil the scrubbed roots for 10 minutes and pour cold water over it. Then it is easier to peel them.When cooked, they taste like asparagus.
Skorzonera along with Jerusalem artichoke are vegetables that should be included in the diet of diabetics and people who are slimming. They also have a beneficial effect on the liver and digestive system.
Chicory is a valuable vegetable and an excellent ingredient of salads. In order to get the roots for winter driving, I sow its seeds at the end of May. At the end of October, I dig them up gently with a pitchforkThose with a diameter of at least 3 cm are suitable for driving right after harvest.They are covered with damp sand and hidden in the basement, they can wait up to several months.
Colorful harvest of exceptional vegetables
Chicory driving takes 4 weeks. For this, the best is a dark cellar, where the temperature does not drop below 10 ° C. I place the roots shortened to about 20 cm and with the leaves cut to a height of 10 cm, I place vertically in a bucket filled with composted soil or sand. The neck with the leaves should protrude from the ground. Then I cover the plant with black foil so that it does not have access to light.For 3-4 weeks (until harvest) I make sure that the soil does not dry out too much.
