It is mixed with olive oil to make delicious pastes for the traditional flatbreads served with meals. The attractive greyish-green foliage has a spicy aroma and flavour that is truly divine.
It is often used to treat rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as weakness in the joints and muscles, difficult urination, edema, and cold dampness pain. A study on mice showed that it can protect the liver by suppressing inflammatory responses.
The variety name was badly translated and should really be "Japanese Black Truffle". We do not know what the connection to Japan is, but the beautiful dark plump pear-shaped fruits do vaguely resemble chocolate truffles.
Botanical Name: Solanum lycopersicum 'Japanese Black Trifele'
His beefsteak-like variety was in such demand because it produced so well. Called the "Mortgage Lifter" because, in the 1920s, William Estler in Virginia was able to avert bankruptcy by selling enough plants to pay off his mortgage.
Quick crop: matures in 40 days, but baby leaves can be harvested in as few as 20 days. Mibuna is regarded as a cold-season vegetable but is also heat-tolerant and doesn't bolt during the warm season.
Ht. 2m/70-80in. The young leaves are tender and can be steamed or cooked in soups and the seeds can be ground into flour. The ornamental effect is so stunning it belies the fact that this is first and foremost a food plant.
These store well for winter use and are delicious baked, steamed or grilled using your favourite herb blend. Flesh is deep orange with moist and very fine texture and sweet flavour that is high in fibre and beta carotene.
Botanical Name: Cucurbita maxima 'Burgess Buttercup'
Remains crisp and mild even during hot weather. Broad spinach-like leaves can be eaten as cooked greens or in salads and sandwiches. Will regrow some after cutting. For continuous supply sow every month or so.
(Tan shen; Chinese sage; Red-rooted sage) A most important herb in Chinese medicine. Clinical experience shows that the roots are effective against angina pectoris, cerebral atherosclerosis, intravascular clotting and phlebitis.
One bite of this outstanding tomato will demolish the idea that tomatoes must be red when ripe! Indeterminate vines must be staked or caged. She got it from her immigrant grandfather.
Botanical Name: Solanum lycopersicum 'Aunt Ruby's German Green'
For the math nerds in the kitchen, the heads are a stunning example of fractal-like design with repeating spirals of cones. It is excellent raw, with a creamy, nutty flavour and makes a nice change when served as finger food with dips.
Leaves are medium to large in size and have excellent shelf-life for fresh use. A compact variety suited for both fresh cut production and for pot production. Excellent for fresh cut sales in bags or bunches.
Very tender and mild tasting, good raw in salads and with dips, or lightly steamed, drizzled with herb butter. Heirloom Italian variety producing small, deep blue-green central heads with numerous side shoots throughout the season.
Great in soups, Crispy Salad Mix includes Green Pea, Green Lentils, and Red Lentils. Crunchy Sprouts contain amino acids and are high in Vitamins A, C, E, iron, calcium, phosphorous and potassium.
Excellent pickled, in salads, gourmet borscht or grilled. Tops are used as cooked greens. Attractive, bright golden-orange roots, are best eaten when small, but retain their sweet flavour and do not become fibrous when larger.
As its name suggests it is an invaluable aid to mothers, helping to regulate menstruation, ease post-partum pain and bleeding, and to help to eject the placenta. (Yi mu cao) One of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese medicine.
Holds well and retains good color. Smooth black oval fruits are 16cm/6.5" long, 13cm/5" across, and average 1kg/2lb. Introduced by Burpee over 100 years ago this large-fruited variety is still popular today.
Still you'll need to guard it from marauders, deer or human, because the rich, nutty taste of the red hued leaves is irresistible. The “deer tongue” idea refers to the pointed shape of the leaves and not, we hope, to some special fondness deer may...
Sugar Snap is an exceptional variety that produces sweet, succulent pods that can be allowed to mature to produce peas. Sugar snap peas are also known as “mangetout” peas, meaning that both the pod and the peas can be eaten.
Or for fun freeze the flowers in ice cubes for drinks. High in vitamin C. Flowers all summer in full sun or partial shade. Peppery leaves and fragrant flowers are delicious added fresh to salads.
Seeds are said to respond to outdoor exposure in seed flats over winter, but we find that seeds germinate in flats without cold. Has been studied by Russian scientists used in the Russian athletic training program for decades.
Impressive in borders, cottage gardens, containers, and in vegetable gardens. With a prominent display of bright crimson stalks and dark green crinkly leaves veined in red, this swiss chard is highly ornamental.
