Some Veggies Of Interest

As with most veggie gardeners, I am on the look out for a few interesting things to try each year. I am particularly interested in heirloom veggies that are a little out of the ordinary. This year I am going to try the following varieties, they have all been found in books, veggie blogs or seed houses:

Armenian Cucumber - Cucumis melo var. flexuosus

A member of the melon family, they are very long & thin skinned.
They are light green, very crunchy and mild tasting like a cucumber.


Romanesco Broccoli -Brassica oleracea var. botrytis

Originates from Northern Italy, light green with spiraled florets. It is one
beautiful looking veggie! It is good fresh, stemmed & boiled. Freezes well.


Crimson Flowered Broad Bean - Vicia faba

This broad bean was recorded as long ago as 1778 although they had never
been commercially available. If it was not for an elderly lady donating the seed
to Henry Doubleday seed saving group in 1978 it may have become extinct.

(Seed & Photo from Down on the Allotment )

Cocozelle Zucchini - Cucurbita pepo

A bush type zucchini, grows two feet high, good for smaller spaces. Best eaten
from baby size up to seven inches. A pleasant nutty flavored flesh.


Australian YellowLeaf Lettuce - Lactuca sativa

A bright, almost neon chartreuse coloured lettuce. Heavily textured
leaves are tender, sweet & can grow to sixteen inches long. Slow to bolt.

Now I just have to figure out the rest of my varieties and order them all. I better hurry as I have already noticed some seed is selling out.

All these varieties can be found at Pinetree Garden Seeds except for the crimson flowered broad beans, they can be purchased from Heritage Harvest Seed.