From grandma's garden - old vegetables are becoming more and more popular. In this article we show you which ten types of vegetables you should not miss.
Gone from gardens and memories: many types of vegetables that used to be a must in every garden bed are now hard to find. The forgotten vegetables are considered old-fashioned, unsuitable for commercial cultivation, or have simply been replaced by new, more exotic varieties. But they are anything but old-fashioned: These ten old types of vegetables not only add variety to your garden, they also taste wonderful.
10. Red and yellow beets
Who doesn't know beetroot? But did you know that the red crop is not the only one of its kind? In fact, the beets also come in yellow, white and even red and white. But the yellow beet is not only a real eye-catcher. It also has a lot to offer in terms of taste, so it tastes similar to beetroot, but is not quite as tart and a little fruitier. It is also very he althy: the tuber contains a particularly large amount of iron and folic acid and provides the body with plenty of vitamin B. Beetroot or yellow beets can be sown in the garden from mid-April, and from July or August they are then ready for the pot .
9. Parsnip
Pasnips used to be one of the most important staple foods, today the root vegetable has disappeared into obscurity. The parsnip is still a culinary delight as a vegetable or soup. Delicately sweet, but very aromatic, the parsnip tastes good to almost everyone and is also he althy with many E and B vitamins. From March to May the parsnip is brought forward and is then allowed to go into the bed, from September it is ready for harvest. Another advantage of this old type of vegetable: it can remain in the ground all winter and can always be harvested fresh. If it gets a bit of frost, it even tastes extra sweet afterwards.
8. Colorful carrots
Yellow, orange and even purple: even if the carrot is probably not one of theforgotten vegetables, some of the old carrot varieties are hardly known anymore. The colorful carrots are real eye-catchers, whether as a salad, vegetable or simply as a snack between meals. Incidentally, the colorful turnips have no other preferences in the bed than their orange colleagues. When buying the colorful seed, however, you should be careful: Not all colorful carrots come from old varieties. If it says "F1-Hybrid" on the package, this is a cross that is not only new, but also not seed-proof. This means that plants grown from F1 hybrid seeds can have very different traits from their predecessors.
7. Turnip
May makes everything new: May turnips, also known as navettes, are one of the earliest types of vegetables in the bed, being harvested in May. The beets can be sown as early as April, as soon as the beets have reached a diameter of six to eight centimeters, they are ready for the kitchen. There, turnips are real all-rounders: the leaves can be prepared like spinach, used in salads or in stews. The leaf stalks are prepared as turnip stalks in some regions. The root is also edible, it tastes best steamed or boiled. It has a spicy taste reminiscent of a mixture of radishes and kohlrabi.
6. Chard
Chard is available in two different variations: With leaf chard, only the leaves are processed, with stem chard, the stalks are also eaten. The chard tastes similar to spinach and is prepared like it. But the vegetables are not only delicious - with many minerals and vitamins K, A and E, they are also very he althy. The Swiss chard is usually sown in April and can be harvested after two to three months into autumn. Incidentally, chard is biennial: after the winter, the chard will sprout again and can be harvested again. However, once it blooms, it is no longer edible and must be cultivated again.
5. Purslane
Vegetables and spices in one: The purslane may look rather inconspicuous, but it's a sly old dog. With its nutty, fresh aroma, it not only tastes great in salads or vegetables, soups and sauces also benefit from purslane as a spice. The older leavestaste somewhat bitterer than the young ones. The purslane is sown in May and can then be harvested for the first time four weeks later. Harvest time lasts until September, so you can enjoy the tasty herb all summer long.
4. Black Radish
Black radish, also known as winter radish, is sown between July and August and only harvested at the end of September to November. Its taste is significantly sharper than that of white radish, but it can be toned down a little by cooking or pickling. But it can also be eaten raw, even if it has to be peeled first. As a classic winter vegetable, the black radish has another special property: without leaves and wrapped in sand, it can be stored in the cellar for up to six months.
3. Sugar Loaf
Not only Brazil has a sugar loaf - the lettuce with the funny name used to be at home in many German gardens too. In June, the seeds of the sugar loaf are planted so that the lettuce is ready in October. Like lamb's lettuce, it belongs to the winter salads and can be eaten raw or as a vegetable. Its taste is considered slightly bitter. If you don't like the bitter taste, you can use a simple trick: washing the sugar loaf under lukewarm water loses some of its bitterness.
2. Rutabaga
Yellow like butter or gold: the swede (also known as butter or golden turnip) impresses at first sight on the plate with its rich yellow colour. Once one of the most important foods along with parsnips, the butter beet is also forgotten by many. In terms of taste, the butter beet is not to be despised; it tastes similar to kohlrabi or carrots, bittersweet with a slightly bitter finish. Rutabaga can be sown and harvested in spring like May turnips, but also grown in August as autumn turnips and finally harvested in October to November.
1. Salsify
Asparagus for the poor: what sounds mean was once a common name for black salsify. No wonder, after all, not only the taste, but also the external similarity with the "expensive" asparagus cannot be denied. If the black peel of the root is removed, a white one comes outThe flesh of the fruit is reminiscent of asparagus in terms of taste (albeit a little milder). The root vegetables are already sown at the end of February. The black salsify can then be harvested from the end of October to the beginning of April, so that supplies do not stop even in winter. Normally, the root survives frost and snow unscathed.
When planting vegetables, use high-quality organic soil such as our peat-free Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soil. This will ensure that your plants are thriving and producing a bountiful harvest.
If you don't like to wait long for your vegetable harvest, you will find 10 fast-growing vegetables for the garden here.