Weird vegetables?

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Michaelangelica, Nov 14, 2009.

  1. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    [center:3gsv466k]Weird vegetables
    [​IMG][/center:3gsv466k]

    For some cosmic reason (Mark?) I have been attracted to these oddities of late.

    ( I rember a lady coming to my nursery to buy a lot of new plants.
    Her entire garden had been destroyed in the drought.
    "But that is TERRIBLE!" I exclaimed.
    "O. . ., no. . ., not really, I was getting bored with 'that lot' anyway." she said " Now I can start a-new!"
    So maybe boredom is it?)


    i thought i might make a log here of my virual and non-virtual discoveries-with some help from my friends here(suggestions welcome). i have recently discovered some 'weirdies' even on Amazon.com while virtually book shopping (much cheaper and you don't need to read them).

    Well there is the Choyote ( already with its own thread( Forum) ?
    But carrots?

    orange right? well no.[​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    https://portmoodystationmuseum.blogspot. ... itage.html
    [​IMG]
    and
    Purple
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
    and black
    [​IMG]
    and white
    [​IMG]
    creamy white
    [​IMG]
    green and yellow
    [​IMG]

    Now the different colours in vegetables mean they contain different nutrients. There is a great buzz among nutritionalists lately on purple colored vegetables ( Dietitians suffer from trendiness too). So more color is good/ better for you. Don't know; but I suspect diversity is.

    BTW did you know carrots were mainly used as horse food in UK proir to WW2? Then they started to be eaten( the horses and the carrots). When the Germans became suspicous abot UK pilots shooting down far too many German fighters the Brit. Secret Service put it about that they were feeding their pilots carrots; thus enabling them to see better in the dark. Actually, The Poms had just dioscovered Radar!

    As a kid, my mum used to always encourage me to eat her overcooked-carrot-mash by telling me I would be able to see in the dark. Amazingly it worked.
    PS
    A herbalist friend says carrots are best cooked rather than eaten raw -- more nutrition is available cooked
    Whatdeyarekon?

    [center:3gsv466k][​IMG]
    https://weirdvegetables.blogspot.com/200 ... honor.html[/center:3gsv466k]
     
  2. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    The PURPLE CARROT what a great name!
    :p
     
  3. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    LOL
    Pity the colours are buggered.

    One better?
    [​IMG]
     
  4. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    Asparagus pea
    Asparagus pea.jpg[/attachment:2ytr5bmk]
    I"m just in the process of ordering this from Chiltern Seeds (https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk)
    they have afcinating collection
    if you do order stuff from them ask for their printed catalogs they are a hoot!
    The fun illustration above is from their veggie catalog.
    Why hasn't the UK pound fallen more!!

    The vegetable is said to taste like asparagus.
    You can eat the whole young pods or wait for the seeds (peas!).

    The pea has the Fifth largest amount of the essential amino acid Tyrosine of any plant. Probably too, the easiest way to get a good dose of Tyrosine
    Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC. -- Asparagus Pea, Goa Bean, Winged Bean Seed 15,896 ppm Tyrosine
    So this is a vegetable vegetarians should include in their diet.
    Also probably? anyone suffering from pheynelketonuria.
    https://www.anyvitamins.com/tyrosine-info.htm
    Wiki says
    https://tyrosine.com/
     
  5. gemjill

    gemjill Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    G'day
    I've been growing lovely purple carrots, which originated in Afghanistan apparently, for a few years now. Is like the one in picture with purple outside and orange inside.
    Have also grown purple runner bean, purple snow peas, purple kale, yellow zucchini, and am in a purple mustard greens phase at the moment!
    Also growing black capsicum too, which is a lovely chocolate colour.
    Then there's the "Black Russian" tomato which is a dark purple colour too with a beautiful flavour, which I have been growing for a couple of years now, hard to beat on flavour and look fabulous too.
    I'd love to get some black carrots though, may have to check out that seed catalogue
    cheers
     
  6. milifestyle

    milifestyle New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    Meet the New Mrs Purplepear :mrgreen:

    EDIT: Thats if Gem is a Jill (Insert confused smilie here when they work)
     
  7. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    Well Well Eric,
    You think there may be a fight between Kate - Eco and Gemill?

    That would not be nice.

    I would like to grow Okra but find it difficult to use and to recommend it to customers. I know they eat it alot in India and other places and I have grown it well in this area
     
  8. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    I dunno Mark - put us all in bikinis in a pond full of jelly. People seem to wanna pay money for that kinda thing!
     
  9. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    WOW
    Save me some sed and I'll swap you for something.
    It looks like you win the prize for the weirdest permie. garden!!

    Millie
    LOL
    There may be a Mrs PP already.??
     
  10. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    I'm watching this with interest to see what people count as "weird". Surely it's just a reflection of what is familiar to us? I've never used Taro for eg - but I'm pretty sure a Polynesian permie wouldn't consider Taro weird.

    Our expectations of what a fruit or vegetable should be are very strongly influenced by the supermarket offerings. Wouldn't it be sad to grow up never having had the joy of getting purple feet (and everything else) under the mulberry tree, or the sweet explosion of a fresh loquat? They will never make the supermarket though.
     
  11. milifestyle

    milifestyle New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    I think you may be on to something there eco...
     
  12. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    Ohh and I've grown asparagus pea when I lived in Mackay. Grew prolifically with minimal attention. I didn't think that was weird at the time - but then my friends have been known to call me weird too.
     
  13. milifestyle

    milifestyle New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    Its all relative to what you know or are willing to have your mind open to...

    There are things we know, things we don't know, things we shouldn't know and things we are yet to know...
     
  14. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    Wasn't that was Rumsfeld was trying to say?
     
  15. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    I have never used it before, but just invested in a $1.25 packet of seed from Brown's (from $2 bargain shop) and now have 15 seedlings.
    Any advice on how to grow and use it WBA.
     
  16. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    I have "hidden" it in stews and casseroles in the past - it works well as a thickener. Personally the taste of it is not to my liking to use it anywhere where it is the feature vegetable.
     
  17. Grahame

    Grahame Senior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    Mark, As a vegetarian, I remember the excitement of finding a dish I could eat as we travelled around the world a few years ago. Some places were more difficult than others (Argentina being a great weight loss remedy for vego's). But we got on to a great meal on the Greek Islands with Okra in it. I thought it had a different name, but when I searched I am pretty sure it is a thing called Bamies. It is basically okra (usually small ones) in a tomato sauce. There are plenty of recipes out there but I haven't tried any to recommend, but it might be worth giving some a go. I will this year. I understand it is also traditionally done with lamb. I've found them easy to grow here, pretty much as tomatoes grow. They seem to be able to cope with a bit of water stress too.

    Cheers
    Grahame
     
  18. Mango1

    Mango1 Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    I have grown Okra before and it did really well with little attention. Pick the pods when they are only a day or two old, as they go stringy if you leave them too long. I use them in Chicken Gumbo which is one of my favourite dishes.

    In terms of weird vegies, I have just germinated some Atlantic Giant Pumpkins for the first time. In August there was a new world record for a 750+kg pumpkin in the US. I will be happy if I even get a normal sized pumpkin from the plants, but I figure if nothing else a giant pumpkin vine should make giant amounts of compost.

    My mum used to say I was not weird, just unique :D
     
  19. milifestyle

    milifestyle New Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    There's an old wives tale about feeding pumpkins on milk to increase the size of the fruit... any truth behind that ?
     
  20. gemjill

    gemjill Junior Member

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    Re: Weird vegetables?

    G'day
    ho ho, yes I is a 'jill', and as coincidence would have it I have been making a fair bit of jelly these days.

    Yes the concept of 'weird' is simply what we're used to; and colour is one of the most obvious points of difference. Mind you as a child in England even red capsicums were considered a bit weird, all that was on offer shopwise was green and even then not very often. (and you could only grow it if you had a greenhouse)

    Michaelangelic, the only things purple I've got growing right now is the capsicum, toms and mustard greens, the seeds have yet to be saved; altho do have some carrot seed left over, and some purple kale seed, and maybe even the mustard (bought) which I probably won't be growing again as it is a li'l bit too mustardy. pm me if you'd like some.(then I've gotta remember to check pms) The other veg I grew before I saved seed so don't have now.

    Have just remembered also grew a purple potato at one point, the name of which I forget now, was lovely, but thought I'd get beautiful purple gnocchi from them but instead tthe dough turned out an unpleasant shade of grey; not especially appetizing.
    cheers
     

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