Recipe book idea

[possum]

I have long had the idea of writing a recipe book, I am thinking of writing one on lesser used vegetables thingslike jerusalem artichokes, rhubarb, kohl rabi etc
can you think of other vegetable to include?

[Milims]

Carlins are my fave! They used to be served regulalry in Elizabethan times, but fell from favour and became used as cattle feed. They are served in this area the second sunday before Easter in memory of the ship that crashed and the starving villagers were saved by eating its cargo of carlins. They are also called brown peas, maple peas or pigeon peas. They grow just like ordinary green peas but have lovely purple flowers. The pea itself has a "meatier" taste than its green cousin and they make lovely soup! We'll be planting this years crop very soon

[the.fee.fairy]

Does that mean i need to plant mine very soon too?

[Smooth Hound]

globe artichokes, asparagus, avacodos, aubergines, peppers.

[marshlander]

Good King henry - One of the first things I grew as a child, chosen for it's name, along with marigolds in my own little patch by my wendy house.

Asparagus or winged pea - very pretty, talking point on the plate, tender when young but not worth the bother for the yeild.

Cardoon. Had a whole bed of these at the old house but they looked so good I couldn't bring myself to cut them. Interplanted with white sweet rocket they were a picture in the spring/early summer. Victorians would truss them up to blanch the heart which would then be cooked like celery.

Okra - there's a reason why some veg aren't commonly used. IMO this is one that should be sent into oblivion! Discusting stuff

Salsify - there's an isher who knows al about this one and it's sister, Scorzonera. Grown the latter but on the whole, would rather use the space for more parsnips.

Purslane - whole tips in salad - recommended.

Sea Kale - never grown

New Zealand Spinach - ditto

[ina]

Okra - there's a reason why some veg aren't commonly used. IMO this is one that should be sent into oblivion! Discusting stuff

I don't know... I don't like them well enough to grow them myself, but I can eat them once in a while.

It's probably like bracken sprouts: as I read in one book, you either like them a lot or you don't like them at all. And that's another one that could be included.

But funny enough - at least half of the veg mentioned above are quite common to me, and I at least wouldn't class them as "lesser used". So maybe we need a survey first, to see which ones really are less common?

[farmerdrea]

Strawberry spinach - grew this for the first time this year, and it is lovely, and a self sowing annual, did really well in the drough too. We only had one plant, which we got at a seed savers event, and ate off that plant for 6 months. Letting it go to seed now, so we can grow more next spring (want some seeds, moggy?).

Salsify - someone already mentioned it, but we had that for the first time this past summer as well, bought at the local farmers' market and made mock oyster fritters with it. Wanted more when we were done! Will have to get some to grow this year...


Cheers
Andrea
NZ

[ina]

Strawberry spinach -

How did that get its name - is it red, or does it taste like strawberries?

[farmerdrea]

It's red, dark, dark red, with a texture like thick spinach, with the slightest hint of peach-like fuzz on the leaves. They are bittersweet in flavour and make a nice, colourful addition to a salad (haven't tried cooking it, though). Bits have already seeded now and some is still in flower, and the flowers are very pretty - tiny pink buds all over the stalks.

Andrea
NZ

[ina]

Sounds ideal - a decorative plant that you can eat! I shall look out for it...

[farmerdrea]

Hm. Have googled strawberry spinach and it's NOT what I have growing. It was labelled strawberry spinach at the seed savers event, but it's nothing like what's pictured! I'm going to have to find out what I've been eating all this time, or if it's a local/native plant with the same name....

Andrea
NZ

[ina]

AH! Well, it might be called something different in NZ anyway - or it might not be around at all here. Anyway, I'll look at the pretty pictures and see if I can find anything that fits your description!

[Andy Hamilton]

Beet spinach a bunch of recipes of how to make that stuff still taste nice after 8 months of the damb thing would be worth the cover price in itself.

Rhubarb ideas......

In fact a glut cook book would be a good idea, recipes for courgettes, tomatoes, runner beans you know all the stuff you get too much of. As well as some of the lesser known things such as.....

Burdock root, Dandelions, nettles, tomatillos er .....

[Shirley]

beetroot - other than pickling. I've tried it curried and in cake... both YUM!!

fat hen... ground elder... eggs (ok not a veg but definitely a glut item!)

[possum]

thanks
well from the suggestions, some veg are very common in NZ, but not the UK, like globe artichokes (never seen the point of eating them) and avacados

Okra is a good suggestion - I love a bhindi bhaji and they are great in stir fries (must try and grow some, I love em)
dandelions and nettles

some of the other suggestions I haven't seen to buy over here, like salsify, also NZ spinach and I don't know how common they are for people to grow (my attempt at NZ spinach failed miserably). Carlins I remember having as a kid, but I haven't seen any over here to buy (mind you I haven't been specifically looking)

one thing I have seen for sale here is quince, which I never saw in the UK, though they are a lot bigger than the ones that used to grow in garden