Colourful Veg (forum)

Lissa starts with ...
Anyone else growing different coloured veg?
I've had some success this year with Violet cauli and the multi coloured carrots. Waiting on some Romanescu broccoli to crop for me.
They look so attractive in the garden and of course, taste great.
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Time: 6th September 2011 5:51am

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About the Author Lissa
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Violet_Cactus says...
Hi Lissa, I grow 'Cranberry Red' potatoes, which are a beautiful jewel-like deep pink/magenta all through. I also grow Sapphire potatoes and Purple Congo Potatoes. As with the Cranberries their colour is all the way through the flesh, but of course in this case it's a gorgeous, rich purple. I have also grown purple carrots in the past, and even had a try at purple-all-the-way-through sweet potatoes, although they cannot survive our Melbourne winters.

Oh, and I grow Rainbow Chard, one of the most ornamental edibles!


Time: 6th September 2011 7:14am

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About the Author VioletCactus1
 
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Rowan says...
I love growing all colours and varieties of vegetables. My family and friends are used to asking "What's that" when they look on their plates.
So many people don't know you can get white tomatoes let alone white or yellow beetroot etc.

You have to work to convince people to try things like purple congo potato, yacon or Chinese artichokes.

Time: 6th September 2011 1:55pm

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About the Author Rowan
Casterton Vic
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Mike says...
I found that people shy away from the purple fleshed sweet potato even if it taste the same as the orange,yellow and white fleshed ones.As a jacaranda coloured mash it raises eyebrows as does the purple carrots.Last week I bought mini capsicums that are intense, red,yellow,orange, maroon and brown and they just look fake.
There are purple sugar apples,red fleshed ilamas,red shallots and snake beans,white bitter melons,white fleshed rock melons,red fleshed honeydews,red fleshed durians and countless other unusually coloured fruit and veg.I think the colour has initial novelty attraction but many folk do not appear to be adventurous when it comes to food.

Time: 6th September 2011 4:27pm

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Phil@Tyalgum says...
I once cooked Purple Congo mashed potato for the other half and it went begging. Even the chooks wouldn't eat it.
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Time: 6th September 2011 5:58pm

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About the Author TyalgumPhil
Murwillumbah
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Mike says...
Phil, apparently sicana come in a range of colours.

Time: 6th September 2011 6:02pm

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Phil@Tyalgum says...
Yes I germinated three last year, one had greenish foliage and the other two a definite bronze/purple. I only have one survivor, the latter. I wonder if the fruit will be different as well.

Time: 6th September 2011 6:20pm

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About the Author TyalgumPhil
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Nick says...
I've got some rainbow chard (agree with the comment that says theyre beautiful) and some coloured carrots & beetroot- they all make the vegie garden look more ornamental!

Time: 6th September 2011 7:01pm

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Violet_Cactus says...
One of the best ways to cook purple potatoes to make them look appetising is to make purple gnocchi.
With the purple ones you can't just cook them as you would cook white potatoes because it's hard for people to adapt to the idea.

There's a recipe for purple chiffon cake on the web, using purple sweet potatoes as a base.
http://en.kokotaru.com/2009/07/purple-sweet-potato-chiffon-cake/

Apparently you have to use the right variety of purple sweet potato to make this cake.
http://kirbiecravings.com/2011/02/purple-sweet-potato-chiffon-cake.html

Time: 6th September 2011 10:19pm

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About the Author VioletCactus1
 
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amanda says...
love the purple mash! I am growing purple congo's and Saphires too - I think it will be fun making pink n purple chips for my 7yr old!?

Time: 7th September 2011 9:12am

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Violet_Cactus says...
Coloured chips - best idea ever Amanda!
Please post a photo if you make them.

Time: 7th September 2011 10:45am

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Nick says...
lol possible business venture? :) (id definitely buy them!)

Time: 7th September 2011 4:23pm

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M Nash says...
LOL @ Phil,
Mate that looks like play dough :)

I put some purple dragon carrot in a few weeks ago, Be interesting to see my kids reaction.

Time: 7th September 2011 6:55pm

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About the Author MNash1
Terranora Northern NSW
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Rowan says...
In my opinion (which isn't saying much, lol) I think it might be better to start the kids off on the road of the less well known with white carrots as they are very mild tasting as the purple carrots can be a bit strong for some tastes and might put them off.
Just a thought.

Time: 7th September 2011 7:44pm

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About the Author Rowan
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amanda says...
True Rowan - but mine is adventurous and eats almost all her veg raw (even cauli)...kids also respond really well to food being "fun"...
I don't remember ever having a choice back in the good old days when I was kid...but...that's a topic hijack :D

(ps - oops - meant to mention that I grew all heirloom carrots, different colours, and they got the thumbs up from the kids I gave them to... :)

Time: 7th September 2011 7:53pm

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About the Author amanda19
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Rowan says...
Good on you, I wish more people taught/encouraged their kids to be adventurous with their food. I grew up on a very conservitive diet of 'normal' vegies and meat from the farm. I only got up the nerve to try new things when I became addicted to growing my own veg and found heirloom varieties. I still can't serve them up to my parents :(

Time: 7th September 2011 7:59pm

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Mike says...
I think just about everyone on this forum is adventurous with food and interested in growing the unusual and rare.Most people I know are apprehensive about new varieties of species they know, let alone durian,jicama,mangosteen or abiu.Kids are different are often willing to try what they see other people eat.

Time: 7th September 2011 8:22pm

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Nick says...
Its fun hearing my mates guess what fruit I've brought to school. Ive had persimmons called tomatoes and pomegranates called cherries, just imagine the confusion when I had some mangosteen LOL (doesnt stop them eating most of it though :P)

Time: 7th September 2011 8:45pm

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Mike says...
I used to buy a durian before work and bring it into the office.People were offended,there was finger pointing,searches for gas leaks and disgruntled colleages.The aroma was described in terms of sewers,rotting onions and blue cheese and even rotting seafood.No one even tried it with me - not a cultured palate amongst them.

Time: 7th September 2011 9:08pm

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Nick says...
Never brought a durian, gotta try that out! :)

Time: 7th September 2011 9:13pm

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au0rey says...
Mike! That's so hilarious. I love durians and miss them greatly having come from the tropical Asia. Yes they are either loved or hated. Their smell gives my sis in law headache and it does smell like cat urine or gas leaks but once in the mouth the flesh tastes nothing like that. It's heavenly. Even the seeds can be eaten when boiled properly. I never eat the durians sold here in oz as they are all frozen and I don't want to be disappointed. I always eat to my heart's content whenever I fly back home.

Time: 9th September 2011 7:05am

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About the Author au0rey
melbourne
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BJ says...
Durians do smell like bad cabbage and onion, and most we get here below Cairns taste like it too. Its worth persisting and trying different varieties and even the same fruit in new forms. I hated the supermarket frozen Durians we get here, but I am a Monthong ice block addict and am dieing to try a good, unfrozen, durian!

Back to the topic, I love those purple potato chips. They sell them at health food stores, often mixed with golden sweet potato chips.

And brocciflower is pretty good too. Its fluro green colour and often ornamental patterning make a nice change from the other two...

Time: 9th September 2011 9:30am

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
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Lissa says...
The purple potatoes are a mind blower! Must try them if I can find some seed potatoes.

You're right, folk aren't very adventurous when it comes to trying new foods. I get some funny looks from family with my salads full of flowers and "strange" bits of leaf. Gardening friends are more adventurous (some are anyway).

Time: 10th September 2011 7:21am

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About the Author Lissa
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snottiegobble says...
Purple Congos are the bane of gardeners in Australia because they are almost totally immune to all that affects other potatoes including blight! This means that any (no matter how small) that you miss while harvesting will continue to sprout year after year long after youve turned the bed over to something else!
The taste is very earthy as mash, but help make a delightful coloured dish when included with pumpkin, carrots & greens. Still they are just not worth it! Bin there dun that!


Time: 12th September 2011 2:52pm

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About the Author snottiegobble
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amanda says...
Lucky I have mine growing in a bathtub then SnottieGobble...! I love rose petals in my salad Lissa :)

Time: 12th September 2011 9:33pm

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Nick says...
I made a novelty cake for home ec. with some edible flowers on top and got a few blank stares XD- I prefer nasturtiums and their peppery taste but pansies and roses are nice :)

Time: 13th September 2011 6:00pm

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snottiegobble says...
Wild pansy(heartsease) calendula, borage & pineapple sage flowers can all make a salad something special!

Time: 13th September 2011 7:40pm

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About the Author snottiegobble
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Lissa says...
Also very fond of all bits of the nasturtium plant as it was something we always had on hand as kids. Dad occassionally made capers from the seeds.
Both my parents were good at telling us about various edible "weeds" growing wild around us. No doubt that's where my interest in edibles was tweaked.

Love the tought of rose petals in salad, both fragrant and pretty. Didn't know calendula was edible. Have just bought some Borage (blooming at the moment - will have to have a nibble) and pineapple sage plants recently.

Apparently bees really like the borage flowers. I'm looking for lots of plants to put in that will make my native bee hive happy.

Time: 17th September 2011 5:48am

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About the Author Lissa
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amanda says...
Lissa - maybe u can grow these grevillias (above) there....? Bees adore them! I am growing Tuscan Kale in the garden at the moment - just cos the colour and the shape are so ornemental...I suppose I should eat some though... :)

(The rosemary is my next most popular plant for bees...)
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Time: 17th September 2011 11:29am

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About the Author amanda19
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Pauline says...
I work in a wholesale nursery, and the grevilleas don't get anywhere near the amount of bees as many other plants (that looks like a 'superb' from the pick by the way).
Rosemary plants are always covered in them more than anything else (I have to pick out hundreds of plants daily, you get to know which ones have the most bees on lol). Salvias too, lavenders, all that type of plant. Grevilleas seem to attract far more birds.

Time: 17th September 2011 11:39pm

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About the Author Pauline
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snottiegobble says...
Pauline thats strange cos my grevilleas attract the bees so much some of them occasionally die on the blooms when theres a sudden cold snap! Of course the honeyeaters love them too along with the salvias. Lissa, only the calendula petals are used in salads, & being so plentiful they really brighten them up!

Time: 18th September 2011 1:01pm

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Pauline says...
I suppose it could be as we have hundreds of each plant? They have massive beds of each one so can smell things like the rosemary better with so many plants all together?? Who knows.

Time: 18th September 2011 10:15pm

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About the Author Pauline
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Lissa says...
My grevilleas are attracting lots of parrots and perhaps some honey bees, but I don't see the native bees on them.

Perhaps because they have so much choice lower down (is there something about bees not flying higher than a certain level to get to flowers?? or am I thinking of other bugs?) as I have lots of veg going to seed and creating little flowers that the native bees seem to love.

I love salvia and always have some blooming - mainly the red which is so hardy, attractive and self seeds - but I put other colours in as I find them for sale. They aren't as hardy and don't self sow though.

Time: 23rd September 2011 5:22am

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About the Author Lissa
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au0rey says...
I havent noticed bees on my grevilea but the honeyeaters come very often. Mine is the yellow coloured ones.

Lissa, what sort of parrots come to your grevillea? I wish they would come to mine! Are they lorikeets or galahs or??

Time: 23rd September 2011 2:21pm

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Lissa says...
I think they're rainbow lorikeets. To be very honest, I haven't even really looked :S Shameful. I will pay more attention today.
We also get Rosellas here. Everyone comes to steal seed from the aviary - they hang on the outside and nibble the seed block through the wire. I can watch them out the kitchen window when I'm working in there which is lovely. My cockatiels seem to enjoy them coming to visit too.
We get a lot of cockatoos and the occasional galah, but they just sit on the roof calling to each other. Not sure what they are eating.
There's other little birds, no doubt various honeyeaters, that come to visit also. Lots of birdlife here.
My favourite is the willy wagtail with it's little chipping sound and wagging tail. They've been gone for a couple of months but will no doubt come back.

Time: 25th September 2011 7:19am

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au0rey says...
Oh I am envious. I can sit whole day looking at the birds and their funny antics. Whenever they come to the grevillea out of my kitchen, my son and I will be very quiet and sneaky so we won't scare them off. It is a fun part of our day.


Time: 25th September 2011 9:13am

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About the Author au0rey
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amanda says...
forgot - the other plant my bees love is Thai Basil....I get lots of it popping up and it's quite tough and very pretty with it's straight purple flowering spears (would look great in cottage gardens..) it flowers incessantly and the bees are always visiting it.

Time: 25th September 2011 12:14pm

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au0rey says...
Oh Amanda, I love thai basil and use quite a lot. I wish it was perennial but it dies every time in winter here in Melbourne. I am cracking my head to come up with some ways to protect it through winter, wonderfully if some sort of small greenhouse will work. Does yours always stay alive throughout winter?

Time: 26th September 2011 8:50am

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amanda says...
Hi au0rey, it grows from seed all year round here...there are some different kinds of clear plastic domes for protecting small plants - in Bunnings...maybe something like that might work?

Time: 26th September 2011 9:10am

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Pauline says...
Maybe you could build a cold frame for them?

Time: 26th September 2011 11:50am

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au0rey says...
i have two of those plastic domes from bunnings recently. I thought thai basil can get really big and bushy, then the dome will be too small. I wish i dont have to put buying new plants each year. rright now trying to propagate new plants via stems which i bought from asian grocery by standing them in water.. they root quite well..

Time: 26th September 2011 9:14pm

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About the Author au0rey
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Julie says...
Back to topic. I bought Tasmanian purple carrots in Coles yesterday - boy, were they disappointing!

Not purple all the way through, and the colour ran in the cooking water. It looked like ink, and the carrots were an unappetizing purplish-brown colour.
Didn't taste all that great either - I'll probably juice the rest.

I don't think I'll be growing these!


Time: 2nd June 2012 7:02pm

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About the Author Julie
Roleystone WA
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Nick T says...
Don't let that put you off them, they taste much better when home-grown! Just don't leave them in the ground too long because they tend to become quite woody in the centre. :)

Time: 2nd June 2012 7:17pm

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snottiegobble says...
I tried a packet of heritage multi coloured carrots. The white ones grew like mad, the yellow ones were few & far between, the orange grew as normal & the purple never reached a decent size so I wont be bothering again!

Time: 2nd June 2012 11:50pm

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