Veg for every style of cuisine
Post categories: Sally Nex
| 18:27 UK time, Wednesday, 9 July 2008
I'll confess it now - I'm a veg-growing addict. I have an allotment, and more and more edible plants are finding their way into my garden as well. So I was already looking forward to Hampton Court, which has spearheaded the renaissance of veg-growing in recent years.
This year, though, they've really pushed the boat out. Not only is there the - don't miss the Isle of Wight Garlic stand, it's whiffy but spectacular - there's also a , dedicated to showing us just what wonders from around the world we can grow for the pot these days.
I got Alessandra Valsecchi, of RHS Wisley, to show me around and pick out her favourite veg for a taste of British, Mediterranean and Oriental foodie heaven.
"Potatoes," she says firmly, without much hesitation, when I ask her for the pick of the British crop. "You can't really go wrong with them. They're great for beginners, and they grow really easily." She picks out cabbages as the other quintessentially British veg - a little trickier as they suffer more pests and diseases, but they relish the damp climate ("this is cabbage weather," Alessandra comments about the relentless downpours this week).
With spuds and cabbage as the British national veg, it's perhaps not surprising that we turn to foreign shores for a little excitement. The Mediterranean corner of the kitchen garden is undeniably more dramatic, with a gnarled fig tree centre stage, citrus and olives, and lots of brooding purple aubergines - which Alessandra picks out for her quintessential taste of the Med.
"You still need to raise them under cover," she says, "though there are some varieties which do well outside - 'Bonica', 'Black Enorma' and 'Ghostbuster', for example. It's a bit like growing tomatoes - they need a lot of feeding but they're reasonably trouble-free."
Finally, to the Orient, where soya beans, sweet potatoes and a pomegranate tree - all easily grown in the UK - look remarkably at home in their damp British setting. But the star of the East, according to Alessandra, is the loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica): with its exotic-looking evergreen glossy leaves, it lends a lush, tropical look to your garden, yet it's reliably hardy and will even fruit in the UK.
"You can plant it straight into the ground, just like any tree, so long as it has a sheltered position," advises Alessandra. "They can cope with a reasonable amount of frost - we've been growing them for some time in the north of Italy, and our winters are much tougher. We have frost for months on end, but they still crop, no problem at all."
It's all a taste of things to come. "Things are much easier to get hold of now, and the culture is changing," says Alessandra. "We're a little bit more adventurous with our food, and with climate change it's making certain kinds of crop easier to grow." British veg gardens will never be the same again.
This year, though, they've really pushed the boat out. Not only is there the - don't miss the Isle of Wight Garlic stand, it's whiffy but spectacular - there's also a , dedicated to showing us just what wonders from around the world we can grow for the pot these days.
I got Alessandra Valsecchi, of RHS Wisley, to show me around and pick out her favourite veg for a taste of British, Mediterranean and Oriental foodie heaven.
"Potatoes," she says firmly, without much hesitation, when I ask her for the pick of the British crop. "You can't really go wrong with them. They're great for beginners, and they grow really easily." She picks out cabbages as the other quintessentially British veg - a little trickier as they suffer more pests and diseases, but they relish the damp climate ("this is cabbage weather," Alessandra comments about the relentless downpours this week).
With spuds and cabbage as the British national veg, it's perhaps not surprising that we turn to foreign shores for a little excitement. The Mediterranean corner of the kitchen garden is undeniably more dramatic, with a gnarled fig tree centre stage, citrus and olives, and lots of brooding purple aubergines - which Alessandra picks out for her quintessential taste of the Med.
"You still need to raise them under cover," she says, "though there are some varieties which do well outside - 'Bonica', 'Black Enorma' and 'Ghostbuster', for example. It's a bit like growing tomatoes - they need a lot of feeding but they're reasonably trouble-free."
Finally, to the Orient, where soya beans, sweet potatoes and a pomegranate tree - all easily grown in the UK - look remarkably at home in their damp British setting. But the star of the East, according to Alessandra, is the loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica): with its exotic-looking evergreen glossy leaves, it lends a lush, tropical look to your garden, yet it's reliably hardy and will even fruit in the UK.
"You can plant it straight into the ground, just like any tree, so long as it has a sheltered position," advises Alessandra. "They can cope with a reasonable amount of frost - we've been growing them for some time in the north of Italy, and our winters are much tougher. We have frost for months on end, but they still crop, no problem at all."
It's all a taste of things to come. "Things are much easier to get hold of now, and the culture is changing," says Alessandra. "We're a little bit more adventurous with our food, and with climate change it's making certain kinds of crop easier to grow." British veg gardens will never be the same again.
Comments Post your comment