BECAUSE of the recession the national seedhouses are reporting record sales of vegetable seeds and plants. Gardeners are putting more ground into growing vegetables to supplement the shopping basket.
Many years ago an uncle of mine who had virtually all of his house garden in vegetables of all kinds, gave his reason for doing so: "You can't eat flowers."
That might be so but surely a garden is not a garden without a good measure of colour. In
the summer there is nothing better than to sit outside among lovely flowers than beside rows of vegetables.
Of course, there are many house gardens that are not suitable for having a harvest of vegetables. If all you have is a front garden and the back of house is only suitable as a rockery then it has to be flowers.
The most popular 'greens' at festive time are Brussels sprouts. By this time next year the amateur gardener can be sampling a new variety by Thompson & Morgan.
A first for British breeding, it is derived from crosses within species. As soon as the Ipswich-based firm came across these intriguing plants during trials in 2006, they have been keen to introduce this exciting gardening and culinary concept.
Petit Posy is a mixture of crossing between Brussels sprouts, kales and other brassicas, producing frilly-edged rosettes and loose-leaved purple, green and bicoloured 'buttons' on a long stalk, much like a traditional sprout.
Although very similar to typical sprouts when viewed from a distance, close inspection reveals flatter leaves mare akin to kale, whilst the flavour is comparable to spring greens and surprisingly not at all like sprouts.
The loose 'buttons' are easy to pick off the stems and will make a tasty addition to stir fries, are delicious steamed or microwaved to protect the flavour and texture and also make very nutritious winter greens.
Petit Posy is extremely winter hardy, due to its parentage and will stand in good condition over a long picking period.
Another British-bred newcomer for 2010 is a more traditional Brussels sprout – but with a difference.
Aptly named Bitesize, these small 'bite-sized', sweet-tasting 'buttons' are well-spaced on the stem for easy picking. They remain small and solid on the stem for a long period so can just be picked as required. Due to their size, these F1 hybrid 'baby' sprouts require a minimum of kitchen preparation and won't take long to cook.
