I harvested 2 watermelon radishes today! (snails took a bite, but still ok!)
Also received the pepino-melon cuttings in the male, i refreshed the cut diagonally at the bottom and put in season water for a few weeks as this makes the most vigorous roots asap and then i'll plant out in a fortnight or so.
So I'm super fussy, I enjoy bland, but delicious foods- and bitter, pungent, peppery greens disgust me and make me feel sick! So i've compiled a list of delicious tasting greens so you don't have to do what i did- and plant things that are actually bitter and you don't want to even eat! Wasting valuable retail space in the small garden!
Light Green Leaves - It's pretty universal for a nice buttery light flavour, seldom bitter (unless the plant has bolted).
Darker leaves - more at risk for bitter flavour
YUM ALWAYS (Unless bolted)
Tom Thumb - Super Buttery lettuce- nice compact shape means you can fit 12 to a shoebox and harvest outer few leaves of each twice a week! *the leaf shape makes for difficult cleaning
Tom Thumb x Baby green oak/Tango - I'm not sure the variety crossbreed i have here, but it's equally nice as tom thumb *The leaf shape makes for difficult cleaning
Mache/Corn salad - Grainy/floury texture, but creamy flavour, very delicious and mild *Can fold when cleaning
Mushroom Plant/ Rungia Klossi - Taste exactly like mushrooms! *delicate and can snap when harsh cleaning
YUM WHEN YOUNG (and not bolted)
Rocket - I pick these when young as the kick hasn't kicked in yet, extremely peppery when mature, a lovely nutty flavour when young! Something with a bit of taste! *pretty tough leaf
Kales- Tend to be palatable only when young- otherwise a salute is in order. Mind you, not the best taste at all, a tolerable bitterness and tender. Like spinach. Very good when very young, otherwise they make great chips. I tried rolling dinosaur kale and it was so fibrous i couldn't chew it despite cooking. May steer clear of those ones. Red russian makes a decent chip. Curly makes a better chip. *stem can snap when washing and repels water.
Spinach - can get bitter when not young, a strong not so pleasant flavour, unless very young.
Broccoli - These are ok when young. They do taste like a kale and broccoli hybrid.
Red Veined Sorrel - These were sour and lemony and already quite fibrous in a bad way on their own, but mixed as a garnish, you can't notice. I will always grow this for garnish alone. The appearance makes any dish look 100x healthier and more appealing! It's a truly strikingly beautiful edible.
YUCK ALWAYS
Nasturtium - Pungent, akin to capers. I hate it- because i hate capers! If you like capers however, tuck in you'll love it. Peppery. The seeds have KICK! *repels water
Black Mustard - I am pretty sure it was this plant that had the most bitter leaves i've ever tried, i had to spit it out- unless it was a rocket leaf. They look very similar.
I'd have to say that my "yum always" and rocket are the greens i'll always grow- i do still grow nasturtiums because my mother is obsessed (I personally HATE HATE it, to me it smells like chook poo if you leave it to wilt in your pocket for a day....).
CARE of YUMS:
Mushroom plant- hates wet feet, being dry, and super hot days. It constantly wilted even in a shady spot. I think a pot, with a water reservoir is how to go with this one. Wasn't the happiest with frost but made it.
Tom Thumb- super easy to care for, ensure you mulch around it or else cleaning will be annoying. I am growing butterhead to get a leave shape i can roll and stuff, and will be easier to clean and just as tasty! (lets see how it goes!) They take to tranplanting REALLY well. Shade may slow bolting.
Mache- Delicious, very slow growing, slow to bolt. Frost hardy. Great plant.
Rocket - Bolts super fast, leaves are so small in a pot, in ground the leaves are huge and thick. We grow a hybrid with radish, so this makes for a stronger kick. Is a shame when it gets bitter however.
Kales- They grow well in the ground, but do wilt when dry.
Sorrel - Super slow to grow, just as well it's a garnish. Otherwise hardy even through frosts.
