I think I might have written something like this a couple of years ago, but I tend to think about it a lot at this time of year when I am dreaming of the growing season ahead. There are just some things that taste SO much better homegrown. These are the ones I can hardly bear to bring myself to buy, even from farm shops and local/organic producers (although I do appreciate how brilliant they are.)
Peas - Garden Peas, Mangetout & Sugarsnap
I’ve cheated a bit by bundling these all together, but they are just such a delight to pick in the veg patch and eat as I’m harvesting other things. There is no point in waiting to get them back to the kitchen – open that pod of peas and pop them in your mouth for the sweetest and most delicious little peas ever. This is something I just love doing with friends’ children, and I find it is proof that these veggies taste amazing that four year olds will eat them there and then, willingly and eagerly!
Padron Peppers
I love growing these. Such a good crop, and over several weeks too. I find the peppers have a lot more flavour than the ones I find in supermarkets etc. You have to be careful to harvest them small as the longer you leave them on the plant, the hotter they get (and I’m sure there must be something to do with growing conditions and how much heat they produce, but I don’t know the science of that.) If you have a greenhouse or a polytunnel, or even just a really sunny, sheltered part of the garden where you can plant them outside, then they are so worth growing so that you can fry them up with some olive oil and sea salt the traditional way.
Sweetcorn
I don’t think that once you’ve grown sweetcorn at home you will ever want to buy them from a shop again. They are just so much sweeter and juicier when you can harvest them and cook them fresh. All you need to do is to make sure you plant them in a grid, like three rows of three plants, so that they cross pollinate and you get a full cob when it comes to harvest time.
Perpetual Spinach
I love the earthy flavour of this spinach so much, and I love having a constant supply of such fresh greens throughout the year – it is Feb 29th as I write this, and I picked some this morning in between hail showers to make a vibrant soup with – I had planted it last spring, and it is only just beginning to flower, and I have more coming through in another part of the veg garden. I use it to make pesto too, and throw it into all sorts of dishes and use it in pasta sauces, stir fries, risotto, stew, pies and everything.
French Beans
My whole body reacts when I see plastic packaged beans that have been shipped in from Kenya and other countries. They grow so well in the UK, and there are lots of different varieties – there are yellow beans, purple beans, green beans, dwarf varieties, climbing varieties etc etc. From ten plug plants, you can be picking big handfuls of beans every day for several weeks in the summer and autumn. They freeze well, can be made into chutneys, and they are just a brilliant veg. I love eating them fresh when they are oozing with flavour.