When we went to the Mother Earth News Fair in Belton, I bought some purple kohlrabi seed from Southern Exposure (a new company, to me), and learned that I’ve been pulling and composting a perfectly wonderful salad green. We’ve been growing Jewels of Opar for several years. It is a beautiful addition to any flower garden, and edible too. It tastes a lot like malabar spinach to me, and is a delicious addition to salads. Easy to grow in pots or in the ground, it’s really hardy, and reseeds freely, so if you have one plant, you’ll have many. Usually, the plants do not overwinter, but these survived this year. When they get larger, this variety will put out a long slender bloom stalk with tiny pink bud-like flowers.
There is a warm climate, cilantro-like green that I’ve been waiting to order. My seeds came in this week, and I’m ready to give it a try. I miss fresh cilantro in the summer, so I’m hoping this will be my new “go to” herb replacement. In the past, I’ve grown other versions of cilantro – culantro and Vietnamese cilantro. Both are difficult to manage in our central Texas climate. So, I have high hopes for my new seeds – papalo. I ordered the seed from Southern Exposure.
Botanical Interests has seed for a new heat tolerant broccoli – Summer Purple. I’ve already got the seeds started, and am deciding where to put the plants. I’ll keep you updated on their progress.