Broccoli, leeks, kale — we're all familiar with the usual vegetable patch heroes. But there are plenty of veg varieties that fly under the radar and come with some serious benefits.
Like Daubenton Kale, an 'immortal' leaf, which will come back year after year, or Caucasian Spinach, which offers a milder, more delicate taste in comparison to regular spinach.
We sat down with Jude Allen, Head Grower at Wild Farm and Restaurant, Berkhamstead, to discuss the quirky, old-English veg you've probably never heard of.
Caucasian Spinach
"If you’re looking to fill a semi-shady corner with something that actually earns its keep, you can’t go far wrong with Caucasian Spinach," Jude explains. "Unlike your standard annual spinach that bolts the moment the British summer decides to show up, this 'King of the North' is a proper perennial powerhouse."
This spinach variety can take three years to establish — but the payoff is that it returns year after year with little maintenance.
"It’s a vigorous climber, so give it a bit of trellis or let it scramble up a hedge. This will ensure rapid growth from a crown of shoots emerging early in the year to more than three metres by early July," Jude explains.
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"After that, it’ll reward you with a massive harvest of heart-shaped leaves that taste remarkably like the real deal."
How to grow Caucasian Spinach
While you can sow these seeds in May, you just must keep them cool and moist.
"Since it’s used to the cold mountain air of the Caucasus, it laughs at our frost and is often one of the first greens to poke its head out in early spring when the rest of the veg patch is still looking a bit sorry for itself," Jude explains.
"It’s important to remember that this is a herbaceous plant, so vines will begin to die back at the end of summer, and the plant will go dormant. Give the root system a good mulch, and it will rest well and thrive early in the new year."
Jude adds: "While most veg demands full sun, this beauty is quite happy in a woodland setting or a damp, north-facing spot.
"Once established, it’s incredibly hardy and can live for decades. No more faffing about with seed trays every spring!"
How to harvest Caucasian Spinach
Young leaves can be eaten raw as a salad crop, and larger leaves can be used for cooking, while mature leaves can be cooked or wilted.
"The early shoots in spring have a beautiful magenta colour and can be harvested like an asparagus spear," Jude explains. "Fine tips and emerging flowers can also be eaten, raw or cooked. The main harvest is from February to June, followed by flowering and dormancy in autumn."
Jude adds: "A single mature plant can easily cover a 2m fence, giving you enough leaves for salads, stir-fries, and spanakopita all season long."
Nine-Star Broccoli
"Nine-Star Broccoli is a bit of a legend plant amongst market gardeners because it’s a 'cauliflower-broccoli' hybrid that refuses to quit," Jude explains.
"Instead of providing a solitary head and then dying off like standard supermarket varieties, every spring produces a large central creamy white to yellow one, followed by a literal explosion of smaller side-shoots — hence 'Nine-Star'."
Jude explains that Nine-Star Broccoli is an "absolute lifesaver for the family dinner table because it’s another March-to-May crop".
How to grow Nine-Star Broccoli
"Growing Nine-Star is a bit like tending a steam train," Jude explains. "It takes a year to get up to speed, but once running, it’s unstoppable.
"Start your seeds in spring, much like a regular brassica, but give it at least a metre square because this sucker grows into a proper woody shrub.
"It’s hungry too, so dig in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost before planting and tamp down the soil so the wind doesn't rock those heavy stems.
"The real trick is the waiting game: you won't get a harvest in the first year, but by the following spring, you’ll receive a massive flush of those cream coloured heads that’ll keep plates full for weeks on end."
How to harvest Nine-Star Broccoli
"Diligence in springtime is key," Jude explains. "Get every single head before flowering, and it won't think its job is done, and keep coming back to feed you for five years or more.
"However, if you leave just one, it’ll give up the ghost. Prune back to keep it tidy for next year."
Poireau Perpetual Leeks
Poireau Perpetual Leeks are a hardy vegetable and are considered lower-maintenance than more common leeks.
"These are the panacea if you’re tired of the annual faff of sowing leeks only to have the leek moth or a soggy autumn ruin your hard work," Jude explains.
"Whether you go for the Babington leek, which is a proper British native, or the Poireau perpetual, they’re an absolute godsend for the busy gardener."
How to grow Poireau Perpetual Leeks
"These leeks go dormant in the summer months but stay in the soil year-round; you harvest what you need, and up they pop right back from the bulb," Jude explains.
"They really earn their keep in early spring (March and April). When the rest of the veg patch is looking a bit bare, and you're waiting for the first peas to show up, perennial leeks are up, about and ready for the frying pan."
Jude adds: "They’re incredibly generous multipliers. They’ll either grow small 'bulbils' on the flower heads or produce offsets underground to provide a never-ending supply of new plants."
How to harvest Poireau Perpetual Leeks
"They’ve got a fantastic, slightly garlicky punch that stands up beautifully in a Sunday roast or a leek and potato soup.
"And because they’re so resilient, they’ll keep your larder stocked even when the weather’s doing its best to be miserable," adds Jude.
Daubenton Kale
Daubenton Kale is dubbed an 'immortal' perennial leafy green that will come back year after year. "Daubenton Kale is a real 'desert island' plant for the UK gardener," Jude explains.
"This massive, ornamental and edible plant will keep you in sweet, nutty leaves for five or six years straight without contemplating bolting.
"Whilst your ordinary kales are usually magnets for every cabbage white butterfly in the county and turn bitter the moment the sun peeks out, Daubenton just keeps on trucking."
One of the most attractive things about Daubenton Kale is its taste. "It’s got a much milder flavour than that curly stuff you find in the shops — almost buttery when lightly steamed — and because it stays green and lush right down to -10°, it’s another lifesaver during the bleak midwinter.
"Also, by taking stem cuttings from mature plants, you can propagate all future stock yourself. Snip once or twice a year, and a single plant could produce perennial kale for the rest of your life."
How to grow Daubenton Kale
April and May is the ideal time for spring sowing. "You’ll want to plant it out deep and firm it down," Jude explains. "No need for a particularly well-cultivated bed, just an area free of weeds and grass.
"Provide an occasional mulch of compost and prune off any dead branches to keep them thriving. Once established, it’s incredibly drought-tolerant and tough. It’ll shrug off a -10°C snap like a light breeze."
How to harvest Daubenton Kale
"Winter is when this kale variety is at its sweetest, so trim off the youngest, tenderest leaves regularly and often," Jude explains.
"Harvest from the outside in and rotate where you pick to stop it getting a bit 'leggy'. Always leave the very centre of each growing tip intact so the plant can continue to push out new growth.
"Larger, older leaves from further down the stem are still perfectly edible, but they tend towards 'leathery' and are best saved for long-simmering stews or soups rather than a quick sauté."
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