Grow Heirloom Vegetables

Turkish Orange eggplant: My friend Gerry, owner of the organic Pattison Farm in Black Creek, first introduced this to me a couple of years ago, and I just adore it. This beautiful heirloom eggplant comes from Turkey and produces bright-orange, 5-cm (2-in.) round eggplants in abundance. Its very sweet flesh imparts a strong, rich flavour to any dish. Extremely easy to grow and very ornamental, it's suitable in the ground or in a container. A conversation piece both in the garden and the kitchen.

Green Zebra tomato: A firm fruit with chartreuse and lime-green stripes, this is a very attractive tomato. Leave it a few days longer on the vine for a slight orange undertone. The bright-green flesh is very rich tasting - sweet and tangy. A favourite tomato of gourmet cooks, specialty markets and home gardeners, this one produces all season.

Black Cherry tomato: The beautiful cherry-type fruit has that rich flavour that makes black tomatoes popular. Lower in acid, this tomato is gentle on the stomach. It ripens early and is very prolific. The firm fruit is suitable for dipping and adds contrast to a mixed cherry tomato platter.

Chioggia beet: This beautiful beet with dark-red and white stripes in a bull's-eye design hails from Italy (1840). It's very tender for eating and pickling and retains the markings if baked whole and sliced just before serving. Ready in just 50 days.

Red Russian kale: A hardy biennial heirloom favoured for its tenderness, sweet flavour, beautiful red spines and nutritive value, this kale retains its sweetness during warm weather and tolerates extreme cold. Kale is wonderful fried, steamed or in soups. It will grow all winter, with little protection, in most climates.

Hollow Crown parsnip: Parsnips supply fresh vegetables deep into winter. I've found that sowing mid June, when the soil is very warm, greatly improves the germination rate and success with parsnips. Another tip: use a row cover during germination to prevent the soil from drying and crusting up. This parsnip yields well, with tender, sweet roots that grow up to 30 cm (12 in.) with a 7.5-cm (3-in.) shoulder.

Capucijner blue pod pea: Red, blue and yellow snap peas are becoming popular again. This pea produces dark-blue pods on 1.2-m (4-ft.) vines after a beautiful display of rose and fuchsia blooms. The pea pods liven up a summer vegetable platter or stir-fry. It's believed this pea dates back to 1500.

Wando dwarf pea: Looking for a summer pea? Try this productive and vigorous pea that's not affected by warm temperatures as others seem to be. It grows to just 45 cm (18 in.) so there's no need to trellis.

Atomic Red carrot: These brilliant-red carrots are so healthy and add a blast of colour to the dining table. The 20-cm (8-in.) roots look great mixed with other carrots in stir-fries, pickled carrots or salads.

Cosmic Purple carrot: These carrots have bright-purple skin and the flesh comes in shades of yellow and orange. Spicy and sweet tasting, they're also great conversation pieces

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