Exotic vegetables

[Odsox]

Now that the new season seed catalogues are about, I've been thinking about what I'm going to grow next year and one thing I've made up my mind on is .... no weird exotic vegetables, at all, none, ever again.
Every year since I don't know when I have grown something or other that is advertised as the next "big thing", usually one of those "lost crop of the Incas" that is a "super food" and if you don't eat it you will die.
Or it's the latest rave food by the latest "celebrity" chef.

Guess what, there has yet to be one of these wonder foods that I've grown again, most of them only eaten once in fact.
So no Oca, Quinoa, Tomatillos, Pepinos, Aztec Broccoli, Rapini, all Chinese vegetables, Strawberry sticks, Okra, plus others I'm sure I've forgotten about.
It's been interesting (and a challenge) growing them, but as far as I'm concerned they are a "lost crop" for a very good reason.

Unless of course you could recommend something I haven't tried.

[Green Aura]

I hadn't thought of okra as exotic, we've grown it several times with mixed success. Rapini and some of these other quick growing broccoli type thingies work quite well up here so they're regulars too.
We had absolutely no success with quinoa, but then Real Seeds sent us a freebie packet later that same season - apparently it was a duff batch, but we "filed" them and didn't find them again until years later, so didn't bother.
What about amaranth? I've mentioned it elsewhere, you can eat pretty much the entire plant and it's attractive enough to put in a flower border. It's not to my taste (or wasn't) but I'm thinking of having another bash at it sometime.

[doofaloofa]

was it the Chinese veg that broke you Tony?

[Flo]

I'm going to add Artic King lettuce to the list of things to grow as they do go on later it seems (well unless it snows) and Spanish black radish which it claims you can store in damp sand and which are a late radish. Not exactly exotic but out of the ordinary for me.

[Odsox]

I hadn't thought of okra as exotic, we've grown it several times with mixed success.

You've had better luck than me, I tried to grow some this year and it attained the height of about 6 inches, had one flower and then died. Rapini sounds like an ideal fast growing broccoli, but it tastes so bitter.

was it the Chinese veg that broke you Tony?

Not really, although they all grow well I find those that I've tried to be totally tasteless .... like Chinese cabbage and Pak Choi, grows well, looks nice but no flavour whatsoever.

I used to grow winter radishes years ago Flo, China Rose and Black Spanish, but they both give me chronic indigestion now, which is a shame.

[diggernotdreamer]

I grew mouse melons last year, this years were a disaster, and we loved them, popped them into the salad bags as treats for the customers too. I don't grow any radishes, not that keen, but I do like my rats tail radishes which are a special variety that go to seed quickly for the crunchy pods and again popular in the salad bags. I love Okra, never managed to grow anything of any worth, but I will give them another go, never tried them in Ireland before. I was reading that there is now a British variety of white Quinoa being grown which matures in a shorter time.

[Green Aura]

The quinoa we tried has a more open growth so it doesn't rot in our higher rain climate. I'll have a look for the shorter season variety - it might be good for up here.

[Magpie]

Mmmm oca! We know them here as yams, no roast meal is complete without them! I have decided pretty much the same though, as regards to unusual veg, there's usually a reason they aren't so popular... remembering the terrible Asparagus pea disaster...

[Green Aura]

I've just found this website (Google will translate).

http://denieuwetuin.be/

You'd better not look, Tony.

[Flo]

Do ying yang beans count as exotic (they're called Toon beans by my mates who have seen them before as they dry black and white Newcastle colours)?

[Odsox]

You'd better not look, Tony.

I didn't, I kept my eyes shut all the time I was on that site, thanks for the warning.

Do ying yang beans count as exotic

Definitely Flo. I class anything my grandfather didn't grow as "exotic".
I might grow some the season after next (2017) as something to fill the gaps when a plant is harvested in the hydroponic tubes. This year I tried Bobis d'Albenga which worked quite well and next season (2016) I'm going to try dwarf Borlotto.

There you go, just admitted I'm going to grow more exotic veg despite what I said at the top

[Flo]

Borlotto are greedy feeders and do like plenty of water but they are fun.