Monday 17 January 2011

Harvest Monday - Terrible Twosome or Royal Cousins?

The only things cropping at the moment seems to be purple brassicas.

But for all their genetic similarity and colour, how different are these two?



15 comments:

  1. A couple of fine specimens there Mal.

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  2. My goodness...how much do they weigh??

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  3. 2 1/2 lbs apiece.

    (I have bigger 'neeps but chose one the same size as the cabbage.)

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  4. Royal Scot cousins I think!! and two wonderful vegetables to use this time of year.

    Don't think they are too different at all...both full of goodness, flavor and color.

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  5. Lol, I thought this post was going to be about Kate and William, I have no idea why though.

    That swede looks quite spectacular, hope you enjoyed it.

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  6. Strange Mal as our red cabbage is Ok but the green has rotted. We're also pulling carrots, parsnips and beetroot

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  7. Both look quite delicious to me!

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  8. Well the purple cabbage looks delicious. I'm not a real fan of rutabagas but then I haven't had them since I was a kid. So many things that I hated as a kid I like now, but I still haven't tried rutabagas again.

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  9. I was amazed to find out that swede was a brassica and not a root veg...I guess I really need to read a bit more.

    I am hoping to grow some this year so if you have any tips I'd appreciate it!

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  10. Swedes are not fussy (although like other brassicas they prefer a high pH). Sow them thinly in a drill at around the time you plant out your winter cabbages kale etc. All you need to do after that is weed and THIN OUT. The further apart the bigger the swede. The story has it that farmers in the North East of Scotland, where these are a staple and folk have a reputation for 'canniness', each farmer hoes his NEIGHBOUR'S neep field. If they did their own they wouldn't thin them enough. When it's not their own they can be more judicious! So if you thin your own - be brave!

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  11. Very fine - it must be nice to actually be getting crops out of your land in this horrible season - i'm definitiely going to try it this year - i've decided.

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  12. Was your red cabbage OK? We harvested one yesterday that looked fine but was frsoted when we cut into it all soggy and horribly smelly - the kitchen still smells!!!

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  13. Sue, Only one has been lost as the net and the weight of the snow combined snapped it right off the stalk and the rot set in. The outer leaves of the rest have gone a bit mushy but they have been alright inside so far. I think autumn picking and storing may have something to say for it!

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