Plants/vegetables not in book

Hi Everyone from windswept London

I have been flicking through "our Bible" i.e.ANSFG (Boffer where the picture of the book gone from smilies?)

Where are the parsnips, swedes, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and turnips?????? :idunno:I am not being rude when I say this.... Do Americans not eat the above named vegetables

Yup, especially in California. We can grow everything because of our varied climate zones, from hot valleys to cool coasts. A climate for everything. Root crops, cabbage family, rice, greens, grapes, citrus galore, alfalfa, fruit and nut trees, avocados, artichokes, berries, summer and winter squashes, celery, etc. Hawaii has pineapple and bananas and taro root! I don't think there is anything except cinnamon, neem trees, coffee, and pepper corns, that isn't grown in the US.

I would save a small fortune if I could grow avocado sanderson. I'd be in heaven

Frenchbean wrote:(Boffer where the picture of the book gone from smilies?)
Where are the parsnips, swedes, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and turnips??????
Do Americans not eat the above named vegetables

I don't know about the picture of the book, but the logo is still hidden in plain sight in "page 5" of the smilies list
Well, this American does eat most of those, at least occaisionally. I had to look up what we call Swedes (another of those that has a different name over here): Rutabagas! And they get called "waxed turnips" as well, especially around our Thanksgiving holiday time. :idontgetit:I have no idea why, except that they usually are wax-coated.  I love roasted Brussels sprouts, and sweet potato "fries." Parsnips and turnips, less familiar with. (I guess I just need more exposure, and recipes.)  Why were you wondering--spacing or growing? I'm not sure either, but just put the names in the search box. I just did and got 13 matches for parsnips, 3 for rutabaga, 48  for Brussels sprouts, 184 for sweet potatoes (which probably was mixed with regular potatoes), and 6 for turnip.

I also just realized I have none of your list in my SFG, or even in my boyfriend's garden:(

sanderson wrote:Hawaii has pineapple and bananas and taro root!  I don't think there is anything except cinnamon, neem trees, coffee, and pepper corns, that isn't grown in the US.  

A fine coffee, Kona, is grown in Hawaii.

Frenchbean wrote:Hi Everyone from windswept London

I have been flicking through "our Bible" i.e.ANSFG (Boffer where the picture of the book gone from smilies?)

Where are the parsnips, swedes, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and turnips?????? :idunno:I am not being rude when I say this.... Do Americans not eat the above named vegetables

I just realized we're back to having pages of icons, instead of one page where you can scroll through all of them at once.  This smiley is on page 3

As far as the above vegetables not being in the book - the simple answer is Mel wasn't writing a vegetable encyclopedia, but rather a book on a gardening method.  I suppose he chose to include many of the more popular/common vegetables that were well suited to the method.  Of course, I suppose your point may be that the vegetables you mentioned are the popular ones where you are, I don't know.  I do know that many people here do grow them.  I've seen mentioned on here parsnips, brussels, and sweet potatoes.  Not sure I've noticed turnips.  And I don't know what swedes are and can't recall having seen them mentioned.  

Anyway, I certainly can't speak for all Americans, but I admit I personally don't like most of those things.  I may give parsnips another try if I grow them myself.  Wasn't a fan of the ones I tried from the supermarket.

gwennifer wrote:  And I don't know what swedes are and can't recall having seen them mentioned.  

If I remember right, Swedes are rutabagas.  I have seen them mentioned a few times, I think mostly by Plantoid. 

Here in the states, Rutabagas are seen in markets but from what I have seen they are mostly grown for animal feed here.

GG

sanderson wrote:Yup, especially in California.  We can grow everything because of our varied climate zones, from hot valleys to cool coasts.  A climate for everything.  Root crops, cabbage family, rice, greens, grapes, citrus galore, alfalfa, fruit and nut trees, avocados, artichokes, berries, summer and winter squashes, celery, etc.  Hawaii has pineapple and bananas and taro root!  I don't think there is anything except cinnamon, neem trees, coffee, and pepper corns, that isn't grown in the US.  

Hi Sanderson,

I am a Los Angeles native and our home there had a HUGE avocado tree that produced copious amounts of rich, creamy fruit.  We were very popular with the neighbors.  (grin)

I pine for those avocados every time I pass a display of the exorbitantly priced avocados here in Georgia.

FB
Rutabaga is wot them people call our Swedes

Run your  parsnips the same as swedes @ five to the square foot  . Leave one or two swedes or parsnips diagonally opposite in each square  to have through Jan and Feb or later as they will easily grow to six or seven inches across if you have made you MM well & it is deep enough for such growth  .

Turnips @ nine to a square foot as over here  they grow to tennis ball size if the weather is right & are usually still very crisp & crunchy cooked of raw .

Sprouts . dwarf pants under two feet tall a maximum of  two per square fully grown so some times inter plant with some radishes or quick grow stuff . Allow for crop shading around early august
Full height plants at 3 foot or taller one every three square so again quick grow inter crops and allow for shading from mid august as the plant really gets going . MY sprouts got to well over four feet tall and at one for three squares was a bit like putting an umbrella over the beds as they blocked  off a lot of late autumn and winter sun . I also had to stake them to stop the wind & snow toppling them over .

Fr.bean, perhaps you missed the picture of my red turnip this morning:


My br. sprouts:


I also love parsnips and rutabaga, but have never grown either. Perhaps next year    
What else is really common in your area that we Americans may not grow much?

My sweet potato tub on May 25.  It's completely covered now.


Kay

camprn wrote:

sanderson wrote:Hawaii has pineapple and bananas and taro root!  I don't think there is anything except cinnamon, neem trees, coffee, and pepper corns, that isn't grown in the US.  

A fine coffee, Kona, is grown in Hawaii.

Duh, I have been there!  Of course the US grows coffee!!

French bean, you've opened a can of worms!

Parsnips.  I'm not a great fan of boiled parsnip, but I do chop one for making a batch of vegetarian broth, pressing the solids to get all the flavor out.  Freeze in 2 cup portions.  Some people make parsnip "mashed potatoes"  or add to mashed potatoes to lower the carbohydrates.

RoOsTeR wrote:Fr.bean, perhaps you missed the picture of my red turnip this morning:


My br. sprouts:


I also love parsnips and rutabaga, but have never grown either. Perhaps next year    
What else is really common in your area that we Americans may not grow much?

Can you guys in the US grow 9 inch dia field/ horse mushrooms on composted horse muck and nowt else ?

How are you guys for growing rhubarb ?

Rhubarb - grows like weeds here in the Upper Midwest! 

GG

Down here in SC, rutabaga and turnip are cool weather/winter crops for it is too hot in the summer. I pulled the rest of my turnips in March. I'm going to try rutabaga this fall.
Don't care for br.sprouts, haven't tried parsnips, but, sw. potatoes, they like it hot, and we love them. I have 5 different kinds, and we just ate the last of last yrs. I have to plant just a bit more this yr.
Part of the reason sw. potatoes are not in the book, they won't stay where you put them. They will take over the whole bed if you let them, and the roots go where they want. Last yr. I had a lump in the isle, under the weed cloth. It was a sw. potato!
Jo

plantoid wrote:...How are you guys for growing rhubarb ?

PNW checking in...grows like weeds here, too. It seems to thrive in poor soil and neglect.

boffer wrote:

plantoid wrote:...How are you guys for growing rhubarb ?

PNW checking in...grows like weeds here, too.  It seems to thrive in poor soil and neglect.

Glory be! I can smell that scrumptious Strawberry+Rhubarb pie... now, how about you?

Thank you all for your replies. It seems strange to me that my swede is your Rutabagas. I wonder where the name came from

Plantoid thank you Now I know how many to plant. I have never seen a parsnip over 3 inch diameter

Sanderson& gwennifer: Please grow your own parsnips and then par boil them then roast them delicious

Rooster I haven't seen a turnip that colour before. What variety did you grow? Mine all have a purple top or green tops with white bottoms

Goosegirl: I like to boil my swede/ rutabaga and then put some butter on it and mash it up. We often have ours with our Sunday dinner. Roast, chicken, Lamb, beef and roast potatoes parsnips and veg yum yum. Im hungry:lol!: :reckon:

Rooster I think there the veg I really love; apart from French beans :hither:

Kay please tell me how you grow your sweet potatoes in the SFG

littlejo Please give me some advise on growing sweet potatoes
This is another first for me. I didn't know they run
I have never had strawberry and rhubarb pie before. Care to post a recipe? :reckon: :reckon: :reckon:

boffer wrote:

plantoid wrote:...How are you guys for growing rhubarb ?

PNW checking in...grows like weeds here, too.  It seems to thrive in poor soil and neglect.

It grows even better when the soil is deeply well manured at planting time for the crowns and dressed every Jan /Feb in three inches of really well rotted horse muck . Always leave four leafed stems on the plant and liquid feed after each harvesting .

We've had several pounds this last few weeks off the best plant grown from seed two years ago . Now it's warmed up a tad and rained occasionally it's growing like triffids & is of a really good  tender quality too , rather than some of the real eye watering sour ones you get on the poorer soils

Frenchbean wrote:Thank you all for your replies. It seems strange to me that my swede is your Rutabagas. I wonder where the name came from

Plantoid thank you Now I know how many to plant. I have never seen a parsnip over 3 inch diameter :studious:

Sanderson& gwennifer: Please grow your own parsnips and then par boil them then roast them delicious

Rooster I haven't seen a turnip that colour before. What variety did you grow? Mine all have a purple top or green tops with white bottoms

Look in the gallery top of the page in the big stuff section some of mine are more than 5 inches across and over 28 inches long yet as sweet and tender as a two in one

Do you guys over in the US grow endives ( chicoree frisee )or chicory and blanch them for use in salads or for boiling /braising in the oven with the joint of meat ?

Frenchbean wrote:Rooster I haven't seen a turnip that colour before. What variety did you grow? Mine all have a purple top or green tops with white bottoms

They are red turnips. This is the first time I've grown the red, and so far I'm really impressed. In the past, I've always grown the purple tops too. The flesh is white, and the taste is about the same.