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the rainbow

vegetable

encyclopedia

‘Fire Dance’ cabbage is one of many varieties of red cabbage that can brighten a garden corner.

The vegetable varieties I have chosen for this encyclopedia are those that are the most colorful, whether it be in the garden, in the kitchen, or both.

For me, vegetable gardens are beautiful and the addition of especially colorful varieties often makes them even more lovely. Further, given their beauty, many of these plants are suitable for edible landscapes—in a flower border say, or in containers on the patio.

Growing colorful vegetables is a rather new phenomenon, and unlike their more common relatives, some “rainbow” vegetable varieties are hard to obtain, available only from one or two seed sources, say. I have noted sources for many of the unusual varieties.

In the average kitchen there are already many colorful vegetable varieties—red beets and orange carrots come to mind. In this encyclopedia, however, I have ignored the familiar ones, my emphasis instead is with vegetables that by today’s standards are considered eccentric or to be unusually colored. (As an aside, food color biases change from culture to culture and with the times, so for example, 200 years ago in Europe instead of red tomatoes and beets, people preferred yellow varieties and instead of white cauliflower they favored purple.)

The colors in vegetables are the result of different pigments. The presence of particular carotenoids, for instance, will cause a carrot to be orange and certain anthocyanins are responsible for a cabbage being red. Some of these pigments are stable, others are destroyed by heat or are water soluble, and in the latter cases the vivid color disappears. Further, some vegetables turn brown when cut and exposed to the air. As the emphasis in this book is to feature vivid colors on the table, where possible, I have included this type of information.

The color of a vegetable often correlates to its nutrition content and I have included some of this information as well. For an overview of how pigments and the color of vegetables respond to cooking, see the section on “Cooking with Colors” on page 64, and for more information on the nutrients in vegetables, see page 62.

For the basic information on soil preparation, mulching, composting, irrigation, and organic controls for pests and diseases see Appendices A and B on pages 90 and 96.

AMARANTH

Amaranthus hypochondriacus, A. cruentus, A gangeticus, A. tricolor

‘Illumination’ amaranth

Amaranth is beautiful in the garden and nutritious in the kitchen. The leaves and seed heads can be red, purple, green, cream, or a combination. Use the tall varieties in the back of vegetable and flower beds and the shorter ones in the middle of the border.

How to grow: Amaranth glories in warm weather. Start seedlings after any danger of frost has passed. Plant seeds ⅛ inch deep, 4 inches apart, in full sun, in rich, well-drained soil. Plant the large-grain amaranths in blocks with the rows 1 foot apart to prevent lodging. Thin the plants to 1 foot apart and keep the plants fairly moist. Generally, amaranth grows with great enthusiasm. The leaf-types grow to 2 feet, some of the grain varieties to 6 feet. Cucumber beetles are occasionally a problem.

Harvest the leaf-types when they are young. Harvest the grains after the first frost in the North; in mild-winter areas wait until seeds begin to drop. Lay harvested tops on a tarp in the sun to dry for about a week; protect against rain and heavy dew. Thresh the grains by laying the heads on sheets—then step on them, to knock the seeds free (or rub the seed heads with on a screen; wear gloves to prevent your hands from being stained when processing the red varieties). Use an electric fan to separate the seeds from the lighter chaff as you pour them into a container.

Varieties

The leaves and seeds of all varieties can be eaten, but the leaf-types have the tastiest leaves and the grain-types have more seeds.

Grain Amaranths

‘All Red’: 5 feet tall; extremely deep red leaves with red plumes; does not readily fall over

‘Golden Giant’: 110 days; 6 feet tall with beautiful golden stems and flower heads; grown for its white grain and edible young leaves; high yielding

‘Hopi Red Dye’ (‘Komo’): 120 days; to 6 feet tall; reddish-purple

‘Purple Amaranth’: 110 days; 6 feet tall; green-red variegated foliage; reddish-purple and green seed heads

Leaf Amaranths

‘Illumination’: spectacular magenta, pink, to crimson leaves born upper third of plant, grows to 5 feet; often used as a garnish

‘Joseph’s Coat’ (tricolor): 70 days; a spectacular tricolor variety from India with red, cream, and green leaves

‘Merah’: 75-80 days; leaf-type with crinkled green and red leaves

How to prepare: In theory, because the red pigments in amaranths are betacyanin like red beets, the color should be stable when cooked, but I find the red amaranth leaves I’ve cooked often turn pale and grayish. Obviously there is more to learn about amaranth colors. To enjoy red amaranth leaves I select young, tender leaves from the leaf-types and use them raw in salads or as a spectacular garnish. I cook the green varieties as I would spinach. The leaves are very nutritious and high in calcium and iron.

Amaranth grain has a mild and nutty flavor, is high in protein, and contains essential amino acids. It can be cooked and eaten alone or mixed with other ingredients. It contains no gluten so must be combined with wheat flour to make risen breads. The seed can be popped like popcorn; stir ½ cup of seeds in a hot frying pan for about 30 seconds or until popped. Mix with honey to create a traditional confection from Mexico.

ARTICHOKES, PURPLE

Cynara scolymus

‘Violetta’ artichoke

The artichoke is a giant thistle whose flower buds, when cooked, are deliciously edible. The plant is fountain shaped and grows to about 4 feet tall and almost as wide. The flower buds are usually green, but some varieties have purple buds.

How to grow: Artichokes prefer cool, moist summers and mild winters but tolerate summer heat if the soil is kept moist. Give them full sun in mild areas and partial shade in hot-summer climates. Below 28°F they need winter protection, for example an overturned basket filled with leaves placed above the roots. In coldest-winter areas bring the roots inside during winter and keep them moist and cool. In hot, early summers the artichoke buds open too soon and are tough.

Green varieties of artichokes are started when bare root from plants are offered in spring. (Bare-root plants are dug up while dormant and sold with their roots wrapped in plastic.) In contrast, the purple variety of artichoke is usually started from seeds. In cold climates, sow seeds indoors eight weeks before your last spring frost date, about ¼ inch deep and ¼ inch apart. In mild climates, fall plantings work well too. When sowing, soil temperature should be between 70°F to 80°F. Transplant seedlings to 4-inch pots. Grow at cooler temperatures (70°F during the day, 60°F at night). Transplant to the garden when 8 weeks old. (Spring plantings need at least 250 hours of temperatures under 50°F to induce budding.) Protect from frost.

‘Violetta’ artichoke buds

Artichokes require rich, moist, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. They respond well to deep mulches and manure. Extra nitrogen should be added halfway through the growing season and after harvest. Dig up and thin plants every three years. Aphids, earwigs, and snails are sometimes a problem.

When harvesting, cut off young artichoke buds, about 4 inches below the bud, well before they start to open. The younger the bud, the more tender it is and the more of it that is edible.

Varieties

The Cook’s Garden, Redwood City Seed Company, and The Gourmet Gardener carry seeds of purple artichokes.

‘Purple Sicilian’: produces bronzy-purple buds

‘Violetto’: Italian variety; produces medium-sized, purple buds

How to prepare: The anthocyanins in purple artichokes lose their color when cooked, so serve them raw to emphasize the color. Raw artichokes once cut and thus exposed to the air, quickly turn brown. So to use them raw, keep them in water with added lemon juice to prevent discoloring.

How to prepare: In French kitchens, immature purple artichokes are traditionally served raw: the slightly bitter bud is cut into quarters, the stem end is dipped in salt, and the dish is accompanied by bread and sweet butter. In Italy, pieces of young, tender raw artichokes are dipped in olive oil as part of an antipasto, or the heart is thinly sliced and served drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

Young fresh buds can be eaten without removing the choke (fuzzy, inedible center). Most mature artichokes must have the choke removed, but homegrown ones, if harvested while still young, do not.

To prepare a mature artichoke bud, cut off the top inch or so of the leaves. Then, with your hand, peel back the outside layer of leaves to where they break readily. If there is a fuzzy choke at the bottom, scrape it out with a sharp spoon. Immediately soak them in acidulated water until you are ready to cook them.

Whole artichokes can be stuffed and baked, steamed, or boiled in water with the juice of two lemons. Cook them until a knife inserted in the bottom of the choke is tender and present them whole. To eat a whole artichoke, pull off the outside leaves and use your teeth to scrape out the flesh. The remaining heart, or bottom, is cut into bite-size pieces and relished.

Artichokes may also be incorporated into many cooked dishes. Trim tender small bulbs lightly and use whole or use the hearts of larger bulbs cut in pieces in salads or casseroles.

ASPARAGUS, PURPLE

Asparagus officinalis

‘Purple Sweet’ asparagus

Asparagus is an herbaceous perennial that goes dormant in winter; its edible spears appear in spring. Asparagus shoots, whether they are green or purple, not cut for eating develop into airy, ferny foliage plants 5 feet high that can line a walkway or serve as a billowy background in a flower bed.

How to grow: Asparagus grows in all but the most hot and cold climates. The green varieties, and one purple variety are available as one-year-old rooted crows (the base of the plant plus roots). A family of four will need thirty to forty plants. Because asparagus plants remain in one place for many years and are heavy feeders, the soil must be prepared very well. Asparagus needs a deep organic soil, with a pH of 6.5. Excellent drainage is critical. Asparagus plants also need full sun.

In the early spring, prepare the soil and remove any perennial weeds. For thirty to forty plants, spade up the area as follows: dig two trenches 6 inches deep (a foot in coldest areas), 12 inches wide, about 20 feet long, and 3 feet apart. Amend the soil in the trenches with compost or aged manure and 4 pounds of bone meal worked 8 inches into the soil. Then place the crowns in the bottom, 15 inches apart with their roots well spread out. Cover with 2 inches of soil. As the shoots emerge, continue to fill the trench with soil. Once the trenches are full, mulch with 4 inches of an organic mulch.

On normal soil, annual applications of compost or modest amounts of chicken manure is all that is needed for fertilizer. After the first season, only moderate amounts of water are needed during the growing season. In the arid Southwest, to encourage dormancy do not irrigate in winter.

Asparagus beetles are generally the most serious pest. Diligent hand picking of the beetles in early spring as soon as they appear helps reduce the population. If the beetles are taking over, knock them off into a bucket of soapy water or use a Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) developed for their control and apply it according to directions. Further, fall cleanup removes some of the breeding adults. If the bed is free of beetles from planting time on, use floating row covers to keep them out.

A fungus disease called asparagus rust can be a problem in damp weather. Cercospora leaf spot can be a serious problem in the Southeast. Where gophers are numerous they can destroy the whole bed. Plant the crowns in wire baskets to protect them. Perennial weeds can quickly take over and crowd out a bed of asparagus, so remove all weeds and keep the bed mulched.

Harvest the spears by snapping them off an inch above soil level. No harvest is recommended the first year. In the second year, limit the harvest to three weeks. In subsequent years, harvest for six to eight weeks, and until the spears begin to thin to a pencil thickness.

Fertilize with fish meal after the harvest. In mild climates, cut down plants when they turn brown; in cold climates wait until early spring as the stalks help maintain a snow cover.

Varieties

‘Purple Sweet’ (‘Sweet Purple’): old variety; large, tender, deep burgundy spears; sweet flavor; Park Seed Company and R. H. Shumway’s carry this variety as rooted crowns

How to prepare: The purple pigments in asparagus are anthocyanins and they fade quickly when cooked. Young shoots are delicious raw in salads or served with flavorful dips. If you cook the purple asparagus, simmer it in an inch of water with ¼ cup of lemon juice to help maintain some of the color, the longer you cook it the more color it loses, so whenever possible serve them al dente.

BASIL

Ocimum basilicum

‘Red Rubin’ basil and Lemon Basil

While there are many types of basil, the ones we are interested here have purple foliage.

How to grow: Basils are annual herbs that glory in hot weather and wither with frost. Plant it in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil with much organic matter. Start basil seeds inside a month before the weather warms up in spring, or use transplants from the nursery. Place plants about 1 foot apart and keep them moist during the growing season. Fertilize with a balanced organic fertilizer every six weeks and after a large harvest.

Occasional pests are slugs and snails, and cucumber and Japanese beetles. When harvesting, leaves are picked by hand or cut. Keep the flower-heads continually cut back or the plant will go to seed and give few leaves.

Varieties

‘Osmin Purple’: purple leaves and stems; glossy, slightly ruffled leaves; fragrant; lavender flowers

‘Red Rubin’: purple leaves; fragrant; pink flowers; similar to the old standby ‘Dark Opal’ but more uniform

‘Purple Ruffles’: dark purple, ruffled leaves; fragrant; lavender flowers; seedlings are variable, select most colorful plants as you thin

How to prepare: The purple basils are high in anthocyanins. To best enjoy the color, use these basils raw in salads, sandwiches, and as a garnish. They will lend some of their pink color to vinegars and apple jelly. If you cook, puree, or mince purple basils though, they turn a disappointing brown.

BEANS

PURPLE AND YELLOW SNAP BEANS

Phaseolus vulgaris

‘Royalty Purple Pod’

‘Dragon’s Tongue’

‘Wax Romano’

Purple and yellow snap beans are more popular with children than their green cousins.

How to grow: Beans are adaptable annuals and are planted after all danger of frost is past. Purple and wax varieties can tolerate colder soil than most green snap beans. They need full sun and a good, loose garden loam with plenty of added humus. Sow seeds of bush beans 1 inch deep in rows 18 inches apart; thin to 6 inches. Pole beans need a strong trellis to climb on. Plant the seeds 1 inch deep; thin to 8 inches apart. If the plants look pale midseason fertilize with fish emulsion. Beans are best watered deeply and infrequently.

Beans have their share of pests, including bean beetles, beanloopers, whiteflies, aphids, mites, and cucumber beetles. Anthracnose and leaf spots diseases are most prevalent in humid climates.

Harvest snap beans when the seeds inside are still very small and the pods are tender. Make sure to keep all beans harvested or the plants stop producing.

Varieties

Renee’s Garden offers a combination package of green, purple, and yellow beans in retail stores.

Purple Snap Beans

‘Hopi Purple String Beans’: purple bean with black crescent-moon-shaped stripes; can be grown with little or no irrigation; available from Native Seeds/SEARCH

‘Purple Queen’: 55 days; bush; purple pods and flowers; sweet flavor; common bean mosaic-virus tolerant

‘Royal Burgundy’: 51 days; bush; dark purple pods; vigorous

‘Royalty Purple Pod’ (‘Royalty’): bush; deep-purple pods and flowers; vigorous; some resistance to Mexican bean beetles

‘Trionfo’ (‘Trionfo Violetto’): 65 days; pole; deep purple pods and lavender flowers; vigorous

Yellow Snap Beans

‘Cherokee’: 55 days; bush; sweet, wax bean; early; high yielding; widely adapted; rust and common bean mosaic-virus resistant

‘Dragon’s Tongue’ (‘Dragon Langerie’): 65 days; bush; unusual creamy yellow wax bean with purple stripes; available from Bountiful Gardens

‘Pencil Pod Wax’

‘Pencil Pod Black Wax (‘Pencil Pod’): 53 days; bush; tender yellow pods with black seeds; early

‘Roc D’or’: 57 days; bush; slender yellow pods; productive; resistant to common bean mosaic virus and anthracnose

‘Wax Romano’: 58 days; bush; light yellow pods with meaty texture; vigorous

Yellow Anellino (‘Gancetto Burro’): 80 days; pole; small, crescent-shaped pods; rich bean flavor

Renee’s rainbow collection beans: green slenderette, ‘Roc D’or,’ and ‘Purple Queen’

How to prepare: Yellow wax beans keep their color when cooked and are used as you would any snap bean, boiled or steamed until just tender, though cooking times are short as the beans turn to mush quickly. Try them in a three-bean salad garnished with raw purple beans. The purple beans get their color from anthocyanins and loose the purple color and turn a vivid green when boiled for two minutes—like magic—kids love to watch. (No guess work to know if your purple beans are properly blanched for freezing, when the color changes from purple to green they are perfect.) Even marinating them in vinegar or lemon juice will eventually turn them green. In my experience, making them into a pureed soup creates a decidedly unappetizing gray soup.

To preserve the deep purple color, serve the young beans raw in salads or on a festive dip platter mixed with other colorful vegetables.

BEETS

Beta vulgaris

Three colors of beets from Renee’s Garden

The ancient greeks and Romans appreciated both red and white beets; and yellow beets were popular in Europe for centuries.

How to grow: Sow beet seeds directly in rich, well-drained soil, in early spring or fall, in full sun. They can take some frost. Plant the seeds V4 inch deep in wide rows or broadcast over a 3-foot-wide bed. I like to mix colors of beet varieties in the same bed so I can combine them in a recipe. Plant extra seeds of the golden beets as they germinate poorly. Beet seeds are actually a cluster of seeds; therefore, they must be thinned to 3 inches apart for full size beets—2 inches for babies. Fertilize midseason with a balanced organic fertilizer and water evenly.

Occasionally, leaf miners tunnel through the leaves. A fungus disease cercospora flourishes in humid conditions and makes orange spots on the foliage. A rust fungus can also be a problem.

Harvest when the beets are 3 inches across or less.

Varieties

Renee’s Garden carries three colors of beets in the same package.

‘Albina Verduna’ (‘Snow White’): 65 days; pure white; large and sweet

‘Bull’s Blood’: 60 days, a beet grown for its deep red leaves as well as the roots; some resistance to leaf miner; the “greens” retain most of their color when cooked; available from Garden City Seeds

‘Chioggia’: 50 days; red on outside, red and white peppermint-striped rings inside; sweet

‘Burpee’s Golden’: 60 days; delicious, sweet yellow beets; leaf midribs are golden; low germination rates

How to prepare: The red pigments in beets are betacyanins; the yellow, betaxanthins. These pigments are fairly stable, though they do fade and change if food is overcooked. (If I boil my borscht too long it turns from a rich red to a dull reddish-brown.) Use beets raw or cooked in salads, cooked in soups and stews, or simply boiled or steamed and served with butter. The yellow, white, and the striped ‘Chioggia’ beets will not bleed and discolor the other ingredients in a cooked dish as do the red varieties and are great roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and garlic. To highlight yellow beets, serve them julienned with red ones or as baby beets. Note: pureed yellow beets sometimes oxidize, turning yellow-brown.

‘Chioggia,’ ‘Burpee’s Golden,’ and ‘Cylindra’

‘Albino Verduna’ and ‘Detroit Dark Red’

Doug Gosling and beet harvest

‘Bull’s Blood’ greens are deep red and are one of the few “red” greens to retain their color and are a meltingly rich vegetable if steamed briefly. When the leaves are very young they are beautiful when added raw to a mixed salad.

CABBAGES AND THEIR KIN

BROCCOLI

Brassica oleracea var. italica and B. oleracea. var. botrytis

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

B. oleracea var. gemmifera

CABBAGE

B. oleracea var. capitata and B. oleracea var. bulata

CAULIFLOWER

B. oleracea var. botrytis

KALE

B. oleracea var. acephala

KOHLRABI

B. oleracea var. gongylodes

Most of this family of vegetables has green leaves and buds, but it is the purple or pink varieties we are most interested in here.

How to grow: These vegetables are grown as cool-season annuals. They can bolt and become bitter-tasting in extremely hot weather. All need full sun, or light shade in hot climates.

Start most seeds indoors eight weeks before your last average frost date. Transplant them into rich soil filled with organic matter about two weeks before the last average frost date. (Start cauliflower a little earlier, as it grows more slowly; start Brussels sprouts four weeks before the last frost date and transplant them in a month.) Most can also be planted in midsummer for a fall crop. Sow cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower seeds 3 inches apart, ½ inch deep; thin or transplant small cabbages 12 inches apart and the larger cabbages, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower 24 inches apart. As they all tend to be top-heavy, when transplanting, place them lower in the soil than you would most vegetables—up to their first set of true leaves (the first leaves after the seed leaves). Plant kale seeds ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart, and thin to about 1 foot. Unlike most cole crops, kohlrabi is best seeded in place, rather than started indoors. In early spring or late summer, sow kohlrabi seeds ¼ inch deep, 1 inch apart, thin to 4 inches for baby kohlrabi and 6 inches for full size. Work compost and one cup of a balanced organic fertilizer into the soil around each plant at planting time. A month after planting, side dress an organic nitrogen fertilizer scratched into the soil around the plants. Mulching helps retain moisture.

Chinese elogated cabbage, green drumhead, and red ‘Ruby Perfection’ cabbages

Most cabbage-family plants are susceptible to the same pests and diseases. (Kale tends to have far fewer problems than most.) Flea beetles, imported cabbageworm, cabbage root fly, and cutworms are potential problems. Use floating row covers to prevent these pests. You can also prevent the cabbage root fly from laying her eggs by placing black plastic directly over the roots of the plant. Rotate members of the cabbage family with other vegetable families to prevent diseases.

‘Red Peacock’ kale among lettuces

Purple sprouting broccoli

‘Romanesco’ broccoli