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Looking on a seed supplier website, I came across some vegetables that I have not heard of let alone know what to do with.  I am open to trying new food stuff all the time but would like to know what they are,  what are their uses and if possible a taste description first.   Ideas and opinions please:

OKRA
BORECOLE
SALAD RAPE
MANGEL
KOHL RABI

Kohl Rabi is the most delicious salad vegetable - like a slightly turnipy solid cabbage. Slice & add to a salad, or serve on it's own with a pinch of salt... I don't grow the others although Okra is great in a curry.

Found what Mangel is so I think i will pass on this one:

"Something from the past. Large golden orange roots which are ideal for wine making or as feeding for goats and other livestock. "

Oh, as in Mangel Wurzel? Part of the beet family, and used if I'm not mistaken, in Branston pickle...

Okra aka bindi, & ladies fingers - is used a lot in Indian food, I don't like the texture & have never thought it had much flavour.

Borecole - Treat as kale cook the young leaves.

Salad rape - Has lots of uses. Used as sprouting seeds, raw in salads, added to stews, stirfried, steamed or boiled on its own.

Mangel aka mangold - I grow a lot of these.  Best use is mangel wurzel beer recipe here:
http://companiontotheoldfoodie.blogspot.com/2006/06/mrs-dalgairns-1840.html
You can harvest the leaves to use a a vegetable it's best to stick to the younger leaves as the older ones are quite tough. The root can be used in the same way you would a turnip if you don't use them for making beer.
They grow best in heavily manured well drained soil & like lots of water.
I find the yellow varieties are smaller & don't normally grow more tham about 10lb the orange & red ones can weigh twice that & can be a pain to lift out of the ground.
Somewhere on google books there is a downloadable pdf file of an essay called " On the history, cultivation, composition, and feeding properties of mangold wurzel" by John Tynan written in 1858 but still useful if you can find it.

Hi all coming from the West Indies I grew up eating okra, and yes its known for its use in Indian dishes, but it is more versatile than you might first think. It is also used in rice dishes, and in leafy green 'stews', but a favorite of mine is to dip the whole fruit in batter and deep fry till crisp, if this is done in very hot oil the okra will cook and retain its crispiness, very nice as a snack, starter or side dish. Sometimes I add hot pepper sauce to the batter oh my goodness YUM!!!
Right I have now made myself crave it and since i have failed growing it three years running I'm now properly depressed :'( ;) Cajun cooking also use the lovely okra, so that might be great place to find recipes.

Quote from: OllieC on August 10, 2008, 19:43:36
Oh, as in Mangel Wurzel? Part of the beet family, and used if I'm not mistaken, in Branston pickle...

I think you may be a wee bit mistaken OllieC.  What is in Branston Pickle is rutabaga, which is swede.  Whilst it is a member of the same family as the sugar beet, it is quite a different plant.

Branston is a suburb of Burton upon Trent, where the now defunct famous breweries used to work. :( :( :o

valmarg

Swedes are Brassicae and Magels (Mangolds) are Beets and are not in the same family.

Quote

Whilst it is a member of the same family as the sugar beet, it is quite a different plant.

Oops Toadspawn, I stand to be corrected. ;D ;D

valmarg

If you grow khol rabi be careful of the slugs - they love them and so do the birds who take their tops.  I grew some this year and didn't manage to get a single one to eat.  Noticed the bird damage first so netted off.  They were doing really fine - picked them when they were small and realised that they were bloody hollow!!

Quote from: valmarg on August 10, 2008, 22:42:14

Quote from: OllieC on August 10, 2008, 19:43:36
Oh, as in Mangel Wurzel? Part of the beet family, and used if I'm not mistaken, in Branston pickle...

I think you may be a wee bit mistaken OllieC.  What is in Branston Pickle is rutabaga, which is swede.  Whilst it is a member of the same family as the sugar beet, it is quite a different plant.

Branston is a suburb of Burton upon Trent, where the now defunct famous breweries used to work. :( :( :o

valmarg

Ha, I had gone through to the kitchen to check, but Old Mother Hubbard had failed in her stock keeping... Now, that's the kind of mistake you make when you run out of Branston Pickle. There must be something else famous that I'm thinking of... I'm off to look!

Nope, nothing in my kitchen contains that... It's good to be wrong from time to time!

I've only ever had okra in curry and  not all that keen as they can go a bit slimy. But having just read Thifasmom's deep fried recipe I think I'll give them another try - with the hot pepper sauce!

mangolds are good in stews :)

BORECOLE is i think curly kale brilliant cabbagy stuff goes through the winter

okra is disgusting

lbb

Holy Moses, KT!.....you ask what Okra is?? ::)
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,38208.0.html

Hey thifasmom.....come in and join the crowd!! Brill recipe you've got there 8)

i love okra! ;D

duke

Quote from: KathrynH on August 11, 2008, 21:22:22
I've only ever had okra in curry and  not all that keen as they can go a bit slimy. But having just read Thifasmom's deep fried recipe I think I'll give them another try - with the hot pepper sauce!

hope you enjoy it :D

Quote from: Duke Ellington on August 11, 2008, 22:15:17
i love okra! ;D
duke

i didn't like as a kid but gosh how i miss it now :'(

Quote from: Alishka_Maxwell on August 11, 2008, 22:09:22
Holy Moses, KT!.....you ask what Okra is?? ::)
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,38208.0.html

Hey thifasmom.....come in and join the crowd!! Brill recipe you've got there 8)

i'm a coming :)

Quote from: Alishka_Maxwell on August 11, 2008, 22:09:22
Holy Moses, KT!.....you ask what Okra is?? ::)

Having now read that topic I guess I will pass on growing this . 8)

Quote from: OllieC on August 11, 2008, 07:47:17
There must be something else famous that I'm thinking of... I'm off to look!

Wasn't something like that used flavoured as various fruits  in those 'exceedingly good' fruit pies? until somebody took the time to read the lable.

Quote from: lottie lou on August 10, 2008, 23:31:13
If you grow khol rabi be careful of the slugs...

You are not kidding - they attract them so much that they will ignore just about any other plants nearby. They could almost be used as 'cannon fodder' to protect other crops!