Exotic Vegetables: Varieties and Tastes

Traditionally they think that only fruits can be exotic, but not vegetables. However, this opinion is very far from reality.Several vegetable crops come to Russia, which are still unusual for gardeners, but deserve attention.

Among the most unusual exotic vegetables is the so-called purple potato. Immediately it should be said that this is not a root crop with a delicate pink skin, with the white color of the main fruit. Vegetable is painted in purple tone and from the inside and outside. It may even give the impression that it is beets. It is not necessary to be afraid of any negative consequences: unusual appearance of the fetus is not associated with any sophisticated manipulation.

Violet potatoes, like other rare vegetable and spicy cultures, are derived using classical breeding methods. There is no reliable data from which such a plant originated. However, the most reasoned version says that it was bred in South America. Moreover, some biologists believe that purple potatoes existed earlier than the usual white root vegetable. Over one hundred varieties of purple solanaceous culture are now known, almost all of them can be grown on the territory of Russia.

The varieties of purple potatoes differ in the tonality of the pulp, or rather, in the saturation of the hue.

Before evaluating its culinary purpose, it is necessary to give a full description of the benefits and harms of purple potatoes. Its fruits are saturated with a significant amount of antioxidants. These substances help to strengthen the immune system, which is extremely valuable in the autumn, so long ripening and late harvest can be considered not as a disadvantage, but as a virtue. Ordinary potatoes have already been harvested completely - and its purple variety is only ripening.

Importantly, purple potatoes have a significantly smaller amount of starch and sugar than the usual variety. For this reason, it is considered more suitable for diet. Systematic intake of anthocyanin, one of the antioxidants, allows you to slow down the aging of the skin. For those who do not want to use expensive creams and even postpone plastic surgery, this property of the product is very useful. A decent concentration of vitamin A has the following properties:

• improvement of visual perception (especially at dusk);
• reducing the risk of vascular disorders;
• reducing the risk of malignant neoplasms.

Since purple potatoes contain relatively little starch, it has a positive effect on the functioning of the digestive system. It should be borne in mind that the use of this vegetable can lower blood pressure, so when hypotension, it is contraindicated. In addition, even perfectly healthy people should beware of excessive consumption of purple fruits. Most often, Vitalot lilac potato is grown in Russia. He came to our country from France. Tuber may have a mass of more than 0.5 kg. Fruits are harvested at the end of September and in October, but the late harvest is kept very well.

Domestic breeders bred another variety - "Amethyst". This plant tolerates bad climatic conditions well, even in the northern part of the Urals will develop well. Potatoes "Amethyst" gives the average largest crop, tolerates blight and twisting of leaves. Even potato cancer is not terrible for him. Tubers can grow up to 0.4 kg.

But regardless of the variety, you must still be able to use the collected fruit. Professional chefs believe that purple potatoes should be baked. Tubers rub with olive oil. Cooking time at +200 degrees varies from 40 to 60 minutes. Some experienced chefs recommend using purple tubers for salads, cold appetizers, soups.

For more on purple potatoes, see the following video.

Having dealt with purple potatoes, you can safely switch to another tropical type of plant - black tomatoes. Immediately it is worth making a reservation: true black coloring of tomatoes is not typical. But they are very dark. As in the previous case, an unusual color is not associated with genetic modification. Black tomato has a richer flavor than the usual red fruit.

This property is associated with a high concentration of sugar and organic acids. An increased amount of anthocyanin is present in the fruit. The remaining substances enhance the overall tone of the body. Growing black tomatoes can be done in greenhouses or in free ground. But being interested in the name of varieties that are suitable for farms in the Moscow region or in another region, you need to focus on the widely used varieties. Extremely rare varieties will have to order via the Internet.

"Black Crimea" is characterized by excellent disease resistance. The fruits of the plant ripen in 70–80 days, their average weight will be 0.5 kg. However, the harvest is stored very briefly. "De Barao" can be grown only in greenhouses with high altitude. Between planting and harvesting, 115–130 days will pass, and most people are happy with the yield (6 or 7 kg per plant per season). Those who want to enjoy the extraordinary taste should grow such varieties as:

• "Watermelon";
• "Black Prince";
• Kumato;
• "Black Elephant".

So, "Black Prince" has a pleasant sweet taste. The fleshy pulp of the fruit has a high culinary rating. Chernomor is close to it in terms of gastronomic characteristics. This variety produces tomatoes weighing up to 0.3 kg. They are consumed mainly fresh.

Those who have grown a crop of black tomatoes and purple potatoes will also be happy to try lilac carrots. But you can start developing non-standard vegetables for Russia and from it. Biologists believe that it is not entirely correct to consider a violet carrot an exotic vegetable: it was grown even earlier than the usual orange root vegetables. As in the three cases already examined, the violet color is associated with a high concentration of anthocyanin.

Color saturation indicates how much calcium and magnesium are in fruits. To choose a high-quality seed, which will allow to get a decent harvest, you need to check the smell and the bulk form of the seeds. It should be understood that the choice of purple carrots is relatively poor. The main part of the suppliers implements the material of the American, Dutch or French selection. When choosing, it is also necessary to take into account that varieties refer to one of the following types:

• for early collection;
• for accumulation for the winter;
• for sale.

The agrotechnical methods for growing purple carrots are the same as in the cultivation of orange varieties. From late-ripening hybrids, the Violet Queen gives good results. The diameter of the fruit can be up to 5 cm. The length of ripe carrots is 20 cm. The fruits do not crack, they are an excellent food coloring.

It is worth paying attention to the following tips:

• when an early carrot with delicate fruits, resistant to fungal lesions is required, it is necessary to choose the "Purple Haze";
• if necessary, to grow fruits that do not contain orange areas, it is necessary to give preference to "Purpura F1";
• of the frost-resistant varieties recommend "Purple Dragon", featuring a smooth geometry, single blotches of white.

Root crops of unusual color are fried, boiled and stewed. But you can also bake and steam them. Cooks use purple carrots as decoration for other dishes. The taste of the fruit is a pleasure even for real gourmets. Such carrots are sweeter than usual, and allows you to get excellent juice.

If exotic varieties of tomatoes and carrots are gradually being developed in the beds of Russian vegetable gardens, Hopi corn is much less common. Seeds of a rare variety are painted in unusual dark tones. However, in terms of agronomic characteristics, the plant differs little from those given by familiar yellow cobs. But blue corn is much healthier. Hopi contains significant amounts of fiber. The fibers of this substance contribute to the suppression of hunger. Being on a diet, with the help of Hopi corn, it is easy to avoid disruptions.

But the use of fiber is not exhausted by this - it reduces the risk of diseases of the digestive system, and even blue corn is rich in anthocyanins. In culinary terms, this vegetable is also unusual. Few people expect nutty taste from cereal. This plant is included in many dishes of Mexican cuisine. Cultivation of land for planting Hopi almost not required Be sure to pick up an outdoor sunny area.

Planting seeds on seedlings is not made, they are planted directly into the ground after warming up to +5 degrees. It is required to deepen the grains to a maximum of 5 cm, ideally - 3 or 4 cm. Water the beds once a day in 3 days. But if there is a strong heat, watering is increasing. It is recommended to plant legumes on neighboring beds to enrich the land with nitrogen.

At the cottage, in an ordinary garden, attractive rainbow cabbage can also be grown. Its shape is the same as that of the ordinary, but the color of the heads is significantly different. What is very important, after heat treatment juicy tones are not lost. The plant was bred by English breeders and its taste is quite familiar. But rainbow cabbage contains much more nutrients. It is clearly sweeter than the albumin variety or kohlrabi. Cooks say that this plant is as tasty as ordinary cabbage. It can be put out or put in soup or cabbage soup.