A Garden Unusual

 Plant something instead of the usual tomatoes, lettuce and pepper, There are all sorts of different veggies you can have fun planting harvesting and then cooking. Be bold with what you plant. It'll lead to some new and exciting recipes.

This is the plan I'm taking for my garden this year. I saw kohlrabi and broccoli plants in my local nursery. These sparked an idea to plant something different. This means new recipes to try out. I wasn't that surprised to find out that kohlrabi is a German based vegetable (kohl being the German word for cabbage).I had eaten it in my childhood  thanks to it being part of our Swabian German heritage.For some reason I never thought about making any dish with it until I saw the plants. it opened up a wealth of ideas. It's also called a German turnip but can be cooked as any cabbage or broccoli dish. One recipe intrigued me. where'it's cooked German style in a buttery cream sauce and lightly spiced with nutmeg. The other plant that tweaked my interest is Brussels sprouts. I've made all sorts of Brussels sprouts recipes. They are the best steamed and served with melted butter and cheese however sliced ones can make for a great sheet pan side that can be cooked with the main dish. There's also a Brussels sprout salad that will be tasty to make, especially with freshly picked sprouts.

Before you go for some wild planting, make sure you have the space and the soil for it.Watermelon is a wonderful plant but it is a vine and that requires a lot of space. these also need full sun as do corn. A backyard cornfield is fun. I've had a few relatives do this and there's something neat about pickling your own corn. Homegrown corn also seems somewhat sweeter tasting too. It's also versatile. You can make a delicious corn chowder rich with the kernels and bacon or Mexican street corn. Imagine turning those ears into elote,  dripping with cotija cheese, sour cream and lime. A really neat and unusual planting would be popcorn. yes , You can grow your own.It's really the same as planting and harvesting sweet corn. You will nitrogen rich fertilizer because any type of corn needs a lot of nutrition.Another fun grow  are potatoes. There are many breeds to experiment with in your yard. You can try your hand in Fingerling or heartier Idahos.  yet these too , like a cornfield take up a lot of yard, You may just want to grow them as with corn.

Think about different plants and veggies to plant this season. It will create a fun gardening experience. It will also make for exciting and fun new recipes.