Hillingdon Allotment News 14: Boring salads - not any more

Those of us who are lucky enough to be able to grow our own vegetables have access to the freshest of plants, full of vitamins and minerals, unlike those bought from the shop which lose a great deal of these elements while sitting ready to be eaten. While we all eat lettuce and tomatoes in salads as a raw vegetable, there are many more that can be used in their raw state to enhance the dinner table. The usual suspects are always there, lettuce, tomato and radish. Lettuce can be boring, but try sowing a little of different varieties to see what a difference it makes. Something like ‘Lakeland’ with its large crisp leaves contrasts well with ‘Little Gem’ another green leaved, but smaller type, suitable for one person, and used with ‘Salad Bowl mixed’, with it’s variety of colour produces an enticing dish or even ‘oriental mixed leaves’ for that extra zing.

There are so many varieties of tomatoes with colour ranging from almost black to almost white, together with sizes from marbles to cricket balls that one should never be short of a variety of colours shapes and tastes here.

Radish is perhaps not to every ones taste and the usual red and white variety can be a little boring, try using the ‘Harlequin mixed’ type instead from Thompson and Morgan, and they will add extra colour to your dishes as well as a talking point for adults and children alike. Onion thinnings, shallots and green garlic all add pungency to any dish and can be used as many vegetables can be grated instead of whole. Carrot thinnings are lovely eaten raw as is beetroot mixed with very small French beans which are so crisp. Mange tout peas if grown in succession throughout the summer will provide sweet pods and, of course, small fresh peas themselves are a delight.

There are many more vegetables that can be tried in their raw state and while some are a matter of taste, why not try them, you could be pleasantly surprised, so enjoy those salads for the rest of the summer

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