A recent article discussed a problem with lettuce and other vegetable plants bolting and going to seed prematurely, but flowering is just a part of the natural cycle of things out in the veggie patch. A look around the back yard revealed quite a few edible plants that are bolting and flowering, but for the most part it’s not a problem if it occurs at the proper time and shouldn’t be taken as a sigh of something gone wrong.

As promised in the recent entry on browsing heirloom seed catalogs I intend to share some of the interesting plants that I stumble across in my favorite seed catalogs. Here’s the first new and unusual vegetable variety that I plan to grow in the garden this year; Purple Peacock Broccoli.

Rhubarb is an interesting perennial vegetable that offers an ornamental appeal with its bright red stalks and huge elephant ear sized leaves. While it doesn’t win many popularity contests when it comes to eating or preparing this vegetable, I always grow a plant or two in the garden.

A dozen of Kenny Point’s favorite gourmet vegetable varieties:

Brussels sprouts ‘Rubine.’ Red sprouts and red-tinged leaves and stems.
Cabbage ‘Early Jersey Wakefield.’ Tender and gets pointed heads.
Kale ‘Lacinato.’ Tall, slender kale with savoy, dark-blue leaves.
Potato ‘Russian Banana.’ Yellow-fleshed fingerling type with excellent flavor.
Bean ‘Royalty Purple Pod.’ Bush bean with purple pods.
Pepper ‘Marconi.’ Produces large, elongated fruits [...]