5 Favourite Vegetables

This 5 favourite vegetables blog is inspired by the fact we had World Vegetarian Day on the of 1st October and that October 1st – 7th is International Vegetarian Week.

Also, in the Northern hemisphere at this time of year, we are gathering in our vegetable harvest to store for the coming winter. All this suggests that vegetables are somewhat topical even if you’re not a vegetarian or vegan!

Still on a few facts, if you’re thinking that vegetarians are a small minority, its interesting to note that about 10% of the world’s population identify as such. Whilst approximately 5% class themselves as predominantly meat eaters. Yup, that one surprised me too, but then perhaps that’s as I was thinking with a European and north American ‘hat’ on rather than a global one.

But I’m now going to become more parochial and restrict my attention to the United Kingdom when considering some favourite vegetables. As fashion seems to affect the veggies we eat I thought it would be interesting to compare two recent consecutive years.

Top 5 Vegetables – Lists

Salads and fungi are excluded from the lists aa this is about veggies, and it keeps things simpler. The lists are gathered from various sources, generally affiliated to farming, frozen food companies and supermarkets. I mean, they do have an interest in what vegetables we might want to buy and, of course, what they would like us to buy.

UK’s 5 favourite vegetables in 2017

1. Broccoli
2. Sweetcorn
3. Carrot
4. Pea
5. Brussel sprouts

UK’s 5 favourite vegetables in 2018

1. Potato
2. Carrot
3. Onion
4. Pea
5. Broccoli

Out of the two lists of five there are only seven different veg. I don’t think this is surprising, even looking back to the 1960s we’d find potatoes, peas, carrots and onions. But more on what veg we grew in past years in another blog…

What I do find interesting is that although broccoli appears in both lists, it radically moves its position. Do you remember how ‘last year’ broccoli was in 2018? (no, neither do I!)

I wondered if the weather affected our choices for favourite veggies at all. . As in a cold year might encourage us to eat casseroles in the summer as well as winter time.

The summer of 2017 was warmer but wetter than average and overall was one of the warmest on record. 2018 beat that by being the joint hottest summer, sharing the spot with 1976, 2003 and 2008. But overall as an annual comparison, 2017 was warmer. Perhaps this explains the sweetcorn, as this crop likes a long season of warmth to fully develop its sweetness.

However the 2018 heatwave during June, July and August did affect crops. Yields were down for the staples of barley and wheat. Hosepipe bans in some areas caused problems for gardeners and farmers alike as wells and water butts dried up.

Conclusion? I need more data. But I have a feeling that our lack of seasonality in much of the food we eat nowadays affects our choices of favourite vegetables.

7 favourite vegetables, one by one

Out of the seven vegetables named within the two lists, there are three which are in both: broccoli, carrots and peas. In alphabetical order, our seven veggies are: –

Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Carrot
Onion
Pea
Potato
Sweetcorn

If there are blogs on the vegetable, I’ve included the links with them.

Our first two veg are both members of the Brassica oleracea species and share quite a few characteristics.

Broccoli

Do you like broccoli but not cabbage? Then you may be surprised to learn that the word broccoli is Italian and means “the flowering head of a cabbage”! The Romans are credited with breeding what we know recognise as broccoli, from the 6th century BCE onwards.

Immature broccoli seedlings are frequently sold as part of a microgreens selection. If you haven’t tried these, its worthwhile eating some of the leaves when you’re thinning out seedlings of home sown broccoli seeds. You may decide to grow some specifically as microgreens, which are a crop you can easily grow on a windowsill.

Brussel sprouts

It is a real shame that so many people are put off Brussel sprouts from having been forced to eat overcooked, soggy ones that were left on the stalk for too long before being picked. Looking like miniature cabbages, they are flower buds (unlike broccoli where we eat the flowers) If they’re picked when small, the flavour is both sweet and nutty.

Although they do take up a bit of room in the vegetable garden, sprouts are one of my favourite vegetables as is you leave some of the stalk, cutting it off above a bud, you’ll get – at the very least – fresh foliage, and possibly more sprouts. Hens love to peck at the stalks and I’ve also found that they make a good toy for teething puppies.

The name ‘Brussel sprouts’ is supposed to have been given as they have been cultivated in the Brussels area since the thirteenth century.

Carrot

Whether carrots are orange, white or purple, cylindrical or round, gardeners often have a love- hate relationship with them. This is possibly due to their being difficult to grow in a heavy clay soil or a very stony soil. If that’s what your garden has, then grow round carrots or grow cylindrical ones in raised beds and planters.

Why are Carrots Orange? A Brief History of a Favourite Vegetable

Onion

I do love the onion family. As well as ‘ordinary onions’ which I‘m presuming is the one referred to in the poll list, there are leeks, garlic, Welsh onions, chives, spring onions. But only onions made the top five favourite vegetables list.

Did you know that India and China are the top growing countries? Between them they grow nearly half the annual crop!

Knowing your Onions – Grow Your Own Gardening

Pea

Peas lay claim to being Britain’s national vegetable. I’ve written about them in a couple of blogs. Partly because they’re such a versatile veg and helpfully appear in traditional folklore, but also because they are one of my favourites. And I have actually extended my vegetable definition to include them because botanically speaking the pea pods are a fruit and we eat the seeds.

The Garden Pea

Planting Peas and Potatoes on St Patrick’s Day

Potato

Did you know you could have your own, fresh from the garden new potatoes at Christmas? If you’re reading this article when it was first published, at the beginning of October, then you may just have time to grow them for Christmas in the same year. If not, then plan ahead for next year. (see below for how to grow)

Potatoes, like sweetcorn, were introduced from the ‘New World’ of the Americas. Potatoes are traditionally and famously brought to England by Sir Walter Raleigh as a gift to Queen Elizabeth Tudor. Who had been hoping for pearls so was not that impressed…

Growing Potatoes in Your Garden
Salad Blue Potatoes Potting Compost Comparison
Growing New Potatoes for Christmas Dinner

Sweetcorn

As soon as the sweetcorn pod is picked, the sugar in the cob starts to turn into starch. This is why they say: you should wait till your pan of water is boiling, stroll to harvest your sweetcorn and run back as soon as you’ve picked them!

Sweetcorn, also called corn or maize, is one of the Three Sisters plants which make up a traditional method of cultivation using a companion planting system. See below for more info.

How to use the Three Sisters Cultivation Method

Favourite Vegetables – what next?

Discovering your own favourite vegetables is a treat. If you don’t yet grow many (or any) vegetables, I would suggest asking friends for a taste of what they’re growing. Check out farmers markets for what grows well in your area and on the soil you have – this does make life easer.

But also have a look at the more exotic and tender veggies on sale in greengrocers, shops and supermarkets. If you’re able to provide some frost free space its amazing what you could grow to eat at home!

For help with getting started with a vegetable garden and how to find the growing method that suits you best, have a read of the blogs below. Or indeed get in touch with Plews and ask about our Edible Gardening Course where you have your own personal Gardening Coach coming to your garden.