August

The Black Spanish radish is a unique variety with a inky black, thick skin that resembles that of a rhinoceros. But that craggy, tough exterior is what protects the tender, spicy, crisp, pure-white flesh. They are reliable, last forever in the garden and in storage, and are one of the easiest things you will ever grow.

This incredibly succulent, melt-in-your-mouth raw salad green has recently gained popularity in the gourmet greens world, attracting both world class growers and chefs. Best used fresh and tiny, these elegant leaves bring a rich, tart-creaminess to delicate, micro-green salads.

This highly esteemed ancient crop can be used raw in salads, sautéed as a side dish or cooked like spinach. Summer Purslane has a crispy texture you would expect from a succulent and an interesting nutty, peppery flavour. It is salty on the tongue.

Summer Purslane was highly esteemed and cultivated in Europe as far back as the Middle Ages, but is now cultivated only for specialised connoisseurs.This wonderfully succulent and cooling herb has tangy leaves make a very nice contrast, in texture as well as taste to other salad leaves.

Dwarf Canton White is a short and squat variety, often known as Baby or Squat Pak Choi. Tender and delicious, with a compact habit, this fast growing vegetable can be harvested at any stage, for 'baby leaf or left to mature to thick succulent white stems.

Well adapted and very widely planted. ‘Red Creole’ is a medium maturing, open-pollinated short day red onion. It has a clear, spicy-sweet flavour of medium heat and develops a sweet, mellow flavour when caramelised. Drought tolerant, disease resistant and especially hardy, it is considered by many to be the ideal onion.

'Morada de Amposta' is a large sweet onion named after the small Spanish town of Amposta. A heritage variety that produces attractive red-bronze onions, not too hot, with a pleasant, exceptional sweetness typical of Spanish onions. The beautiful, large globes weigh around 200 to 250 grams.

A very popular and reliable variety for well over 100 years, Onion 'Density 4' is ideally suited to our climate producing medium to large, globe shaped, straw coloured bulbs with pure white flesh and a good flavour. As a standard maincrop it offers excellent quality, high yields and a very good storage life.

We have all heard of Nigella Lawson, the British cooking show goddess who advocates the importance of a well-stocked pantry. But the seeds had the name first. Nigella sativa have a spicy, nutty flavour with a crunchy texture, they may be used whole or ground, and develop their flavour best after short toasting.

Mitsuba is a classic seasoning that is very popular in Asian cuisine. Used as both an herb and a salad green and added fresh or cooked to anything from soup to sushi. Mitsuba's look and aroma are distinctive, for the herb aficionado or aesthetically motivated cook, it is a great addition to the gourmet garden.

Minutina, also known as Erba Stella is a unique, cold weather salad green prized in Italy for its mild nutty flavour and crunchy texture. This perennial can be grown all winter in temperate climates. With a mild nutty flavour and crunchy texture it is a great addition to salad mixes or for stir-frying.

If you haven’t cooked with lovage before then you have missed out on a very flavourful herb. The flavour is distinct and greatly appreciated by food aficionados. Even though some like to compare lovage to celery, it is almost like saying that an apricot tastes like a small peach.