Far from humble, the potato is a great source of nutrition, and surely the most versatile vegetable in terms of how it can be cooked. Presenter Karen O'Donohoe joins the crew of a Thornton's Recycling bin lorry as it collects brown bins from an estate in Dublin and finds out exactly what happens to the vegetable peelings and grass cuttings we throw into the bins.
Unfortunately, most of the imported supermarket tomatoes we buy taste of absolutely nothing at all. It is not until you grow your own that you realise this! The homegrown tomato is a delectable treat, and while a little TLC is required to grow them, it's worth the effort.
Garlic is relatively easy to grow and stores extremely well. It's also incredibly good for you. The garlic requirements of an average family can be easily satisfied by even the smallest vegetable patch, or container. Take any bulb of garlic, break out the cloves and stick them in to the ground spaced about 4 inches apart, and each clove will eventually turn in to a bulb of garlic.
Many people have an aversion to beetroot because the only way they have ever tasted it is boiled and drowned in vinegar! If this is your experience, it deserves a second chance as it is a fine root crop. Beetroot is easy to grow, can be eaten all year round as it stores well, is incredibly good for you, and has multiple uses. You can boil it, bake it, grate it into salads, chutneys, wine, cakes.
Carrots require a deep, light, stone free, fertile soil to do well. But if you get the soil right, you will be rewarded with a crunchy, sweet and flavoursome crop which will store well. Two or three well-timed sowings of carrots should see you self-sufficient all year round in this classic stockpot vegetable which is full of vitamins.
Although it's hard to beat the nostalgic crunch of a head of lettuce, most of us have come to expect much more from our salads than crunch. Today, a top notch salad contains many different colours, shapes, sizes, textures and flavours. As well as lettuces, it may also include the leaves of Arugula, Radicchio, Spinach, Cress, Mustards and Herbs.
Learn to grow your own peas.