Top 4 superfoods to grow
“Superfoods” are super healthy and nutrient rich, so there’s plenty of reasons to grow them at home.
Kale is top of the superfoods list, because its nutrient dense and rich in Vitamins:
- A
- B6
- C
- K
- and among other things.
You’ll love ‘Tuscan Kale’, which has crinkly slate grey-green foliage and a delicious sweet cabbage-like flavour.
Try stir-frying it with onion, garlic and bacon or chop up the leaves, brush them with olive oil and bake them into chips. ‘Red Russian’ is another favourite, with decorative oak-leaf shaped leaves that turn red-purple when the days get cooler.
Kale ‘Winter Wonder’ is as pretty in the patch as it is on the plate, with brightly coloured purple, green, white and pink foliage.
Broccoli is another superfood that’s easy to grow at home and rich in vitamins, minerals and anioxidants.
Look out for sprouting types like Broccoli ‘Bambino’, which produces lots of delicious side shoots that can be picked for months or purple sprouting broccoli, with an abundance of small purple heads that are chock full of antioxidants.
Sweet Potatoes prefer a warmer climate, but you can grow them as far south as Melbourne, if you can protect them from frost.
Try growing Sweet Potato ‘Beauregard’ which has nutrient rich orange tubers with reddish brown skin or Sweet Potato ‘Purple, which is high in antioxidants and makes delicious fried chips.
Blueberries are another of nature’s super foods; sweet, plump and jam-packed with antioxidants. Look out for Blueberries 'Burst', a high-yielding Australian bred variety, with extra big, firm, sweet blueberries.
It’s highly productive and beautiful, with lush evergreen foliage, coloured new growth, attractive flowers and antioxidant-rich berries.
Grow it as a loose edible hedge or make a feature of it in pots and containers.
Tip: Try growing purple fruits and vegetables. Not only do they look good but they are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants. You’ll find shades of purple in everything from Carrots to Pak Choi, Cauliflower, Potatoes and Garlic – just to name a few.
