Leaf Beet Flamingo

Like the namesake, Flamingo features stunning neon, hot pink legs, sorry stalks, to add a splash of colour to your garden and plate. Flamingo can be eaten from baby size right up to tall and mature so the uses range from spring and summer salads to steamed veg later in the year. Tasty and good for you! 

SOW: with protection February to March, then sow March through to August

SOW & GROW: for salad use sow from spring to late summer every few weeks outdoors for salad leaves, cut and leave stumps to resprout.  For salad leaves during the winter and spring you will need to sow in the early autumn and early spring under cover.

for individual plants sow March to and August, starting in pots and transplant at 30-35cm apart.  Sow in succession every few weeks for a steady supply.

The secret of successional sowing

Plant some seed every few weeks to give you a steady supply otherwise all the plants are ready at the same time, and you really can have too much of a good thing! Spreading your crop out means that you are more likely to keep up with your harvest, you can mix things up (so you are not eating the same food for days at a time) and try out new flavour combinations. This is particularly true of leaf beet – harvest stems and leaves at a young age for sumptuous salads. Mature plants give you two crops – the leaves can be cooked and used as you would spinach whilst the stems can be cooked like asparagus until just tender. Stems can also be sautéed

Recipe Idea: sautéed leaf beet

• chop as you would celery
• fry off the stems with a bit of garlic and some onion – they cook at the same rate and the flavours balance
• finish with a dash of balsamic vinegar
• you could also add some dried fruit or some crumbled feta or goats cheese
• serve as a side dish