Stunning Leaf Beet Peppermint joins our range this year. With extraordinary pink and white stripes running the length of each stem, topped by deep green, crinkled leaves, it’s certainly going to get noticed! Highly decorative amongst other veggies in your plot, or in borders and patio containers, this is one of those plants that looks almost too good to eat. Fortunately, it's versatile and tasty too, so give this one a go!
Sow: from March to August, starting in small pots or modules with seeds 20mm deep. Germination usually takes around 7–14 days. For salad leaves sow a few seeds every 2–3 weeks and they'll be ready to start picking in about 7 weeks.
Grow: for individual larger plants, transplant when large enough and allow 25–35cm between them. Or grow several together as a clump in a container. Water during hot, dry weather and the plants will keep producing until harder autumn frosts arrive.
Eat & Enjoy: pick young leaves for salads, where they bring a mild, slightly sweet flavour. As the plants grow larger, there's plenty more to enjoy. Those colourful stems can be steamed or boiled, retaining their lovely colour, then served with butter or a sauce. The leaves and stems are also delicious stir-fried, sautéed, braised or added to soups and curries.
To oven roast: toss chopped stems with olive oil and roast in a hot oven until beginning to soften. Add the leaves towards the end of cooking and roast until crisp around the edges. Finish with a little crumbled cheese
There are all sorts of flavours that work well with leaf beet: bacon, garlic, lemon, butter, cheese, apple cider vinegar, white wine, stock and chilli. Or try adding chopped leaves and tender stems to a simmering tomato sauce for the last few minutes of cooking.
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