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Growing vegetable and herbs
in a virtual rainbow of colors is one of my main gardening passions.
After all, why grow just green peppers when it's easy to have
varieties that color up yellow, crimson, orange, chocolate, cream or
even violet. Delicious cherry and slicing tomatoes come in a medley
of sunny yellow, rosy red, deep pink and orange, welcome in any
garden, as are juicy sweet heirloom varieties stippled in green-gold
or fabulous striped or bicolored beefsteaks. This is the season to
plan on going technicolor in your garden! Jewel-toned
eggplants
Eggplants are another must for enjoying jewel-toned colors in the
garden. The long and slender Asian varieties come in a range of
shades, including deep purple, bright magenta, cream, green, and
white striped with rose or violet. These 1 ½- to 2-foot tall plants
with their large velvety flowers followed by shiny opalescent fruits
are wonderfully ornamental in the garden. Slice up the slim
cylindrical fruits in ½-inch rounds for quick sautés or stirfries
or in long halves for quick and easy grilling. If you like to grow
them, Renee's Garden features an
Asian Trio Eggplant
seed mix. Green
beans, and more!
I find that all these pretty colors add extra enjoyment in the
kitchen. While I love green beans and grow them each season, my
mix of green, gold and purple podded snap bean varieties
seems ever so much more fun to cook with. It's even a treat to pick
them because the colored pods stand out boldly against the green
foliage making it easier to pick every pod at just the right size. A
big basket of
Tricolor juicy beans is an especially appetizing
way to get me thinking about the day's answer to the perennial
question, "What's for dinner tonight?"
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Renee's
rainbow shopping list:
Basil, "Scented
Trio"
Bush Beans, "Tricolor"
Pole Beans, "Tricolor"
Beets, "Jewel-Tone Blend"
Carrots, "Sunshine Mix"
Chard, "'Bright Lights"
Eggplants, "Asian Trio"
Lettuce, "Summer Bouquet"
Melons, "Three Flavor Mix"
Zucchini, "Tricolor Mix"
Radishes, "Easter Egg"
Peppers, "Jewel-Tone Bells"
Squash, "Winter Cornucopia"
Tomatoes, "Rainbow’s End"
Tomatoes, "Garden Candy Cherry"
Watermelons, "Rainbow Sherbet"
To purchase these and other Renee's Garden Seeds, click here
 Try
these great recipes from
Renee's cookbooks:
California
Stuffed Chard
Tomato-Lemon
Chutney
Ginger Kale
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 Basil
medley
Consider adding color to your culinary herb garden. Renee's Garden
Scented Trio has a mix of basil seeds in one packet that includes very aromatic
purple stemmed sweet cinnamon basil, green citrus flavored "sweet Dani" lemon
basil, and gorgeous dark opal leafed Red Rubin basil. Or you can choose your
basil varieties and mix up your own colorful combination of cultivars. I like
to harvest a medley of different types of basil leaves and make a big edible
bouquet of them to offer as a centerpiece edible garnish with grilled kebobs
or chops.
 A
beet of a different color
Did you know that even root vegetables like beets come in different
colors? Try Renee's Jewel Toned Beets this spring or make your own
combination of beet varieties. Then you can harvest golden, crimson
and candy striped beets. Try them baked in the oven with their skins
on until tender, then peel and serve with a little sweet butter and
your favorite chopped fresh herbs.
 Greens
that aren't green
Greens like chard and kale also come in colors just made for the
rainbow garden. "Bright Lights"
chard has crunchy thick stems in a
collage of red, rose, cream, green, yellow and even orange. This
versatile leafy vegetable is delicious simply steamed or braised
like spinach, or use the big leaves as wrappers for your favorite stuffings. Kale comes in
deep grey-green or red
or green with red veins. It's the healthiest of vegetables and fresh
garden kale is sweet and succulent to eat. Colder fall weather
brings out all the deepest coloration and makes nutritious kale
a highlight of cold weather gardens.
 Color
your salads!
No many-colored garden would be complete without a big salad
component. Last year I planted out red, dark green and
lime green lettuce seedlings of different varieties in several
geometric patterns in my vegetable beds. As they grew and filled in,
the effect was enhanced by their different textures and leaf shapes.
I harvested every other young lettuce for a while, so they kept
growing and filling in…it felt like a formal French garden! This
season, I intend to spell out my niece's name in red lettuces
against a backdrop of green frilly types! It's lots of fun to
experiment with color and form like this in your salad garden and
there are so many kinds of lettuces to play with.
 Plant
a rainbow this spring
These are just a few of the ways to enjoy a rainbow garden. There
are also many colors of melons, a cornucopia of multicolored summer
and winter squash, and beautiful radishes
in five different colors and shapes. This year I'm going to trial
purple, white, and red and orange carrots! Growing
all these colorful and diverse cultivars gives you the opportunity
to enjoy both traditional heirloom varieties as well as best and
newest hybrid introductions. Rainbow gardening is a constantly
evolving process and these colorful varieties offer every gardener a
full palette of exciting, rewarding and truly delicious options.
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