+- Garden And Gossip Forums (https://gardenandgossip.org)
+-- Forum: From seed to plant (edibles) (https://gardenandgossip.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=11)
+--- Forum: Everything Veggie (https://gardenandgossip.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=46)
+--- Thread: Forcing/blanching for an early crop (/showthread.php?tid=863)
Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Veggie - 05-02-2021
Most of us know about forcing early rhubarb by covering the plant to exclude light, forcing the stalks to grow long and pale in their search for light.
Chicory is another one - old leaves cur down and plant kept in the dark to grow its pale, sweet chicons.
I've never tried this technique but there must be other plants that can be forced in this way for an early crop?
I'm experimenting with lovage, covered with a bucket, to see if it will grow longer stalks with a milder taste than the fresh ones - more like celery.
Which reminds me
we wrap celery and cardoons to exclude light and stay pale and interesting, and earth up leeks and salad onions for longer white stems. I've also read about dandelions being grown in the dark for salad leaves. .........and, of course, mung bean sprouts are grown in the dark to stay white.
Any other plants?
Have you tried it? Success or failure?
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Vinny - 05-02-2021
I tried Sea kale which was fine until I took the bucket off then the blasted pigeons annihilated what was left.
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - JJB - 05-02-2021
Only rhubarb in an old dustbin but the lid kept blowing off. As I'm not too fond of rhubarb and it's only P who eats it, I wasn't too bothered
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Small chilli - 05-02-2021
Never forced anything. I don’t really get it. I prefer to let nature provide as and when she’s ready.
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Can the Man - 05-02-2021
(05-02-2021, 07:34 PM)Small chilli Wrote: Never forced anything. I don’t really get it. I prefer to let nature provide as and when she’s ready.I agree with SC
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Proserpina - 05-02-2021
I tried covering some dandelions to blanch them, but it was when I was living in Grimsby and it was so windy all the time that I just couldn't keep them covered. Every time I went outside, the cover would be halfway down the garden!
I think I could fancy forcing rhubarb if I had a big enough garden to have multiple rhubarb plants and allow some to be forced, some to rest and some to be used for regular harvesting every year. Hmm, maybe of multiple different varieties... I do like rhubarb! I don't think I've ever eaten forced rhubarb before though, which is probably a bit shameful as a Yorkshirewoman.
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Vinny - 06-02-2021
(05-02-2021, 07:34 PM)Small chilli Wrote: Never forced anything. I don’t really get it. I prefer to let nature provide as and when she’s ready.I tried eating Seakale and Cardoon without blanching it.
Not recommended.
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Bren - 06-02-2021
(05-02-2021, 07:34 PM)Small chilli Wrote: Never forced anything. I don’t really get it. I prefer to let nature provide as and when she’s ready.
I'm with you on that SC
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Veggie - 06-02-2021
I've never "forced" anything either, especially as its supposed to stress the plant (Rhubarb) so that it needs to be rested the following year.
However, if my lovage experiment works, I'll have something edible that I wouldn't have otherwise. I'd probably be digging it up anyway as lovage spreads freely here.
RE: Forcing/blanching for an early crop - Vinny - 06-02-2021
(06-02-2021, 07:20 PM)Veggie Wrote: I've never "forced" anything either, especially as its supposed to stress the plant (Rhubarb) so that it needs to be rested the following year.I think I once tried eating Lovage which has too strong a taste? A bit like eating a cucumber that has been pollinated, very unpalatable.
However, if my lovage experiment works, I'll have something edible that I wouldn't have otherwise. I'd probably be digging it up anyway as lovage spreads freely here.