For more than 20 years now, Baker Creek founder Jere Gettle has been on a quest to find and
offer the world’s tastiest -- and most nutritious -- heirloom varieties.
Jere made a list of his top 12 favorites … we’re calling it “Jere’s Delicious Dozen.”
Number 12: Chinese Pink celery is a rare and treasured
vegetable from northern China.
The bubblegum-pink stalks add beauty to the garden and the dinner table.
And it’s much easier to grow than traditional European celery.
We think it’s the most amazing celery of all time!
Number 11: Chinese Red Meat radish Long ago, in the harsh winter climate of northern
China, real fruit was hard to come by.
So families substituted these sweet, red-fleshed beauties instead.
When grown in cool weather, Chinese Red Meat is the sweetest of all radishes.
In the U.S. it’s also known as watermelon radish.
Number 10: Red of Florence is our favorite red onion!
This torpedo-shaped allium from the capital of Tuscany has a delectable and perfectly
balanced flavor.
It grows exceptionally well in both the greenhouses and the gardens at our Missouri farm.
Its oblong shape makes for easy cutting and more uniform slices, too.
Number 9: Celtuce!
This famous stem lettuce of China is a standard in our Baker Creek kitchen and one of the
most delicious vegetables we know.
Burpee’s introduced it in the U.S. in the early 1940s, but it never really caught on,
and it’s still really new to most Americans.
It is fabulous in salads, soups and stir fries!
Number 8: Okinawa Purple Sweet Potato.
A staple of the classic, vegetarian-based Okinawan longevity diet, these gorgeous lavender-purple
tubers are among Jere's favorite vegetables of all time.
Number 7 Chinese Red Noodle Bean Jere loves the tender, 18-inch long crimson
and violet beans that are a staple in our summer kitchens.
This old favorite from China is attracting a devoted following in the Americas.
Number 6 Purple Lady Bok Choy is a classic, easy-to-grow
vegetable with a beautiful -- and antioxidant-rich -- purple color!
It is one of the best-tasting leafy vegetables you can grow.
Number 5 What’s not to love about tatsoi?
It’s a nutrition powerhouse, with double the calcium of cow’s milk and twice the
Vitamin C of oranges!
This 1,500 year old Chinese variety is also one of the most winter hardy of Asian greens!
Children and grownups alike prefer tatsoi over most other greens for its amazing flavor
and texture.
Number 4: Dragon Tongue Bean The big, tender pods of Dragon Tongue bean
are adorned with lovely plum-colored splashes and stripes over a golden-colored skin.
A masterpiece of plant breeding in the Netherlands, they are the finest tasting of all beans.
Number 3 Yod Fah Chinese Broccoli (We used to call Chinese Kale for photo searches)
Jere adores this most flavorsome of green vegetables, which tastes like a blend of asparagus,
broccoli, and kale, combining the best aspects of all three.
This classic Chinese veggie is a favorite in kids’ gardens.
It is much more tender and sweet than traditional broccoli heads -- plus it’s easier to grow!
2 Kyoto Red Carrot Nothing beats the taste of this ancient heirloom
treasure from Kyoto, Japan, Jere loves the supersweet, blood-red roots that include floral
notes and a hint of fruit.
They grow best over winter, and in fact these super-long tapered carrots are the ultimate
wintertime treat in Japan, fetching 300 yen, or about $3 each, in Kyoto.
They’re traditionally carved into the shape of a plum blossom on New Year’s, to represent
fertility in the coming year.
And Jere’s Number One favorite vegetable?
Chinese Python Snake Bean.
He loves this Chinese gourd relative for its superior tasting, green bean-like pods and
easy-to-grow beautiful vines that are the pride of the garden!
Because of their unique shape, they’re hard to ship and not available in grocery stores.
Chinese Python snake bean may be the best kept secret in the vegetable world!
And that’s Jere’s Delicious Dozen.
How many have you tried?