11 New Edible Plant Varieties to Help You Feed Your Customers
September 1, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has made edibles a much sought-after category among consumers who have spent spent hours at home and are looking to not just garden more, but consume what they are growing.
This year, a number of plant breeders offer new selections in edibles, including some recognized as All-America Selections winners. Learn more below, and check out the slideshow above for a closer look.
Eggplant ‘Icicle’ (Known-You Seed America)
This cylindrical white eggplant earned the All-America Selections National Winner award for several reasons. The Icicle plant has fewer spines than most eggplants, making for a less painful harvest. With larger fruits than other white eggplants, it produces a nice yield while also providing fewer seeds. The large, durable, and vigorous plants hold up to insect damage and the environment. The pure white skin does not tend to yellow like many other white varieties of eggplant.
Lettuce ‘Bauer’ (Vitalis Organic Seeds)
The All-America Selections National Winner Oakleaf lettuce is a delicious and versatile edible that is super easy (and fast) to grow in the garden. Harvest at the baby leaf stage or grow into the rosette-shaped full-sized head. Bauer will please with its darker-green color and nicely uniform compact size that can be grown almost anywhere: in-ground, containers, or window boxes. The dense heads produce a plethora of sweet, crisp sturdy leaves.
Pepper ‘Buffy’ (Known-You Seed America)
Buffy produces a good yield of juicy, thick-walled green to red fruits on strong, healthy upright plants. Its fruits are more attractive than the comparisons as well as slightly larger, making them perfect for flavorful sport peppers but also for use in other applications. The peppers are held high on the plant adding ornamental value to the garden. Buffy was faster to mature than Tabasco in the All-America Selections trials with a bit less heat than Ascent, until the seeds are added in.
Herb Melissa officinalis Limoncello (Hem Genetics)
Finely scalloped edge defines the light-green leaves of Melissa Limoncello, a new trailing hardy perennial to USDA zone 4, with strongly lemon-scented foliage. Perfectly suited for garden fragrance, flavoring in teas and potpourris.
Container Tomato ‘Funnyplums Rosy Pink’ (Hem Genetics)
Tomato ‘Funnyplums Rosy Pink’ is a determinant, dwarf, and compact patio tomato series with delicious, sweet plum-shaped fruits, that develop above the leaves and spread like a blanket over the foliage. Plant height is up to eight to 10 inches tall, ideal for 6-inch or gallon pots, and in mixed patio containers.
Pepper ‘Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry’ (HandPicked Vegetables Collection from PanAmerican Seed)
Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry’s variegated foliage stands out among all other vegetables at a young plant size. As the plant matures, green fruit with a unique white stripe changes to chocolate and cherry red. Sweet flavor and crisp texture make it perfect for fresh eating at any stage of ripeness.
Tomato ‘Marzito’ (HandPicked Vegetables Collection from PanAmerican Seed)
Marzito is versatile for all occasions. The elongated shape is reminiscent of a small Roma with firm texture and sweet, rich flavor. The indeterminate plant is resistant to leaf mold, fusarium, nematodes, and tobacco mosaic virus.
Tomato Red Velvet (Kitchen Minis/PanAmerican Seed)
New ‘Red Velvet’ can be grown in very-small pot sizes. No garden? No problem. Enjoy this plant on a sunny windowsill, kitchen countertop or outdoors on a patio table. The fruit is a beautiful red color with a sweet flavor. Buy. Eat. Repeat.
Tomato Cocoa (Kitchen Minis/PanAmerican Seed)
The new Cocoa Kitchen Minis tomato will brighten up your windowsill or patio table, and it has a tidy plant habit for the ultimate in small-space gardening. Fruit is uniquely burgundy-colored that is deliciously sweet for your recipes. Buy. Eat. Repeat.
Cucumber ‘Mexican Sour Gherkin’ (Burpee Home Gardens Plants)
The fruits of this cucumber look like miniature watermelons, but they taste like cucumbers with tangy citrus overtones. Perfect for snack-eating or topping salads. Plants are a vigorous vine, and its flowers attract hummingbirds.
Hot Pepper ‘Desperado’ (Burpee Home Gardens Plants)
This large, early maturing Anaheim-type pepper produces mild, flavorful fruit with thick walls that are well-suited for grilling. Use fresh, or preserve and dry in oil or vinegar. Available through the Burpee plant brand via Ball Seed.
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