Purple!
Yes, purple.
You need more of it in your garden.
We’ve all got plenty of green going on, but what you really need is more purple. You may not realize it, but there’s more than meets the eye to vegetables with this uncommon hue.
A naturally occurring compound called anthocyanin is responsible for the purple pigmentation of many plants. (Red and blue, too!)
Great, Tracey! So what?
Well, anthocyanins do more than make for beautiful veggies. (And you have to admit, they’re quite lovely.) Anthocyanins are a type of flavonoid, and flavonoids are antioxidants.
But the good news only starts there.
Whether via clinical trials, in vivo or in vitro, the research results show this purple packs a punch. It turns out these purple-pigment-making compounds come with a slew of health benefits.
Improved vision
Lower blood pressure
Diabetes prevention
Inhibited tumor growth
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-bacterial
The research suggests these results may be synergistic – anthocyanin working with other compounds within the plant. You can read all about it by clicking here. More research will provide better answers, but it’s still one more reason to eat your veggies.
Especially the purple ones.
I’ve gathered up fifteen crunchy purple vegetables to plant in your garden. You’ll see a few familiar favorites here, as well as plenty of veggies you may not have realized have a purple variety. Plant a few, heck, plant them all!
1. King Tut Purple Pea
This heirloom pea has stunning purple pods. Eat them when they’re young and tender for an excellent snow pea. Or harvest them when they’ve reached maturity for a great shelling pea.
According to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, there seems to be some confusion about how this purple pea came by its name. Some say ancient seeds were found in the boy king’s tomb in Egypt and were successfully propagated. Others say the pea is named in honor of English nobility, Lord Caernarvon, because the pea came from his country estate. The name was a nod to Caernarvon’s financing of the search for King Tut’s tomb.
2. Blue Berry Tomato
If you’ve ever grown the Atomic Cherry Tomato, then you’re familiar with the fun varieties Brad Gate’s of Wild Boar Farm is coming up with.
Give his latest creation, the blue berry tomato, a try. It’s a sweet cherry tomato that’s a prolific producer all season long. Use these gorgeous tomatoes to make a batch of fresh salsa that will match your blue corn tortilla chips.
Don’t forget to throw in a few of the tomatillos further down this list.
