15 Forgotten Vegetables Medieval Farmers Grew That NEED to Come Back

YouTube ^ | March 25, 2025 | Medieval Times Discovered

[SunkenCiv]

Did you know medieval farmers cultivated a variety of unique and nutritious vegetables that have almost disappeared from modern diets? From skirret to good King Henry, these forgotten crops were once essential for survival and they deserve a comeback!

In this video, we explore 15 incredible medieval vegetables, their health benefits, and why they should return to our gardens and plates today. Whether you're a history buff, gardener, or food lover, you won’t want to miss these lost gems of the past! 

15 Forgotten Vegetables Medieval Farmers Grew That NEED to Come Back | 22:55 
Medieval Times Discovered | 22.3K subscribers | 276,780 views | March 25, 2025

[metmom]

They also store pretty well.

The second year they go to seed and I’ve had volunteer turnips in my garden ever since.

I found one (don’t know how the seed got there) growing in our driveway. It’s mostly dirt and gravel.

It didn’t get a lot of sun, and grew to about the size of a ping pong ball. I was still very impressed that it grew are all.

[metmom]

They also grow to an useful size in a short time so you can succession plant and harvest them well into the fall.

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

Thanks for the link!

Here's an American group of 15 forgotten vegetables my sister sent me last week.

While I've got the floor, does anyone grow Chickweed? I've got a very shady area (up against a wheel chair ramp) I'm thinking of trying some there. No direct sun? Bug issues?

[goodnesswins]

Someone want Chickweed??? Our property could be considered a chickweed farm...trying to figure out how to live with it, as I hate it!

[telescope115]

Eggplant? Why? It’s a great food “canvas” for a lot of creations. Just check out YouTube…

[GingisK]

It is easier than I thought. First I typed in something like, “Reformat the following text into proper paragraphs. Remove the time stamps. Separate paragraphs with < p >.” It prompted for the text, so I pasted into the box. In about three seconds it displayed the reformatted text.

[Chode]

they musta been right popular at one time, to have so many people falling off the back of a turnip truck... 8^)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Get a cow. They love chickweed, so do bees.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

If you are going to eat sunchokes start with small amounts. They will give you the wind something terrible until your body learns how to handle it.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

C: They do sell them in the stores I go to. And, gardeners have and continue to grow both of these. I grow them but I have limited cool seasons so the Turnips do better. Turnips said different things to a cook's imagination in the time before refrigeration when people still had root cellars.

Varieties below. The White one is mild and very good in salads or in Japanese Soup. (Throw it and some green onions chopped and raw in your Ramen noodles.) You can slice the Rutabaga thin and in strips and use it like noodles in soup. Both of them can be mashed with potatoes for Thanksgiving or Chrismas or anytime dinners.

Rare Seeds

Tokinashi Turnips, about 50 days to maturity.

Navone Rutabaga about 95 days to maturity.

There are a lot of other seed companies that offer other varieties.

FreeRepublic Gardening Thread

Questions about growing or cooking them? Check out the Gardening thread.

[gnarledmaw]

Get chickens. A little 5 hen tractor in town. The chickweed goes into the chickens and comes out as eggs.

[gnarledmaw]

Get chickens. A little 5 hen tractor in town. The chickweed goes into the chickens and comes out as eggs.

[Chode]

never saw white ones, cool...

[dadgum]

PING vegetables

[goodnesswins]

I would love to...but have no one to care for them if we leave for a couple nights

[ChildOfThe60s]

do they even sell turnips and parsnips and rutabagas anymore???

We regulary consume all three. My wife is diabetic so we roast a lot of veggies. Shop at Kroger, BTW.

Another good one that is harder to find is kohlrabi.

[Chode]

*

[ChildOfThe60s]

I use garden space for tomatoes, God’s most USEFUL Vegetable

It's a fruit :-)

[deport]

Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods and
The fields Looks somethin’ like a turnip green

And down in Louisiana
Where the alligators grow so mean
There lived a girl that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame

Polk salad Annie, polk salad Annie
Everybody said it was a shame
‘Cause her momma was a-workin’ on the chain gang

Every day ‘for suppertime
She’d go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess of polk salad
Carry it home in a tote sack

Polk salad Annie
The gators got your granny, chomp, chomp, chomp
Everybody says it was a shame
‘Cause her momma was a workin’ on the chain gang
(A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin’ woman, heh-heh)
(Lord, have mercy, pick a mess of it)

Her daddy was lazy and no ‘count
Claimed he had a bad back
All her brothers were fit for was stealin’ watermelons
Out of my truck patch

Polk salad Annie
The gators got your granny, woah ooh-hoo
Everybody said it was a shame
‘Cause her momma was a-workin’ on the chain gang

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m a Yankee, born and bred. The closest I get to classic ‘greens’ is a Wilted Spinach Salad - with BACON. :)