Paint the whole world with a rainbow

This was yesterday's colourful haul at the plot: two marner early red cabbages, two leeks and the wondrously brash stems and leaves of rainbow chard. The cabbages are the most amazing colour: more purple than red. I like to steam the chopped leaves until just tender then mix with butter, grated nutmeg and crushed juniper berries to eat as an accompaniment to meat or other vegetables: winter veg doesn't get much better than that.

Today a parcel arrived with part of my Organic Gardening Catalogue order  for next year - pink fir apple potatoes and red shallots nestling in a box of recycled shredded paper. This morning was the frostiest and coldest so far this winter, so the sight of something I associate with warm summer days was welcome.