21 JUNE 2003, Page 95

Q. What vegetables are currently fashionable?

K.F-G., Wilcot, Wiltshire

A. The flowerbuds of salsify and scorzonera, picked just before opening, are tender and delicious when steamed like asparagus and served with butter. Gardeners should therefore leave a few plants of this root vegetable in the soil to flower the following spring.