In praise of purple on the plot

I like purple a lot and there's a surprising amount on the allotment at the moment - so I thought I'd share some of it.

1. Chocolate Mint - I haven't found a satisfactory use for it in the kitchen but it smells exactly as it should - mint combined with chocolate. It's the lovely dark purple stem that makes it a hit with me.
2. Bright Lights Radishes - You know the chard of the same name? Well these are the radishes (two purple ones - they also come in yellow, white and red). I'm just waiting for Bright Lights pumpkins now.
3. Empress of India Nasturtium - the flowers are a scarlet Mae West might paint on her lips, the leaves however (above) a dark green with an equally deep purple trim.
4. Boltardy Beetroot - just thinnings to give a bit of colour to a bog standard Kermit green salad.
5. Mexican Tree Spinach - check this Otter Farm blog post for some super pictures of the monster plant. It just keeps reseeding itself on my plot, year after year. The middle leaves are such a bold fuchsia they look like they've been spray painted.
6. Bonnie Dundee - first early potato. If you scrub off the dull outer skin you discover a burgundy-purple that shines.