Zero waste crops

Some crops can be eaten in their entirety – even though we might usually discard parts of them. Many root veg, for example, have tasty tops that are often thrown away or chucked to the recycling bin. And leafy herbs often have tasty roots or seeds that can be enjoyed, too.

These multi-use crops are particularly useful in small spaces, when each crop needs to give you big returns.

Here are nine crops that you can use every part of, meaning less waste in your kitchen and tasty, nutritious meals, too.

Garlic

The pungent cloves of garlic need no introduction, but the 'scapes' – flower heads thrown up by hardneck varieties before they are fully mature – are also edible. Snip them off when they appear to enable the garlic bulb to increase in size and use in salads, pasta dishes, risottos, pesto and garlic butter – they have a milder garlic flavour.

Carrots

Carrots are of course delicious steamed or roasted, grated raw into salads, slaw and cakes. The feathery dark green tops have a mild carrot flavour – add them to a leafy salad or use them to make a pesto, which can be drizzled over roasted carrots or stirred through pasta.

Beetroot

Beetroot is easy to grow from seed – harvest them when they are golf ball size. The veined, leafy tops taste very similar to Swiss chard, and can be used in the same way. Use them in a stir-fry, steam them so that they wilt, or chop them and use raw in salads.

Hamburg parsley

Hamburg parsley is widely grown as a winter vegetable in many parts of Europe. Not only can its fresh-tasting leaves be harvested in the depths of winter and used just as you would parsley, but its long tap root, which looks rather like a parsnip, is edible, too. With a taste that is a mix of parsley, carrot and celeriac, it can be used in soups or stews and can be steamed, mashed or pureed.

Radish

Radishes are easy and quick to grow and add a colourful, peppery kick to salads. The leaves have a peppery taste, too, not dissimilar to rocket, and can be used in the same way – in salads and pesto, plus stir-fries, tarts and quiches and even soups. If you leave a radish to bolt, it will produce flowers and seed pods that are also edible. Rat's tail radishes are grown specifically for their pods.

Coriander

The fragrant leaves of coriander are widely used in curries and stews, while the toasted and ground seeds are a favourite in Indian curries. The roots are edible, too. They have a mild coriander taste and can be used in Thai curry pastes, marinades and dipping sauces. If you don't get around to using them straightaway, they can be frozen.

Turnip

Turnips are best harvested when golf-ball size, when the roots have a sweet, nutty flavour. But don't forget the leafy tops, which can provide a welcome crop in the winter months. Harvest when around 10cm tall – covering the crop with a cloche will keep them tender – and cook as you would spinach.

Celery

Celery is grown for its roots but be sure to make use of the stalks and leaves as well. They have a stronger flavour than the roots and are a useful addition to soups and stocks.

Horseradish

Horseradish is grown mainly for its long tap root, used to make the popular horseradish sauce, the leaves are also edible. They have a peppery taste, similar to rocket. The younger leaves are milder and can be used in salads, salad dressings and pesto. The older leaves can be steamed, sauteed or stir fried or added to soups.