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Growing Instructions

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  • The Leek

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Leek - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions The leek is a member of the onion family with a flavor that is much more refined, subtle and sweet than the standard onion. Wild leeks called ramps more closely resemble scallions and have a much harsher flavor than their cultivated cousins. Leeks are thought to be native to the Mediterranean area and Asia and have been cultivated for more than 3000 years. In the Book of Numbers in the Bible, after the children of Israel left Egypt, leeks were one of the foods mentioned as being greatly missed. Leeks figured prominently in the Egyptian diet and they were a favorite with the Romans. Leeks were known to have a soothing effect on the throat. Emperor Nero

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  • The Kohlrabi

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Kohlrabi - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Kohlrabi is yet another member of the ubiquitous brassica family which includes cabbage, kale, collards, turnips, rutabagas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts are probably the only commonly known vegetables of northern European origin. Kohlrabi apparently developed from the marrow cabbage a wild form of cabbage which frequently grows on the English channel coast, in European coastal regions and on the Spanish penninsula. The marrow cabbage is a non-heading plant with a thick succulent stem. The first written record of kohlrabi was in 1554 by the botanist Matthiolus who wrote of the plant that it had “come lately into Italy”. By the end of the 16 th century, kohlrabi was being grown in Germany, England,

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  • The Horseradish

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Horseradish - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Horseradish is a member of the mustard family and as such is related to kale, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and radishes. It is grown for its thick, fleshy white roots which are ground into a paste and used as a condiment. The zesty bite and distinctive aroma of the horseradish are not present until the root is ground up. The process of grinding crushes the root cells which release volatile oils known as isothiocyanates. Vinegar is known to stop this reaction so for milder horseradish flavor, vinegar is added immediately. The Egyptians knew and used horseradish as early as 1500 BC. At the time of the Jewish Exodus, horseradish was designated as one of the “five bitter herbs” that

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  • The Gourd

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Gourd - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Gourds are believed to be one of the earliest cultivated species. Because the only known populations of wild gourds exist in certain areas of Africa, archaeologists have theorized that prehistoric humans who lived near the rivers on the West Coast of Africa first used the small gourds that grow wild in these environments as early as 10,000 years ago. Somehow gourds made it to South America perhaps as long ago as 9000 BC. By 7000 BC, gourds were being cultivated in Peru and Mexico. Unlike all the other plants in the vegetable family, gourds were never valued for culinary purposes. Instead gourds were valued for their utilitarian purposes as tools, containers, floats, utensils and, in some cases,

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  • The Garlic

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Garlic - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions GARLIC, which is a member of the same group of plants as the ONION, has been cultivated for millennia. As a cultivated plant, it is so old that it is difficult to credit a country of origin for this vegetable. Some historians believe that the onion was indigenous to the southwest of Siberia and spread to southern Europe where it became naturalized. It is widely grown in all the Mediterranean countries. All modern garlic belongs to one of two subspecies: hardneck (ophioscorodon) or softneck (sativum). Hardneck subspecies try to produce flower stalks with small aerial cloves called bulbils. Hardnecks will not produce large bulbs underground unless the flower stalks are removed. There are three varieties of hardneck garlic:

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  • The Eggplant

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Eggplant - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Eggplants originated in China and India and have been cultivated there for thousands of years. The Spanish Moors introduced the eggplant into southern and Eastern Europe where it became very popular. The early explorers of the New World introduced eggplant into the Americas in the 1500s, but the plant never caught on. For many years, Americans were suspicious of the plant because it belonged to the Nightshade family, of Deadly Nightshade fame. Eggplants, tomatoes and potatoes all belong to this family and many Americans thought the vegetables were poisonous. In the 1848 two varieties are listed Large Purple and Early Purple. They were described as egg plant or melongena as he called the plant in the following way,

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  • The Cucumber

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Cucumber - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions It is generally agreed that cucumbers originated in India and have been under cultivation for at least 3000 years. From India, the pant was introduced into China and then into the West. Both the Greeks and the Romans knew and grew the cucumber. With the possible exception of some gherkins grown in the West Indies, they were not indigenous to the New World, but they quickly became popular after the European explorers introduced them. Benjamin Watson in his book Heirloom Vegetables states, “In 1535 Jacques Cartier mentioned seeing large cucumbers being grown in what is now Montreal, and in 1539 DeSoto found Indians in Florida growing cucumbers that were ‘better than those of Spain’.” In a 1848 Catalogue,

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  • The Corn

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Corn - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions One of the greatest gifts that the New World presented to the Europeans was corn or maize as it was then called by some. One of the first sights for Christopher Columbus’ crew as they reached Hispaniola was of fields of maize growing on the island. The cultivation of corn in the New World is one of the most ancient of traditions. Corn was grown from Brazil and Chile to as far north as southern Canada. It was a key ingredient in the diets of the Aztecs, the Mayans and the Incans. , and even before these civilizations appeared, corn was cultivated by prehistoric peoples of the Americas. Corn is believed to have originated from a wild grass

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  • The Collard and the Kale

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Collard and the Kale - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Kale and Collards are probably the earliest cultivated variations of the European wild cabbage. Kale is known to have been widely grown by both the Greeks and the Romans. From a scientific classification point of view, kale and collards are considered to be the same plant – just two different varieties. Sometimes collards are described as a kind of kale. However, diehard Southerners will tell you that collards are collards and kale is kale and they are very different. Kale, also known as Borecole, and collards are non-heading, leafy greens that are among the most cold-hardy vegetables grown. Kale is definitely a cool season crop whose sweet flavor is substantially enhanced when the plant is

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  • Sweet William Single and Double

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    Sweet William Single and Double - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Sweet Williams, members of the Dianthus family, specifically Dianthus Barbatus, have been cultivated for at least 1000 years. It was the Athenians that named the flower Dianthos, from the Greek words dios (devine) and anthos (flower), but the common name, Sweet William, has a much more confusing past. Most plant historians believe that the plant is named after William the Conqueror, the conqueror of Normandy, because the plants were said to grow, "aplenty in the hills of Normandy". Some, however, feel that the plant was named in honor of William of Aquitaine - the Saint, and still other believe that the name was a tribute to William Shakespeare who seemed to have a high

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