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The Okra - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Okra is a beautiful ornamental plant which produces flowers which resemble hollyhock or hibiscus blossoms as well as a delicious and nutritious vegetable. Okra most likely originated in northeast Africa where okra plants can be found growing wild along the banks of the White Nile River and where it has been part of the cuisine for thousands of years. The name, “okra”, comes from the West African Ashanti word, “nkruma”, and its Cajun name, “gumbo”, comes from the Bantu word, “ngombo”. Okra was brought to the United States in the 1660s by slaves. Okra grows best in warm, humid weather and requires full sun. In more temperate climates, to grow okra, the seed must be started indoors, 4-6 weeks
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The Mustard - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Mustard is yet another member of the brassica family, a huge family of vegetables, all of which developed from the wild cabbage and include cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, turnips and Brussels sprouts. Mustard probably originated somewhere in eastern Asia and has been cultivated for nearly 3000 years in central Asia, the Himalayas, India, Russia and China. Mustard leaves when harvested young range in taste from mild to peppery to hot and pungent and are an excellent salad green. Mature mustard leaves need to be cooked, either steamed or stir-fried. Unlike, most of its brassica cousins which are cool season crops, mustard can tolerate warm and humid growing conditions. Mustard should be direct seeded in early to mid-spring
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The Melon and the Watermelon - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Melons are native to the continent of Africa. Many wild forms of melons and watermelons can still be found there today. Though it is not known when melons were first cultivated, it is believed that prehistoric man may have gathered and saved the seeds of the sweetest melons, and this practice lead to cultivation. Seeds and wall paintings found in Egyptian tombs indicate that melons and watermelons were under cultivation in Egypt at least 4000 years ago. Melons were introduced into Asia about 3000 years ago. The melon became immensely popular in the region that includes Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, south and central Russia, China and Japan. The Greeks and Romans most likely introduced the
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The Lettuce and the Mesclun - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Lettuce appears to have been domesticated from a weedy species of wild lettuce that produced lettuce leaves on the top of a tall stem. Evidence which supports this theory comes from Egyptian tomb paintings dating back 4500 years which show bundles of stem lettuce being transported. The first written accounts describing lettuce are from Herodotus, who wrote that lettuce appeared on the royal tables in Persia in 550 BC. The Greeks, including Hippocrates, ascribed medicinal properties to lettuce, and the Romans wrote extensively about it including Pliny who described nine varieties grown in Roman agriculture. It was probably the Romans who introduced lettuce into northern and western Europe. The Romans popularized a tall cylindrical form
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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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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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