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Tag : Harvesting History Seeds

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  • The Spinach

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Spinach - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Spinach is a cold tolerant annual that was native to central and southwest Asia and was first cultivated in Iran. Wild varieties can be found throughout Asia, North Africa and Europe. There are basically two kinds of spinach: smooth-seeded (including most modern varieties) and prickly-seeded (from several older varieties). Both of these kinds of spinach produce varieties that have smooth leaves or crinkled (savoyed) leaves. New Zealand spinach is actually not a spinach, but is an excellent alternative to spinach. This plant is a perennial which is much more tolerant of heat and drought than traditional spinach varieties. New Zealand spinach was introduced into North America in 1772. Spinach prefers the cold temperatures of early spring or late fall

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  • The Rutabaga and the Turnip

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Rutabaga and the Turnip - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Rutabagas and turnips belong to the brassica family which includes cabbage, cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and mustard among other vegetables. Turnips have been cultivated for thousands of years and are probably native to both Europe and central and western Asia. Rutabagas, which are often called Swede turnips, combine the thick turnip-like roots with bluish green leaves that resemble cabbage leaves. Because of this combination, many have theorized that rutabagas developed as a cross (intentional or unintentional) between turnips and some wild form of cabbage. Since rutabagas are such extremely hardy plants that grow well in Northern Europe and Russia, a hybrid cross could have occurred sometime during the Middle Ages. European colonists brought turnips to

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  • The Radish

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Radish - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Radishes originated in China, and in China, today, truly wild forms of the radish can still be found. The name, radish, comes from the Latin word, radix, which means “root” and specifically radish root. The genus name, Raphanus, is a Latinized form of a Greek expression raphanos which means “easily reared”. In prehistoric times, the radish spread to Middle Asia where many different forms were developed and soon after, the radish spread to the Mediterranean. Before the pyramids were constructed, ancient Egyptian writing show that radishes were being cultivated, and the ancient Greeks so valued the radish that they offered up little gold radishes to the god Apollo. The Romans also were familiar with various forms of

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  • The Peanut

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Peanut - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Peanuts are native to the Amazon Basin area of South America and have been a staple of the diet of the South Americans for thousands of years. As long as people have been making pottery in South America, pots shaped like peanuts have been created and decorated with peanut images. Graves of ancient Incans found along the dry west coast of South America have contained jars filled with peanuts for the dead. In the 15 th century, Portuguese explorers brought the peanut to Europe, India and China. The Spanish introduced the peanut into Africa where is quickly became popular. The Africans brought the peanut to America by way of the slave ships. The slang expression for peanut,

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  • The Pea

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Pea - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Peas, along with beans and grains, are among the earliest of all cultivated vegetables. Evidence of peas have been found in lake mud beneath the site of houses created by Bronze Age Swiss lake dwellers that is over 5000 years old. Peas have also been found at a prehistoric cave site in Hungary that is believed to be much older than the Swiss site. Interestingly, no evidence of peas has been found at ancient Egyptian sites, but peas have been found in the ruins of the ancient site of Troy. The Aryans of Western Asia introduced the pea to the Greeks and Romans, but neither civilization held the pea in high regard. It was only after the

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  • The Parsnip

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Parsnip - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Parsnips have been cultivated for their sweet roots since ancient times. The Romans frequently grew the vegetables. In fact, Emperor Tiberius adored parsnips and, every year, had them brought from France where the colder climate allowed the roots to develop a sweeter flavor. The British are particularly fond of parsnips. It was British colonists that introduced the vegetable into the New World in 1609. Parsnips are native to Europe, but they have been introduced throughout the world, and because they are so hardy, they now grow wild having escaped from cultivated gardens in many areas. Parsnips are such aggressive naturalizers that it was noted in 1848 that, “The Parsnip is a native of Europe. Having been introduced here,

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  • The Parsley

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Parsley - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Parsley is the world’s most popular herb. The name, parsley, means rock celery. Parsley is, in fact, related to celery. Parsley is native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and has been cultivated for more than 2000 years. It has been used for medicinal purposes since prehistoric times. The Romans were familiar with both the flat and curled leaved varieties. The Greeks held the herb to be sacred and used it to crown the heads of athletic contest winners and for decorating the tombs of the deceased. During the Middle Ages, perhaps because of Charlemagne who grew the herb on his estates, parsley began to be used as a seasoning. In some countries, curly leaved parsley is

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  • The Onion

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    The Onion - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions The origin of onions like the origin of garlic is buried in antiquity. It is known that onions were grown in Ancient Egypt and that eventually they arrived in Rome. It was in Rome that they were given the name unio, which means large pearl. Unio became unyon in Middle English when the Romans introduced the onion into the British Isles. The status of the onion rose substantially after French Onion Soup was made popular by Stanislaus I, the former King of Poland. The Bermuda onion was first listed by Peter Henderson & Co. in 1888 as the White Bermuda. Yet in a 1890 catalogue it said that although shipped as White Bermuda it really “had quite a yellowish

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  • The Mustard

    Mar 02, 2016 Categories: Growing Instructions

    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 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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