Veggies2 at the Ford Veggies2 at the Ford Garden Garden

The Written Word

Broccoli Brassica olearacea

• Large flower heads, usually green, grow tree-like from edible stalk.

• May be steamed or eaten raw.

• High in vitamin C and fiber.

• Prevents heart disease, combats some cancers.

• From broccolo in Italian “flower-ing top of a cabbage". Brought to US by Italian immigrants.

• Cultivated 2,000 years ago.

BambooBamboo Phyllostachys bissettiPhyllostachys bissetti

• a grass that spreads mainly through its roots, not its seeds.

• shoots are edible (ever had Chinese food?).

• of 1,450 known species, only one is native to the USA.

• may reach 100 ft, grow 3 ft in a day and flower once in 120 years.

• stems, called culms, are used to build houses and make flutes.

• food for pandas, lemurs, gorillas.

Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis

• Woody, perennial herb with fragrant, needle-like leaves.

• Leaves: 4 cm long, 2 mm wide, green and white with dense short hair.

• Attractive, tolerates some drought.

• Clip a shoot 10 cm (4 in), strip a few leaves from the bottom, plant into soil.

• Reputation for improving memory.Anti-inflammatory, may reduce risk of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS.

• Native to the Mediterranean.

AmaranthAmaranth amaranthusamaranthus

• cultivated as leaf vegetable, cereal, ornament, oil for 8,000 years

• popular in Africa, Mexico • banned by conquistadores • called pigweed, Celosia, nariz de

pavo• more protein, calcium and iron

than rice, corn, wheat • gluten-free

Kale Brassica oleracea

• A cabbage, green or purple. Leaves do not form a head.

• May be the most nutritious vegetable, extremely powerful antioxidants, high in beta carotene, vitamins K and C, lutein.

• Steam, microwave or stir-fry, not boil. Freezes well, tastes sweeter after being exposed to a frost.

• Many varieties grown for their ornamental leaves, which are brilliant white, red, pink, blue or violet.

Dill Anethum graveolens

• Perennial herb with delicate leaves.• Aromatic, used to flavor foods.• Seeds soothe the stomach after meals.

Given to mothers after childbirth.• Requires warm to hot summers with

high sunshine levels.• Cut flower heads off stalks when seed

is beginning to ripen. Place upside down in a paper bag in a warm dry place for a week. Separate from the stems for storage.

Sunflower Sunflower Helianthus annuusHelianthus annuus

• Looks like the sun, grows to 40ft.

• Hairy stem, toothed leaves, circular head.

• 1,000 ‘flowers’ become seeds. Made into oil, peanut butter, bread, roasted.

• Cultivated in Mexico 2,300 BC. Aztec and Inca symbol of God. Sent to Europe in the 16th century.

• Used at Chernobyl and in Japan to removes toxins lead, arsenic, uranium from soil.

GinsengGinseng Genus: PanaxGenus: Panax

• Chinese for “man root” because root is forked like a man’s legs.

• promotes Yin energy, cleans excess Yang and calms the body.

• Used as stimulant, to treat diabetes and to reduce stress.

• American type has "cooling" properties, for fever, respiratory tract - Asian type has "heating" properties, to improve circulation.

Turnip Turnip genus Brassicagenus Brassica

• Root vegetable grown in temperate climates. Red above ground, white below.

• Leaves taste like mustard greens.

• Good source of vitamins A, C and K, folate and calcium.

• Grows in nearly any soil. Can be left in the ground until the next harvest, preventing famine.

• Cultivated before ancient Rome/Greece.

CeleryCelery ApiaceaeApiaceae

• Stalks, seeds and roots are eaten

• Seeds are used as oil, perfume and medicine

• High in fiber and calcium

• Found in tomb of King Tut (1300 BC)

• Creole cuisine = celery, onions, bell peppers

YamYam DioscoreaDioscorea

• Related to sweet potato. Yautilla

• Grows to 2.5m (8ft) and 70 kg (154 lb)

• Eaten raw, barbequed, roasted, fried, grilled, boiled, smoked, made into dessert

• Cultivated in Africa, Asia 8000 B.C.

• Can be stored six months without refrigeration

• High in vitamins C and B6, fiber, potassium, manganese; low in saturated fat, sodium.

Thyme Thyme Thymus Vulgaris Thymus Vulgaris

• Strong-flavored herb• A perennial, it likes sun, heat• Egyptians used it to embalm, Greeks

in baths and as incense• Good source of iron and to flavor

meat, soups, stews• Sold as bunches of stalks• Main flavor in Listerine – a good

anti-septic. • Helps with respiratory infections, sore throats

Eat Mostly PlantsEat Mostly Plants

• What kind of food should I eat? Mostly plants, especially leaves.

• A diet rich in veggies and fruits reduces the risk of dying from all Western diseases.

• People who eat a pound of fruit and veggies a day have ½ the cancer rate of those in the U.S.

• Vegetarians are healthier than carnivores and live longer.

Eat Mostly PlantsEat Mostly Plants

Eating what stands on one leg [mushrooms and plants] is better

than eating what stands on two legs[fowl], which is better than eatingwhat stands on four legs [cows,

pigs and other mammals].- Chinese proverb

(exception: legless fish).

Eat Mostly PlantsEat Mostly Plants

• The water that vegetables are cooked in is rich in vitamins and minerals. Save it for soups and sauces.

• Try new kinds of plants, animals, and fungi, not just new foods. More diversity in species is nutritionally better.

• Supermarkets are dominated by corn and soy, which are seeds, not leaves.

Eat Mostly PlantsEat Mostly Plants

• Eat well-grown food from soils nourished by organic matter, not chemical fertilizers.

• Eat locally-grown food. Food brought 1,000s of miles in a truck is preserved in harmful chemicals.

• Eat wild foods (when you can), which have protections against disease and pests.

• Oily fish - mackerel, sardines, herring, anchovies) are the best choices and are not endangered.

Eat Mostly PlantsEat Mostly Plants

• Eat foods pre-digested by bacteria or fungi, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, soy sauce, kimchi and sourdough bread - good sources of vitamin B12.

• Sweeten and salt food yourself – you will use a lot less.

• Don’t drink your sweets, eat them (oranges). More fiber, fewer calories.

• Don’t eat cereals that change the color of the milk.

• “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.” Eat whole grains.

Eat Mostly PlantsEat Mostly Plants

• Eat junk food that you cook your-self, like French fries.

• Eat more like Asians or Italians or Greeks.

• French eat communal meals, no seconds or snacks, small portions.

• Central America: corn with beans and lime is a balanced diet.

• Favor traditional foods over new foods.

Scallion Scallion Genus: AlliumGenus: Allium

• Tastes like onion but milder

• Cooked or eaten raw

• Used in soups, salads, noodle and seafood dishes

• Upper portion is hollow. Bulb is not fully developed

• Similar to shallot and leek

• Called green onions

Raspberry Raspberry Genus: Rubus Genus: Rubus

• A perennial - grown as fresh and dried fruit, puree, juice

• Largest output - Russia, Serbia

• Suckers spread like a weed

• Berry made up of 100 druplets

• Flowers: a major source of nectar

• Leaves can be used fresh or dried in herbal and medicinal teas.

HerbsHerbs

Cucumber: Cucumis sativusCucumber: Cucumis sativus

• Like gourds, grows on vines from the flower

• From India, brought to Europe by Romans

• Pickled for longer life• May be seedless• Nine weeks to harvest

Cilantro:Cilantro: Coriandrum sativumCoriandrum sativum

• Called coriander - grown for 3,000 years - comes from koris, Greek for bedbug.

• Used as tea for infections, headaches, as paste for acne.

• Used to mask the smell of bad

meat. It’s a wonder our ancestors survived.

• All parts are edible. Favorite of Spanish, Asians.

Basil:Basil: Ocimum basilicumOcimum basilicum

• Toothy leaves, purple flowers.• Used for soup, salad, meat, soap,

perfume, shampoo. • A powerful protector in Haiti. • For dysentery, gas pains, worms, nausea,

worts. • Italy, given as a token of love • Romania: If a girl gives it to her

boyfriend, they are engaged. • A Hindu is buried with basil as a passport

to Paradise.• Origin: So. Asia or No. African

Oregano: Origanum vulgare

• A perennial used as sauce in pizza, fried vegetables, meat in Greek, Spanish, Italian food.

• Strong, sweet, purple stems, leaves with flower clusters.

• High in antioxidants.

• Effective with staph infections, coughs, sore throats.

• Origin: Europe to central Asia

• 7,000 fragrant species. • Leaves dotted with glands

containing aromatic oils. • From family of herbs including

basil, rosemary sage, marjoram, oregano, thyme, lavender.

• Relieves stomach aches.• Used as flavoring in cooking,

boiled to make sweet drink. • Adds cool to candies.

• Used in medicines / perfumes.

Mint Mint Family: LamiaceaeFamily: Lamiaceae

Catnip:Catnip: Nepeta catariaNepeta cataria

• Strong-smelling mint. • Cultivated for centuries as

medicine. • As tonic, good for colds. • Used as seasoning and tea.• Harvested in full bloom. • Believed to deter the evil-

eye, calm agitated children, curb nightmares.

• Area of Origin: Europe

Garlic:Garlic: Allium sativumAllium sativum

• Grown as seasoning. Bulb is made up of cloves.

• Papery covering grows around the clove and bulb.

• Onion family. Fall planting. • May reduce heart disease.

Indians used as aphrodisiac. • Widows, youth, those fasting

could not eat it because of its stimulant quality.

• Origin: Central Asia

VegetablesVegetables

Squash:Squash: CucurbitaceaeCucurbitaceae

• One of 40 kinds of gourd-shaped vegetables. Flowers are fried.

• Provide large amounts of vitamins A and C. Low in calories.

• Native Americans gave settlers askutasquash or “eaten uncooked.”

• Vine-like. Five-pointed leaves, yellow-orange flowers.

• Fruits have many different colors, shapes, sizes, tastes, textures.

• Major groups: summer and winter.

Chard:Chard: Beta vulgarisBeta vulgaris

• Yellow or red stems.

• Known as spinach, silver or crab beet, mangold.

• Chock full of vitamins A, B and C.

• Like most leafy veggies, rich in minerals.

• Best when cooked or sauted.

• Grown in 350 B.C.E – Sicily.

Fruits Fruits

Grapes: Vitaceae

• Grows on woody vine up to 300 berries: black, blue, red, green, purple, white

• 80% used for wine

• Made into raisins, juice, jelly, vinegar, oil, wine

• High in sugar, energy• Botanically a berry

• Origin: Turkey, Egypt

Strawberry:Strawberry: FragariaFragaria

• Rose family, grown for tasty heart-shaped fruit.

• Good source of vitamin C. • Used as jam, jelly, wine. • Not a true berry: Its seeds are

in the skin, not the flesh. • 200 pests attack the berries.

Squirrels love them. • First American variety grown

in 1834 in Mass.

Pumpkin:Pumpkin: CucurbitaCucurbita

• Related to squash, round or oval, hard shell, stringy pulp.

• May weigh 1,689 pounds. Rich in vitamin A and potassium.

• Pumpkin pie. Yummy !• Seeds: lots of protein / iron, a

popular snack. • Carved for Halloween.• In Mexico 9,000 years ago.

FlowersFlowers

• Reproductive part of plant. Unites male sperm in pollen with female ovum to produce seeds, mostly by bees. Some self-pollinate;

• Cultivated for beauty and ability to heal;

• In poems, myths, religion. Girls have flowery names; • Plants first appeared 425 million years ago, oldest flower fossil - 130 million years – found in China;

• Edible flowers: nasturtium, cattail, carnation, honeysuckle, chicory, chrysanthemum, sunflower.

Native PlantsNative Plants

• These are native plants grown by the New England Wild Flower Society.

• Why protect native plants? Because life on earth depends on plants.

• Extinction is as real for the Plymouth Gentian as for the Humpback Whale and the Peregrine Falcon. Habitat loss from development, invasive species and climate change threaten many plants.

• Plants form a community, including trees, insects and mammals, which depend on each other.

Sweet Potato Sweet Potato Ipomoea batatasIpomoea batatas

• Starchy, sweet roots. Young leaves eaten as greens.

• Flower called “morning glory.”

• Grown in So. America 5000 BCE.

• In world 127,000,000 tons - 80% from China fed pigs.

• Sown by vine cuttings, not seeds.

• Rich in complex carbohydrates, beta carotene, fiber, vitamins C and B6.

Potato Potato Solanum TuberosumSolanum Tuberosum

• First grown in Peru 7,000 years ago, outside the Andes 400 years ago.

• Fourth-largest crop, after rice, wheat, and maize. 1/3 grown in China / India.

• 5,000 varieties. When one type was planted in Ireland, a blight in 1845 killed one million people and caused one million to migrate.

• Sprouts or “eyes” are seeds. Pollinated by insects or self.

• Prefer cool soil. Produces starchy tubers. High in vitamin C, potassium.

PokeweedPokeweed genus Phytolaccagenus Phytolacca

• All parts of plant are poisonous. Only birds can eat the berries.

• Leaves can be eaten if cooked 3 times. Made into jelly, juice, salad. Poke Salad Annie sung by Elvis.

• Grows to 14 ft. in So. America.

• As folk remedy, used to treat acne, swelling, arthritis, rashes.

• Berries made into dye, ink (Civil War soldiers wrote letters with it).