Monday, September 12, 2011
Unknown Squash from India
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Okra from India
Earlier in the blog I had mentioned my cousin Dolly had brought various seeds from India a few years ago. We kept them in the freezer "until the time was right" and finally planted them in this our desert garden.
The next couple of entries are going to be about two of the vegetables we planted.
The first one is the Okra (Bhindi in Hindi) plant. I grew up eating and LOVE okra, so I was especially excited about growing these. We put the seeds in and they took off! The plants are thriving in this heat! After doing research we found that okra is among the most heat and drought tolerant vegetable species in the world!
The history of okra is fascinating...there is alot to read but this is a good example of how food that we share around the world comes to our regions and eventually our tables.
Okra apparently originated in what the geobotanists call the Abyssinian center of origin of cultivated plants, an area that includes present-day Ethiopia, the mountainous or plateau portion of Eritrea, and the eastern, higher part of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Considering the little contact between that region and the rest of the world within historic times, it is not surprising that little is known about the early history and distribution of okra.
The routes by which okra was taken from Ethiopia to North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean, Arabia, and India, and when, are by no means certain. Although it has been commonly cultivated in Egypt for many hundreds of years, no sign of it has ever been found in any of the ancient monuments or relics of old Egypt.
Since the Spanish Moors and the Egyptians of the 12th and 13th centuries used an Arab word for okra, it probably was taken into Egypt by the Moslems from the East who conquered Egypt in the 7th century. It requires no stretch of the imagination to suppose that the plant earlier was taken from Ethiopia to Arabia across the narrow Red Sea or the narrower strait at its southern end.
From Arabia okra was spread over North Africa, completely around the Mediterranean, and eastward. The absence of any ancient Indian names for it suggests that it reached India after the beginning of the Christian Era.
Wild Okra on the Upper NileAlthough the plant has been well known in India for a long time, it is not found wild there. Modern travelers have found okra growing truly wild, however, along the White Nile and elsewhere in the upper Nile country as well as in Ethiopia.
One of the earliest accounts of okra is by a Spanish Moor who visited Egypt in 1216. He described the plant in detail, as cultivated by the Egyptians, and stated that the pods when young and tender were eaten with meal. (Southerners in our own country know how to cook it with corn meal-slice the pods, dip the pieces in meal, and fry them.)
Because of the outstanding popularity of okra in the French cookery of Louisiana, and its slow gain in popularity elsewhere in this country, it is safe to assume that it was introduced to this country by the French colonists of Louisiana in the early 1700's. It had been introduced to the New World, however, before 1658, reaching Brazil supposedly from Africa. It was known in Surinam in 1686.
Hope you found that as interesting as I did...
Can you see the pod on the right side of the flower? The pods develop from the pollinated flowers.
Look at the magnificent flowers! Okra is related to cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus.
Cut okra
And then there's the incredible health benefits:
Okra is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients. Nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. Soluble fiber helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. The other half is insoluble fiber which helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colorectal cancer. Nearly 10% of the recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid are also present in a half cup of cooked okra.
Love Love Love our Okra plants...seeds from Punjab, India flourishing in Arizona, United States...what a joy they bring to us...from watching the flowers grow to harvesting the pods...and now after reading all the history and health benefits, we can thank them even more for nourishing our bodies...as they continue to nourish our souls...
The next couple of entries are going to be about two of the vegetables we planted.
The first one is the Okra (Bhindi in Hindi) plant. I grew up eating and LOVE okra, so I was especially excited about growing these. We put the seeds in and they took off! The plants are thriving in this heat! After doing research we found that okra is among the most heat and drought tolerant vegetable species in the world!
The history of okra is fascinating...there is alot to read but this is a good example of how food that we share around the world comes to our regions and eventually our tables.
Okra apparently originated in what the geobotanists call the Abyssinian center of origin of cultivated plants, an area that includes present-day Ethiopia, the mountainous or plateau portion of Eritrea, and the eastern, higher part of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Considering the little contact between that region and the rest of the world within historic times, it is not surprising that little is known about the early history and distribution of okra.
The routes by which okra was taken from Ethiopia to North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean, Arabia, and India, and when, are by no means certain. Although it has been commonly cultivated in Egypt for many hundreds of years, no sign of it has ever been found in any of the ancient monuments or relics of old Egypt.
Since the Spanish Moors and the Egyptians of the 12th and 13th centuries used an Arab word for okra, it probably was taken into Egypt by the Moslems from the East who conquered Egypt in the 7th century. It requires no stretch of the imagination to suppose that the plant earlier was taken from Ethiopia to Arabia across the narrow Red Sea or the narrower strait at its southern end.
From Arabia okra was spread over North Africa, completely around the Mediterranean, and eastward. The absence of any ancient Indian names for it suggests that it reached India after the beginning of the Christian Era.
Wild Okra on the Upper NileAlthough the plant has been well known in India for a long time, it is not found wild there. Modern travelers have found okra growing truly wild, however, along the White Nile and elsewhere in the upper Nile country as well as in Ethiopia.
One of the earliest accounts of okra is by a Spanish Moor who visited Egypt in 1216. He described the plant in detail, as cultivated by the Egyptians, and stated that the pods when young and tender were eaten with meal. (Southerners in our own country know how to cook it with corn meal-slice the pods, dip the pieces in meal, and fry them.)
Because of the outstanding popularity of okra in the French cookery of Louisiana, and its slow gain in popularity elsewhere in this country, it is safe to assume that it was introduced to this country by the French colonists of Louisiana in the early 1700's. It had been introduced to the New World, however, before 1658, reaching Brazil supposedly from Africa. It was known in Surinam in 1686.
Hope you found that as interesting as I did...
Can you see the pod on the right side of the flower? The pods develop from the pollinated flowers.
Look at the magnificent flowers! Okra is related to cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus.
They are also known as lady's fingers outside the U.S.
And then there's the incredible health benefits:
Okra is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients. Nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. Soluble fiber helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. The other half is insoluble fiber which helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colorectal cancer. Nearly 10% of the recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid are also present in a half cup of cooked okra.
Love Love Love our Okra plants...seeds from Punjab, India flourishing in Arizona, United States...what a joy they bring to us...from watching the flowers grow to harvesting the pods...and now after reading all the history and health benefits, we can thank them even more for nourishing our bodies...as they continue to nourish our souls...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Beet and Greens
Notice I said beet and not beets? That's because our garden decided to bestow upon us one gorgeous beet!
Not bad for our first attempt in this desert climate!
Health benefits of beets:
Antioxidant
Anti inflammatory
Supports detoxification
Anti cancer
Fiber related benefits
Look at the beautiful greens..
The wild beet, the ancestor of the beet with which we are familiar today, is thought to have originated in prehistoric times in North Africa and grew wild along Asian and European seashores. In these earlier times, people exclusively ate the beet greens and not the roots. The ancient Romans were one of the first civilizations to cultivate beets to use their roots as food. The tribes that invaded Rome were responsible for spreading beets throughout northern Europe where they were first used for animal fodder and later for human consumption, becoming more popular in the 16th century.
Beets' value grew in the 19th century when it was discovered that they were a concentrated source of sugar, and the first sugar factory was built in Poland. When access to sugar cane was restricted by the British, Napoleon decreed that the beet be used as the primary source of sugar, catalyzing its popularity. Around this time, beets were also first brought to the United States, where they now flourish. Today the leading commercial producers of beets include the United States, the Russian Federation, France, Poland, and Germany.
Not bad for our first attempt in this desert climate!
Health benefits of beets:
Antioxidant
Anti inflammatory
Supports detoxification
Anti cancer
Fiber related benefits
Look at the beautiful greens..
The greens are incredibly rich in nutrients; concentrated in vitamins and minerals as well as carotenoids such as beta carotene and lutein
We can't believe how long the greens have lasted in this consistent 107-115 degree weather!The wild beet, the ancestor of the beet with which we are familiar today, is thought to have originated in prehistoric times in North Africa and grew wild along Asian and European seashores. In these earlier times, people exclusively ate the beet greens and not the roots. The ancient Romans were one of the first civilizations to cultivate beets to use their roots as food. The tribes that invaded Rome were responsible for spreading beets throughout northern Europe where they were first used for animal fodder and later for human consumption, becoming more popular in the 16th century.
Beets' value grew in the 19th century when it was discovered that they were a concentrated source of sugar, and the first sugar factory was built in Poland. When access to sugar cane was restricted by the British, Napoleon decreed that the beet be used as the primary source of sugar, catalyzing its popularity. Around this time, beets were also first brought to the United States, where they now flourish. Today the leading commercial producers of beets include the United States, the Russian Federation, France, Poland, and Germany.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Summer Squash
The squash is loving the heat! We have yellow squash and zucchini.
Summer squash are a subset of squashes that are harvested when immature (while the rind is still tender & edible). All summer squashes are the fruits of the species cucurbita pepo, but they are considered vegetables in terms of culinary use. The name summer squash refers to the short storage life of these squashes unlike that of winter squashes.
Yellow squash
Summer squash are a subset of squashes that are harvested when immature (while the rind is still tender & edible). All summer squashes are the fruits of the species cucurbita pepo, but they are considered vegetables in terms of culinary use. The name summer squash refers to the short storage life of these squashes unlike that of winter squashes.
Yellow squash
Aren't the leaves beautiful?
Scientists have found seeds preserved in Mexican caves for more than 10,000 years! It was that long ago when domestication of summer squash originated in Mexico and Central America.
Zucchini
The many health benefits of consuming squash include:
great antioxidant
blood sugar regulation
anti-inflammatory
anti-microbial protection
prostate health support
anti-cancer benefits
The best way to cook them to retain their nutrients is to steam them. We steam, saute, bake and eat them raw ..there are so many ways to enjoy and love squash!
*Update...after taking the pictures of the zucchini above, the leaves got some kind of an infection and started to die ): so we had to pull them out to avoid spreading to other plants...it was heart wrenching but necessary...rest in peace zucchini plants...
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Conversing with the Radiant Carrot Tops
These carrot tops got my attention from across the lawn and as I approached they were literally asking to have their picture taken!
Lit up by the light of the setting sun they glowed their magnificence.
Have you listened to the plants lately? Trees, bushes, flowers, vegetables... all life is alive...we know and accept that but do we slow down to listen to what they have to say? They share their love with us and we just pass by. Slow down...have a conversation with a tree or maybe some carrot tops...you may learn something.
Once we pull them out of the ground, I'll post pictures, but for now, we are enjoying our luminous carrot tops!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Anaheim Peppers
Anaheim peppers are a mild variety of chili pepper. The name Anaheim derives from a farmer named Emilio Ortega who brought the seeds to the Anaheim California area in the 1900's. They originated in New Mexico. The varieties of the pepper grown in New Mexico tend to be hotter then those grown in California.![]()
When I began researching the nutritional value of chili peppers I didn't realize the amount of information I would find! There is clearly too much to write in this blog, so I will summarize:
Besides being a good source of Vitamin A & C, dietary fiber, iron and potassium, chili peppers also help with the following:
*fight inflammation
*natural pain relief
*cardiovascular benefits
*clears congestion
*boosts immunity
*helps stop the spread of prostate cancer
*prevents stomach ulcers
*lose weight
*lowers risk of type 2 diabetes
Wow! I grew up on chili peppers and we continue to use some form of peppers daily with our meals. After reading the long list of benefits, we apreciate them even more! (Just don't over do it otherwise you'll end up with another set of problems that outweigh the benefits!)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tomatoes
If you recall we planted 3 different varieties of tomatoes. The Early Girls are living up to their name and are already producing!
There's something about waiting for tomatoes to develop and ripen that is unexplainable. Maybe it goes back to childhood...searching the plants for priceless jewels, or anticipating eating them, so red, juicy, and warm right off the plant...
An overwhelming joy exudes from daily trips to the garden watching the tomatoes increase and transform...from yellow flowers to small green buds maturing and changing colors...light green...yellowish...orangish...then the final RED!
2 will be ready to eat in the next few days!
We actually had one tomato turn almost all red a few days ago...but alas our bird friends got to it before we could!
So we put up netting over the plants to keep the birds from finishing off our entire harvest!
Tomatoes are high in Vitamin C and A. They also contain the B vitamins niacin and riboflavin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and recently we've all heard about tomatoes containing lycopene which has disease fighting abilities! So go out and get some yummy ORGANIC tomatoes and enjoy!
There's something about waiting for tomatoes to develop and ripen that is unexplainable. Maybe it goes back to childhood...searching the plants for priceless jewels, or anticipating eating them, so red, juicy, and warm right off the plant...
An overwhelming joy exudes from daily trips to the garden watching the tomatoes increase and transform...from yellow flowers to small green buds maturing and changing colors...light green...yellowish...orangish...then the final RED!
2 will be ready to eat in the next few days!
So we put up netting over the plants to keep the birds from finishing off our entire harvest!
Tomatoes are high in Vitamin C and A. They also contain the B vitamins niacin and riboflavin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and recently we've all heard about tomatoes containing lycopene which has disease fighting abilities! So go out and get some yummy ORGANIC tomatoes and enjoy!
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