Vegetables – Watercress : Introduction

Watercress (Nasturtium nasturtium-aquaticum, N. microphyllum) are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennials native from Europe to central Asia and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings. These plants are members of the Family Brassicaceae or cabbage family, botanically related to garden cress and mustard — all noteworthy for a peppery, tangy flavor.

The stems of watercress are floating and the leaves are pinnately compound. Watercresses produce small, white and green flowers in clusters.

Nasturtium officinale Ait. f. and Sisymbrium nasturtium-aquaticum L. are synonyms of N. nasturtium-aquaticum. Nasturtium officinale var microphyllum (Boenn. ex Reich.) Thellung is a synonym of N. microphyllum (ITIS, 2004). These species are also listed in some sources as belonging to the genus, Rorippa, although molecular evidence shows that the aquatic species with hollow stems are more closely related to Cardamine than Rorippa (Al-Shehbaz & Price, 1998). Watercresses are not related to the flowers in the genus, Tropaeolum (Family Tropaeolaceae), popularly known as “nasturtiums”.

Watercress cultivation

Cultivation of watercress is practical on both a large scale and a garden scale. Being semi-aquatic, watercress is well-suited to hydroponic cultivation, thriving best in water that is slightly alkaline. It is frequently produced around the headwaters of chalk streams. In many local markets the demand for hydroponically-grown watercress exceed supplies. This is due in part to the fact that cress leaves are unsuitable for distribution in dried form and can only be stored for a short period. If unharvested, watercress can grow to a height of 50-120 cm. Also sold as sprouts, the edible shoots are harvested days after germination.

Food value

Watercress contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C. In some regions watercress is regarded as a weed, in other regions as an aquatic vegetable or herb. Where watercress is grown in the presence of animal waste, it can be a haven for parasites such as the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica.

Many benefits from eating watercress are claimed, such as that it acts as a mild stimulant, a source of phytochemicals and antioxidants, a diuretic, an expectorant, and a digestive aid.

Cite: Wikipedia

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Vegetables – Lettuce : Varieties

There are 5 commonly recognized types of lettuce which are ordered here by head formation and leaf structure:

* Crisphead, also called Iceberg: lettuces form tight, dense heads that resemble cabbage. They are generally the mildest of the lettuces, valued more for their crunchy texture than for flavor. Varieties of iceberg lettuce are the most familiar lettuces in the USA. The name Iceberg comes from the way the lettuce was transported in the US in the 1930s. It was transported on trainwagons all covered in crushed ice – making it look like icebergs.

* Summer Crisp, also called Batavian: lettuces form moderately dense heads with a crunchy texture; this type is intermediate between iceberg and looseleaf types.

* Butterhead, also called Boston or Bibb forms loose heads; it has a buttery texture. Butterhead varieties are most popular in Europe.

* Romaine, also called cos, is a head-forming type with elongated leaves.

* Looseleaf: leaves are tender, delicate, and mildly flavored.

In addition:

* Chinese lettuce types generally have long, sword-shaped, non-head-forming leaves, with a bitter and robust flavor unlike Western types, appropriate for use in stir-fried dishes and stews. Chinese lettuce varieties are divided into “stem-use” types (called celtuce in English), and “leaf-use” types such as youmaicai (Chinese: 油麦菜; Hanyu Pinyin: yóumàicài).

There are hundreds of varieties of lettuce within these categories.

Some lettuces (especially iceberg) have been specifically bred to remove the bitterness from their leaves. These lettuces have a high water content with very little nutrient value. The more bitter lettuces and the ones with pigmented leaves contain antioxidants.

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Vegetables – Lettuce : Introduction

Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant most often grown as a leaf vegetable. In Western countries, it is typically eaten cold and raw, in salads, hamburgers, tacos, and several other dishes. In some places, including China, lettuce is typically eaten cooked and use of the stem is as important as use of the leaf.
Iceberg lettuce field in Northern Santa Barbara County
Iceberg lettuce field in Northern Santa Barbara County

A lettuce plant has a short stem initially (a rosette growth habit), but when it blooms, the stem lengthens and branches, and it produces many flower heads that look like those of dandelions, but smaller. This is called bolting. When grown to eat, lettuce is harvested before it bolts.

Lettuce is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera – see list of Lepidoptera which feed on Lettuces.

Vegetables – Lettuce : Varieties

There are 5 commonly recognized types of lettuce which are ordered here by head formation and leaf structure:

* Crisphead, also called Iceberg: lettuces form tight, dense heads that resemble cabbage. They are generally the mildest of the lettuces, valued more for their crunchy texture than for flavor. Varieties of iceberg lettuce are the most familiar lettuces in the USA. The name Iceberg comes from the way the lettuce was transported in the US in the 1930s. It was transported on trainwagons all covered in crushed ice – making it look like icebergs.

* Summer Crisp, also called Batavian: lettuces form moderately dense heads with a crunchy texture; this type is intermediate between iceberg and looseleaf types.

* Butterhead, also called Boston or Bibb forms loose heads; it has a buttery texture. Butterhead varieties are most popular in Europe.

* Romaine, also called cos, is a head-forming type with elongated leaves.

* Looseleaf: leaves are tender, delicate, and mildly flavored.

In addition:

* Chinese lettuce types generally have long, sword-shaped, non-head-forming leaves, with a bitter and robust flavor unlike Western types, appropriate for use in stir-fried dishes and stews. Chinese lettuce varieties are divided into “stem-use” types (called celtuce in English), and “leaf-use” types such as youmaicai (Chinese: 油麦菜; Hanyu Pinyin: yóumàicài).

There are hundreds of varieties of lettuce within these categories.

Some lettuces (especially iceberg) have been specifically bred to remove the bitterness from their leaves. These lettuces have a high water content with very little nutrient value. The more bitter lettuces and the ones with pigmented leaves contain antioxidants.

source : hydroponicsearch

Vegetables – Lettuce : History

The wild predecessor of our modern lettuce, Lactuca serriola, can still be seen all over Europe and the more temperate parts of Asia. It is likely that it originated on the Mediterranean rim on rocky wasteland or woodland clearings. This ancient wild relative of the modern lettuce contains lactucarium, a narcotic similar to opium. The Romans took advantage of this property by eating lettuce at the end of a meal to induce sleep.

In earlier times the Egyptians held a similar view of the lettuce. However as well as a hypnotic or an aid to sleep, the plant was also linked with male virility. As any vegetable gardener will know the lettuce can bolt or surge vertically upwards. This combined with a milky substance they can exude when cut could have been seen as a symbol of the male phallus ejaculating. It is thought these Egyptian plants were closely linked with the modern day cos variety and could have originated on the Turkish coast on the island of Kos.

With the vast number of lettuce varieties in existence it is near impossible to pin-point their exact origins. Certainly both the Roman and Egyptian lettuce continued to be eaten long after the two great civilizations started to decline. Many may have hybridized with the wild type serriola to make our modern sativa .

It is certain that these ancient civilizations saw the plant as both an appetite stimulant and an aid to sleep. In ancient Greece this led to confusion whether to eat the plant at the beginning or the end of a meal. The physician Galen, from Pergamon, would eat the plant to allow restful sleep and allow him to study without ‘mental churnings’ the following day. Somewhat contrary to this, a century earlier, Rufus of Ephesos declared the opposite; claiming lettuce ‘fogged the memory and prevented clear thought’.

One of the earliest records of the modern European lettuce was in a piece by Lucas van Valkenborch who showed clear depictions of modern butterhead lettuces in his piece ‘Allegory of Summer’. Although it is certain that this type existed well before the artist’s death in 1597.

Cite: Wikipedia

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Vegetables – Introduction

Vegetable is a culinary term denoting any part of a herbaceous plant that can be eaten whole or in part. It is commonly consumed by humans as food.

These include leaf vegetables (e.g. lettuce), stem vegetables (asparagus), root vegetables (carrot) and flower vegetables (broccoli), and botanical fruits such as cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins, avocados, capsicums, et cetera, as well as botanical pulses like green beans, and fleshy, immature seeds such as those of peas or beans.

In general, vegetables are thought of as being savoury, and not sweet (with some exceptions, such as rhubarb and pumpkin).

Commercial production of vegetables is a branch of horticulture called olericulture.

Word Origin

Vegetable is also used as a literary term for any plant: vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom. It comes from Latin vegetabilis (animated) and from vegetare (enliven) in reference to the process of a plant growing. It wasn’t until the 15th century when the word Vegetable was first used in print. And not until the 18th century when the word was used as a noun refering directly to the category of plants.

Cite: Wikipedia

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Vegetables – Cucumbers : Introduction

The cucumber is the edible fruit of the cucumber plant Cucumis sativus, which belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, as do melons and squash. The plant has been cultivated for 3000 years and is widely cultivated today. The cucumber plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit. The vine is grown on the ground or on trellises, often in greenhouses.

The fruit is commonly harvested while still green, and eaten as a vegetable, whether raw, cooked, or made into pickled cucumbers. Although less nutritious than most fruit, the fresh cucumber is still a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium, and also provides some dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6, thiamin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese. The pickling process removes or degrades much of the nutrient content, especially that of vitamin C.

Cucumbers are usually green-skinned, roughly cylindrical, elongated, with tapered ends, and may be as large as 30 cm long and 5 cm in diameter. Cucumbers grown to be eaten fresh (called slicers) and those intended for pickling (called picklers) are similar. Slicers grown commercially for the North American market are generally longer, smoother, more uniform in color, and have a tougher skin. Slicers in other countries are smaller and have a thinner, more delicate skin. Picklers are generally shorter and thicker.

Non-Culinary Uses

A common belief is that cucumbers contain a substance that helps to reduce the swelling around eyes or the bags under the eyes. They can reduce swelling but not for the assumed reason. More than 90% of the cucumber consists of water, and it is the cooling effect of the water in the cucumbers on eyes, together with increased humidity, that reduces the swelling. Some products contain extracts of cucumber, which in high concentration may help to improve the hydration of the skin. Gentle massage also helps. [1]

Other plants called cucumbers

* Several varieties of Cucumis melo, which are technically melons, are commonly called–and grown and used as–”cucumbers”, notably the so-called Armenian Cucumber.
* In North America “wild cucumber” refers to manroot.

Cite: Wikipedia

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Vegetables – Cucumbers : Growing Tips

1. Soil Preperation:

Cucumbers require a sunny spot protected from strong winds for the best results. The soil should be rich and well drained. Dig a hole approximately one foot square and fill the hole with a mixture of compost or rotted manure and soil. Raise the soil into a mound. Each mound should be spaced 18 inches apart. Most households will require only a few such mounds to provide plenty of cucumbers for their use.

2. Sowing & Planting:

Sow three (3) seeds at a depth of one inch in the center of each mound and cover them lightly with soil. The seeds should be spaced a few inches apart from one another for the best results. Water the mound lightly and place a cloche over the spot to hasten germination. When the first true leaves appear on the new seedlings, be sure to cull them, leaving on the strongest seedling.

3. Looking After The Plants:

Pinch off the growth tip of the plants after they have developed 6 or 7 true leaves. This will encourage the production of side shoots. Leave these shoots to crawl upon the ground or train them to climb netting or a trellis. Be sure to keep the soil moist and water around the plants opposed to watering on the cucumber plants. Mist them lightly in hot weather dry weather to aid in pollenation. In the summer, place black plastic on the ground to around the plants prior to fruit production. This will raise the soil temperature, conserve moisture and inhibit the growth of weeds. Once the fruits begin to swell, feed the plants with a good fertilizer.

4. Harvesting The Cucumber Crop:

Do not try to grow record breaking cucumbers except for the sole purpose of doing so so with a single plant. Cucumbers should be harvested before they reach a maximum size to insure steady production. Harvest most varieties at 6-8 inches in length and approximately 4 inches in length for pickling or gherkin varieties. Lemon or Apple Cucumbers are best harvested at a size which is slightly larger than a duck’s egg. Always use a sharp knife or clippers to harvest the cucumbers opposed to pulling them off of the vine.

5. Storage:

Cucumbers are best stored in a plastic bag in the bottom of your refrigirator and will keep for approximately one week. Cucumbers are not reccomended for freezing, but can be best stored for the long term by pickling and canning them. Please see our “Tips” section for information about canning!

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Vegetables – Cucumbers : Flowering & Pollination

A few varieties of cucumber are parthenocarpic, the blossoms creating seedless fruit without pollination. Pollination for these varieties degrades the quality. In the US, these are usually grown in greenhouses, where bees are excluded. In Europe, they are grown outdoors in some regions, and bees are excluded from these areas. Most cuke varieties however, are seeded and require pollination. Thousands of hives of bees are annually carried to cucumber fields just before bloom for the purpose. Cucumbers may also be pollinated by flies.

Symptoms of inadequate pollination include fruit abortion and misshapen fruit. Partially pollinated flowers may develop fruit which are green and develop normally near the stem end, but pale yellow and withered at the blossom end.

Traditional varieties produce male blossoms first, then female, in about equivalent numbers. New gynoecious hybrid cultivars produce almost all female blossoms. However, since these varieties do not provide pollen, they must have interplanted a pollenizer variety and the number of beehives per unit area is increased. Insecticide applications for insect pests must be done very carefully to avoid killing off the insect pollinators.

It is claimed that the seeds can cause some people to burp, though there are also references to this being caused by bitterness of the skin. Burpless varieties are available.

Cucumbers are used in the decorative food art, garde manger.

Cite: Wikipedia

source : hydroponicsearch

4 May, 2010 13:17

Vegetables – Capsicum : Introduction
Synonyms and common names

The name given to the fruits varies between English-speaking countries.

* In Australia and New Zealand, heatless species are called “capsicums” while hot ones are called “chilli/chillies” (two L’s). The term “bell peppers” is sometimes used, usually in reference to C. annuum and other varieties which look like a “capsicum” or bell but are fairly hot. A common Australian mispronunciation is “capsicun.”

* In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, the heatless varieties are called “peppers” or “sweet peppers” (or “green peppers,” “red peppers,” etc) while the hot ones are “chilli/chillies” (two L’s) or “chilli peppers”.

* In the United States, the common heatless species is referred to as “bell peppers,” “sweet peppers,” “red/green/etc peppers,” or simply “peppers”, while the hot species are collectively called “chile/chiles,” “chili/chilies,” or “chili/chile peppers” (one L only).

The name “pepper” came into use because the plants were hot in the same sense as the condiment black pepper, Piper nigrum. There is no botanical relationship with this plant, however, nor with Sichuan Pepper.

In Spanish-speaking countries there are many different names for each variety and preparation. The dominant Spanish term is chile, though Pacific South American countries, such as Chile, whose name is unrelated, use ají.

In India and Pakistan capsicum is commonly called ‘Shimla Mirch’. Shimla incidentally is a popular hill-station in India. However the word capsicum is said by English speakers in India.

In Israel capsicum is commonly called pilpel, meaning pepper in Hebrew.

In Korea, the word for hot pepper (gochu; 고추) is the same word used for penis.

In many midwestern regions of the United States the Sweet Bell Pepper is commonly referred to as a mango. Merriam-Webster Definition With the modern advent of fresh tropical fruit importers exposing a wider latitude of individuals to the tropical fruit variety of the Mango, this definition is becoming archaic. However many menus will still refer to a stuffed Bell Pepper as a Mango.

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Vegetables – Capsicum : Introduction Varieties

Many varieties of the same species can be used in many different ways; for example, C. annuum (Paprika) includes the “bell pepper” variety, which is sold in both its immature green state and its ripe red state, where it is called “pimento”.

This same species has other varieties as well, such as the Anaheim chiles often used for stuffing, the dried Ancho chile used to make chili powder, the mild-to-hot Jalapeño, and the smoked ripe Jalapeño, known as a Chipotle.

Most of the capsaicin in a pepper is found in the interior ribs that divide the chambers of the fruit, and to which the seeds are attached. At the stem end of the pod, glands secrete the capsaicin, which then spreads throughout, but is concentrated on the ribs and seeds. The amount varies very significantly by variety, and is measured in Scoville heat units (SHU), ranging from the mild bell pepper to the scorching Habanero chile.

Synonyms and common names

The name given to the fruits varies between English-speaking countries.

* In Australia and New Zealand, heatless species are called “capsicums” while hot ones are called “chilli/chillies” (two L’s). The term “bell peppers” is sometimes used, usually in reference to C. annuum and other varieties which look like a “capsicum” or bell but are fairly hot. A common Australian mispronunciation is “capsicun.”

* In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, the heatless varieties are called “peppers” or “sweet peppers” (or “green peppers,” “red peppers,” etc) while the hot ones are “chilli/chillies” (two L’s) or “chilli peppers”.

* In the United States, the common heatless species is referred to as “bell peppers,” “sweet peppers,” “red/green/etc peppers,” or simply “peppers”, while the hot species are collectively called “chile/chiles,” “chili/chilies,” or “chili/chile peppers” (one L only).

source : hydroponicsearch