Handle zucchini with care as they are easily damaged. Look for a moist stem end and a slightly prickly, yet shiny skin as indicators of freshness. Ideally, green zucchini should be no more than 6 inches long and one to two inches in diameter, with firm skin free of cuts or bruises and at least…
It can be both the fruit and the plant of a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) plant originally from southern Africa, and is one of the most common types of melon. This flowering plant produces a special type of fruit known by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind (exocarp) and fleshy…
Seasonal eaters and gardeners alike wait impatiently, for the first ripe tomato of the season–nothing tastes like a fresh garden tomato! Thousands of varieties of tomatoes are known, and hundreds actually cultivated. The commercial tomato industry tends to utilize newer hybrids genetically selected for traits like spherical shape, thick skin and slow ripening (for picking…
Chard, also known by the common names Swiss chard, silverbeet, perpetual spinach, or spinach beet, is a leafy vegetable, and is one of the cultivated descendants of the sea beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima. Although the leaves are eaten, it is in the same species as beetroot (garden beet), which is usually grown primarily for its…
Summer squash are a subset of squashes that are harvested when immature (while the rind is still tender and edible). The name “summer squash” refers to the short storage life of these squashes, unlike that of winter squashes. Yellow squash and Patty Pans are both members of the Summer Squash family. Yellow Squash Patty Pan…
Scientific Name: Fragaria Ananassa The strawberry, a member of the rose family, is unique in that it is the only fruit with seeds on the outside rather than the inside. In fact, there are about 200 seeds on the average strawberry. Many medicinal uses were claimed for the wild strawberry, its leaves and root. It…
Scientific Name: Spinacea Oleracea Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. Thought to have originated in ancient Persia (present-day Iran), spinach made its way to China in the 7th century. The Moors liked it so much they brought spinach to Spain. There, Catherine de Medici fell in love with the green, leafy…
Scientific Name: Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon Snap peas, also known as sugar snap peas, are a cultivar group of edible-podded peas that differ from snow peas in that their pods are round as opposed to flat. Snap peas, like all other peas, are pod fruits. An edible-podded pea is similar to a garden, or English, pea,…
Savoy Cabbage is a large, round-headed variety of cabbage. Most highly recommended for cooking with a sweet flavor. Cabbage, or mustard, family contains a diverse selection of earthy vegetables. All are nutritious and most are delicious eaten either raw or cooked. The leaves can be shredded, sauteed, stir-fried, or used as a platform for vegetables and meats, poultry,…
Lettuce or salad mix is basically the baby form of head lettuce grown closely together and harvested at a young and tender age. Our salad mix commonly contains other greens like beet greens, cress, arugula, or spinach as well.