Fun Vegetable Lore

An Adams Apple is so named because it is said that when Adam took a bite of the forbidden fruit, a piece got stuck in his throat.

Egyptian Pharaohs would stuff themselves with cabbage the day before a heavy night of drinking. They thought the cabbage would ward off the negative effects of consuming large amounts of alcohol.

It is said that Americans consume about 30 pounds of lettuce a year. Compared to Manatees which can eat up to 180 pounds of romaine lettuce every day. Are they healthier?

Ancient Egyptians used to take an oath of office on a Bible? No ~ an Onion!

Turnip greens are said to help relief the pain of rheumatoid arthritis.

In 1947 Marilyn Monroe was crowded the first California Artichoke Queen!

Russell Brand was named the Sexiest Male Vegetarian Celebrity of 2011 by Peta.

The new spice~ Fennel Powder

My friend Joy came over today and we started catching up on all things kids and gardens. She mentioned that she had visited Mario Batali’s restaurant in California and bought some fennel powder. Seems this is the new herb to flavor and spice up everything from baked salmon to roasted eggplant marmalade. It runs around $4 per jar but you can make it yourself.

I have never used the powder, but I do put fennel seed on the 12 hour pork recipe that I got form Suzanne Somers’ cookbook. So good!
If you’d like to try making fennel powder yourself you simply roast fennel seeds on medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes, cool and dry, grind and store in air - tight container. It will stay fresh for 2 to 3 months.
The word fennel comes from latin meaning “Little Hay”. Romans used fennel tea to relieve eye irritation and Medieval Europeans used the herb to fight obesity. Fennel can be used to help with stomach cramps, digestion problems and to help break up congestion caused by colds.
Did you know that you can freeze fennel bulbs and a whole lot of other things?

You can freeze all citrus, milk (take about 1/4 cup out of the plastic container to allow for expansion) cream cheese, butter, apples (peel and slice), shredded cheese, bananas (make sure you freeze them on a cookie sheet and then put them in a baggie so they don’t stick together) , grapes, celery, roasted tomatoes, onions and carrots. Potatoes freeze well if you slice them (maybe french fry style?) and soak them in a little salt water and drain before you freeze them. Asparagus and cauliflower are the only freezer disasters that I’ve heard of.
Thanks Joy, for the idea for todays blog!

By the way, Pantone’s 2011 color of the year is Honeysuckle Pink. Just in case you’d like to theme your garden. Bulb planting is just around the corner. It's a good idea to wait until night temperatures are consistently below 60 degrees before planting.

What to Plant and WHEN?????

I wrote to Nancy Awot who is a Horticulture Specialist at W. Atlee Burpee & Company and asked that same question. Here is her answer to my Zone 7 question.

“It is too late for tomatoes, however, there are many things you can plant now and in the fall. You can still plant lettuce, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions and garlic.  Onions and garlic you plant in September for a next summer harvest. If you want to try a fruit you could try alpine strawberries.  If you would like some flowers try pansies they will flower until the hard freeze.

 As it gets colder you can still continue to plant lettuce, beets, carrots and spinach about every two weeks for continual harvest. If you check out our website www.burpee.com  click on the growing calendar on the left column.  It will tell you  what you can plant and when  to plant  your vegetable. So you can plant well into the fall.   A winter garden doesn’t mean you can plant things all winter long. Once the ground freezes no more planting but you should be able to harvest up until that first heavy freeze.

Make sure you try spinach you can still plant those in October they like the cold.”

Thank you Nancy Awot ~ That was very helpful information! :D

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