Weather and Agriculture Delving into my Notes 06 Vegetables Part II

Yes, you are reading right, this is the same title but the continuation, that is the second part of the wonderful world of vegetables in agriculture, its role in the food of man and its historical process, so without further ado...

Vegetables Part II

I pointed out in the previous article the great benefits of vegetables, and now we will deal with those that being poor in calories at the same time are rich in minerals, vitamins and fiber, thus becoming foods that can be consumed freely and among them we have...

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea and Brassica rapa)

Truly a large family that represents 10% of the total production of vegetables. It is a vegetable plant belonging to the cruciferous family, and in which cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli stand out. The literature indicates that it is native to Europe and was widely consumed by Greeks and Romans.

Like everything in nature, man has created various forms of cabbages that are distinguished by the color of their leaves, the shape of these and their size, in green cabbages such as cabbage all the leaves fit inside each other and are smooth, in others their leaves are curly like the Savoy cabbage. We also talk about colors because in addition to green cabbages there are red and purple ones.

These vegetables are highly appreciated in Eastern European countries such as Poland, Ukraine and Russia, but cabbages are also widely consumed in Asia and China is the world's leading producer, being the best known variety Brassica rapa pekinensis.

I love raw cabbage salad chopped into thin strips and mixed with grated carrots, about two tablespoons of mayonnaise and salt to taste.

I have been doing a test with dehydrated cabbage leaves to control bachaco, I will keep you posted on the results. My wife works in gardening and bachacos are a real pest.

Lettuce

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a biennial plant that belongs to the asteraceae family, the same as the daisy, but in lettuce it is not allowed to reach the inflorescence. The literature says that it is native to Europe and that a wild variety known as Escarole still persists. Among the most famous or most consumed varieties is the Romaine.

Lettuce, besides being grown in the open air, is widely cultivated in greenhouses or cultivation houses and also under the hydroponic system. It is very rich in potassium (K) and a large amount of water.

In the photo lettuce cultivar at the Experimental Station of Bajo Seco of the Central University of Venezuela.

Spinach

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), from the same family as chard, belongs to the chenopodiaceae family. It is cultivated for its leaves rich in minerals, especially iron, and is Popeye's vegetable. This plant is native to Persia (now Iran), was brought to Europe, Spain in the twelfth century by the Arabs. China is currently the world's leading producer, accounting for up to 75%.

I like to eat it with a "sin", that is to say I parboil the leaves with a chicken cube!

But there is more

In addition to consuming fruits and leaves for our food, vegetables also provide us with flowers, stems and roots, so we have for example...

Asparagus,

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis), native to southern Europe and East Asia, is grown for its shoots, shoots that emerge as vertical stems from its rhizomes.

It is these young shoots that are consumed, they are green when exposed to light. In Europe and in the Mediterranean regions they grow spontaneously, there are numerous families of asparagus, predominantly green, although there are white and purple ones.

China is also the world's leading producer, with Peru in South America being the first in our continent and second worldwide.

Carrot

The carrot (Daucus carota) is a herbaceous root plant with a striking orange color, like celery (Apium graveolens), belongs to the apiaceae family. It is native to Europe and although it was widely consumed in ancient times by Greeks and Romans, its cultivation did not spread in Europe until the 18th century.

China is the first producer worldwide, in our continent the United States is the first producer and second in the world.

Although I have not cultivated it, it is a vegetable that we consume a lot in our family for its culinary versatility, especially in cooked or raw salads.

Dear readers, with this chapter I close the cycle of vegetables and I invite you to join me in my next writing where I will talk about Fruits.

I apologize to my readers if there are any errors in the publication of the article, which is sometimes interrupted by problems in my country with the electric service.

Original photographic support and writing by Oizaguirres for read.cash.