Many of us consider the nutritional value of foods as we choose them. For example, you might add some strawberries to your morning cereal to get a boost of vitamin C and […]
Like all living organisms, vegetables need nutrients for their proper growth and development. But where do they get their mineral nutrients from? The answer is soil. Okay, the next question is, how […]
You may see a new variety of vegetable at the grocery store, for example an unusual new lettuce or apple. There are other important new varieties of crops that don’t show up […]
If you look across a field in Nigeria, you might see hundreds of midsize trees with green leaves and strange roots being dug up. This tree-looking plant is called cassava. Cassava is […]
You may never have heard of quinoa before 2013. That’s when the United Nations ran a campaign to promote awareness of this cereal crop. Now, many people enjoy a bowl of cooked […]
The American public has long debated whether the tomato is a vegetable or a fruit. This results in an uneasy truce: botanically, it’s considered a fruit, but practically, it’s lumped in with […]
Peak strawberry season depends on what region of the U.S. you live in. In Louisiana, strawberry harvest begins in April. In the upper Midwest it’s July. But no matter where you live, […]
Beer made from barley grains has been consumed since ancient Egyptian times. Modern day growers plant what is profitable – and grains for malting barley command higher prices than animal feed grains. […]
Every year when I plant my garden, I feel a tinge of doubt. Shaking out lettuce seeds from the packet, they seem hard and lifeless. I drop the seeds into a trench […]
Seeds come in different sizes and shapes across plant species. They range from dust-sized seeds in orchids to double coconut Lodoicea (yes, coconuts are seeds!). Depending on geographical location and the prevailing […]