superfoods

Radicchio is a member of the family Asteraceae, commonly known as the aster family in the genus Cichorium L. and the species Cichorium intybus L. or chicory P.

The History of Celeriac

Celeriac is a member of the Apiaceae Umbelliferae family, commonly known as the carrot family, and is a variety of the wild celery whose

Parsnips are a member of the family Apiaceae, commonly known as the carrot family, which contains ninety-one genera and includes parsnips or Pastinaca L. The plant originally was found from the Mediterranean to the Caucasus region of Asia and was cultivated from the wild parsnip.

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples of the Peruvian portion of the Amazon Basin in South America have cultivated an amazing plant that is a powerhouse of nutrients.

Clementines were accidently created by Father Clement Rodier who was planting Mediterranean mandarin seedlings that pollenated with a willow-leafed ornamental variety of C. aurantium, commonly known as Granito, in the garden of an orphanage near Oran, Algeria. The plant was brought to Florida in 1909 and taken to California in 1914 by H. S. Fawcett of the Citrus Research Center, Riverside.

The jicama is a member of the Fabaceae family, commonly known as the legumes family in the species Pachyrhizus erosus. It is native to Mexico and Central America and was used by the Aztec people and other Mesoamericans.

Grapes are a member of the Vitaceae family that has eleven genera. This fruit bearing genus is Vitus, which has approximately sixty species. The plant was cultivated by humans around 6500 B.C.E. and by 4000 B.C.E. the grape could be found in vineyards from Transcaucasia east to Asia Minor and south to the Nile river delta. The grape existed long before humans walked the earth and could be found throughout the world. The Old World grapes were used as a snack food and dried to make raisins, but in Europe the main use of the grape was to make wine.

Cabbage is a member of the Brassicaceae family, commonly known as the mustard family. There are 107 genera in the family; the cabbage is in the genus Brassica L. The origin of the plant is quite complicated because of the number of genera. The earliest cultivation of cabbage took place in Northern China, approximately 4000 years ago. In Europe the plant was cultivated about 3000 years ago and became a world staple. In the wild it was a leafy plant like kale and was produced in the form of a head in 14th century England.

The huckleberry is a member of the Ericaceae family, also known as the Heath family. The genus contains eight species and the plant is native to North America, from Ontario and Minnesota south to Louisiana, and east to the Atlantic coast.

Turnips are a member of the family Brassicaceae, also known as the mustard family. Native to Europe and found in colder climates, turnips have been a staple food since prehistory.  They were also used for livestock fodder since the 14th century and in modern agriculture they are planted in fields for grazing animals.