The pear is a member of the family Rosaceae, or rose family. The genus contains four species and is native to the area of the Caucasus. The Aryan tribes introduced the pear to other parts of Europe and Northern India. There are more than 1000 varieties of pears existing today and they are rich in nutrients. Cultivating and grafting of the plant was developed in Greece in approximately 300 B.C.E.
The sweet potato is a member of the morning glory family and is native to Central and South America. The plant was cultivated by ancient peoples of the area as far back as the Stone Age. It was brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus during his first voyage in 1492.
Apples are a member of the family Rosaceae, the Rose family in the genus Malus Mill. or apple P. This genus contains thirty-six species. There are about 10,000 varieties of apples throughout the world, of which 7,000 can be found in the United States.
There are many species of cranberry that grow in the temperate zones of the world, the species Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton is the cranberry native to North America. It is found in both the northeastern and northwestern areas of the continent and was used by the Native Peoples for food and medicine. They introduced the plant to the pilgrims, who used the fruit for pie and tart filling; recipes have been recorded as early as 1672.
Squash (the winter species) is native to Central America and evolved around the same time as flowering plants, approximately 350 million years ago. However, it was not until 13,000 B.C.E. that man began using squash to make cups, containers, and floats for fishing nets. It was one of the earliest cultivated plants, first farmed in 10,000 B.C.E., but because of its bitter taste was not used as a food source until several thousands of years later when squash was bred to have a sweeter taste.
The pumpkin is a member of the family Cucurbitaceae, also known as the cucumber family in the genus Cucurbita L. – gourd P, which contains nine species. The familiar orange pumpkin popular in the United States is of the species Cucurbita mixta Pang.
This slightly sweet, buttery nut is one of my favorites. I love popping a bunch of raw cashews in the oven and then lightly toasting them for an afternoon snack. I also like to sprinkle them on cereal or anything that needs a crunch.
Mushrooms have been eaten as food and used as a healing aid since pre-history starting in the Neolithic period. They were first found in in the prehistoric lake dwellings in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Truffles were found in Greece and Rome where they cultivated the small Agrocybe aegerita on pieces of poplar trunks. In China and Japan they’ve grown shitake mushrooms on rotting logs. In 1678, a French botanist demonstrated the cultivation of mushrooms by transplanting their mycelia.
Strawberries are the ultimate summer fruit. I remember going strawberry picking with my family every year as a kid. We would make a whole day out of it and at the end we would get freshly-made strawberry ice cream right from the farm itself.
Powerfully minty-fresh with a cool distinctive fragrance, peppermint oil is quickly becoming one of the most versatile essential oils in the world. The rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia supports a wide range of health benefits due to the nutrient-rich compounds present in peppermint leaves.