Broccoli – Brassica oleracea italic

Broccoli florets

“I do not like broccoli.

And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it.

And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”

George Bush, U.S. President (1990)

This native to the Mediterranean and Asia Minor areas is not known in the wild, but is cultivated practically worldwide. It makes a good companion with celery and other high smell plants, their aromas seem to reduce insect predation. There is a long history of it being cultivated in Ancient Rome. During the 16^th century it was grown in Italy and France, but England not until recent centuries.

Broccoli has been shown through research to be a cancer fighter and diabetes preventer. It has been listed as number 1 by the US National Cancer Institute’s list of anti-cancer vegetables. It is believed to help prevent cancer of the lung, stomach, mouth, ovaries, breast, cervix, colon, and prostate.  It is rich in indoles, beta carotene, and vitamin C.

The flowering heads (before blooming) and the upper stalks are edible. If some stalk with leaves remains it will grow new side shoots, and harvest can continue! The flowers are best when steamed so as not to boil away the nutrients. The stems can be skinned and sliced to be added to soups, stews or stir fries.

Cauliflower – Brassica oleracea botrytis

Cauliflower

“Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.”

Mark Twain

 

This member of the Cabbage family originated in Asia where it can be linked to a wild cabbage that more closely resembled kale or collards. By at least 600 BC it was an important vegetable in Turkey and Italy. By the mid 16^th century France and then England found it in favor. In the garden setting All members of the Cabbage family do well grown with the aromatic plants, i.e. celery, dill, chamomile, sage, peppermint, rosemary, onions, and potatoes. They do not fare well near strawberries, tomatoes, or pole beans.

 

Cauliflower, eaten in large quantities, has shown promise with prostate cancer and also cancer of the breast. It is believed to lower cancer risk of the stomach and colon. It is used to treat acne, asthma, urinary tract disorders, constipation, high blood pressure, gout, and obesity.

 

Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed, or eaten raw, but only the florets are eaten, not the leaves. The leaves are edible, but are most often thrown away. The leaves are a good addition to soup stocks. Cauliflower has 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 5 g of carbohydrates, 30 mg sodium, and only 24 calories per 100 gm serving!

 

Just one small warning, Cauliflower has the ability to produce prodigious amounts of intestinal gas! If you have a thyroid problem it may be advisable to avoid consumption of this vegetable.

Bittercress – Cardamine hirsuta

Hairy Bittercress

This native of Europe and Asia is an annual who loves open areas, cultivated spaces, in fact almost anywhere is fine. It is very capable of being weedy and invasive, but since it adds to the spring time bouquet of greens after a long winter it should probably be forgiven this tendency, It stays green throughout the cold winter, making it a good plant to add to the diet in January and February.

One of the many complaints about this taprooted plant is that it attracts aphids, now this might be good in the garden as a trap plant! If you do want to rid your garden of this plant then remove it before it seeds, it is easily removed with light hoeing.

Cardamine hirsute is the “stiff plant” used in the ‘Nine Herbs charm,’ it was supposed to fight against the serpent. The ‘Nine Herbs Charm’ was recorded in the 10^th century, and was an Old English incantation intended to be uttered over 9 herbs before their used in treating poisonings and infections.

 

To read my former post….check here

Bok Choy – Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis

Bok Choy

a baby bok choy
fallen
on the floor 
in a skirt of leaves
midst the pallor
of
ambitious turnips

 

By Christina Conrad 

This native of Asia is not longer known in the wild, only under cultivation. This plant was introduced from China to Europe in the 1800’s. It is a popular vegetable in the Philippines, China, Korean, and Thai cuisines. In North America is remains a staple in Chinese foods, but has never made the transition into use in American dishes. Bok Choy can be eaten raw with dips, or chopped into salads. In Chinese it is incorporated into stir fries, and also into soups.

 

In herbal medicine Bok Choy is specific for treatment of bones, much like celery or rhubarb. It has 23% sodium, the same as bones do. When the body is low in sodium it will draw it out of the bones, weakening them. The bok choy helps to keep the bones strong by replenishing them. It is also used to treat ulcers, and is showing promise in the treatment of cancer.

 

These cabbages have been under cultivation for over 6,000 years, being a common part of the Chinese diet by the 5^th century. In companion planting they make good neighbors to Artemisia, beans, dill, endive, peas, chamomile, potatoes, lettuce, coriander, cumin, leeks, chard, mint, beets, celery, spinach, tomatoes. Rosemary and sage are good planted with any of the cabbage family of vegetables. Bok Choy has issues when grown with strawberries, mustard, garlic or onions.

Dame’s Rocket – Hesperis matronalis

Dame’s Rocket flowers & seedpods

…I fill my nostrils again & again
with the scent
of dame’s-rocket…

 

By Dave Bonta, click to read the remainder of the poem

 

This short lived perennial from Europe was first introduced to North America in the 1600s, probably by early European settlers bringing bits of home with them. It quickly escaped and is considered noxious or invasive in Colorado, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

 

Like other members of the mustard family the young leaves can be added to salads for their bitter, cress-like flavor. Rich in Vitamin C, they should be picked before the plant flowers. After it flowers, walking past it in the evening a rich clove like perfume can be smelled. But during the day it exudes very little scent, giving it the reputation for deceit in folk-lore.

 

Here in southern Delaware Dame’s Rocket will cover the sides of the road, sometimes for miles. Yet in other places it is nowhere to be seen. When you do find a large stand of it, it is amazing how many butterflies, moths and bees are attracted to this rich nectar source. It is a specific food for the orange tip butterfly.

White Mustard – Sinapis alba

Mustard

This annual member of the Mustard family is native of Europe and naturalized across North America. The flowers, which appear April to May, have a sweet, pleasing scent…but it is not noticeable unless several flowers are sniffed simultaneously! As an essential oil, Mustard oil is toxic causing skin and mucous membrane irritation.

The name mustard comes from the French grinding seed of the cabbage family in fresh pressed grape juice to make a “moust.” The term Moustarde was developed to describe this mixture that is often used in meat dishes. This is the white mustard of commerce.

In China the mustard is used in the treatment of coughs and TB, profuse phlegm and pleurisy. Here is the West the seed is rarely consumed for Herbal medicine, but rather ground and added to mustard plasters or added to the bath. The seed is antibacterial, antifungal, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emetic, expectorant, rubefacient, and a stimulant.

The mustard is used in many religions to represent faith…people of the Jewish faith, Taoism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Bahai, and Christianity all have stories showing this. In the Christian Bible, Matthew 13:31-32 tells the parable of the mustard seed: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

Hairy Bittercress – Cardamine hirsute

Hairy Bittercress

This annual cool weather herb starts out as a bright green basil rosette of leaves that hug the ground.

The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw in salads or cooked like potherbs. It is most often used as spicing for its hot cress like flavor. The seeds germinate in the fall, making the greens available throughout the winter.

Winter Green Salad

1 large bunch wintercress

1 large bunch hairy bittercress

1 large bunch chickweed

10 sheep’s sorrel leaves (or wood sorrel if it’s a mild winter)

4 tbsp melted clarified butter

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1/2 finely-chopped small onion

Wash the herbs thoroughly and place in a bowl. Finely-chop the sheep’s sorrel (or wood sorrel) and add to a lidded jar along with the onion, melted butter, vinegar, and seasonings.

Shake to mix thoroughly then arrange the greens in a bowl, pour the dressing over them, toss and serve.