The cucumber has been cultivated in Asia for 3000 years. Spreading from India, it traveled to China, Greece and Italy, appearing in the 9th century in France, it spread to England in the 14th century and to North America in the 15

Collards were introduced to the west by African slaves and they have become a staple in the southern diet. They are often served with black eyed peas and corn bread for 'sopping up the pot likker', (Dipping into the juice in which

There are two basic varieties of cherries, the sweet cherries and the tart cherries. The sweet cherries are excellent for eating out of hand but the tart cherries are far more popular as they are used jellies, jams, and pie and pa

Carrots are a very old plant. Fossil records show that fossil pollen of 55 million years ago belonging to the carrot family. The wild carrot, from which all cultivated carrots have come, is a noxious weedy

Why is that one little carrot important? Some children refuse to eat vegetables and many won’t touch a carrot unless it can be used as a sword during playtime. Sometimes it can feel like it’s just not worth the bother to tr

The terms cantaloupe and muskmelon are used somewhat interchangeably. What is generally called cantaloupe in the west is really a muskmelon, characterized by a webbed surface. Cantaloupes have a smooth and lumpy skin with deep rid

Cabbage has been in use for 4,000 years. It has been cultivated since 500 BC when it was brought to Europe by the Celts. Cabbage grows well in cool climates. It is a high yielding vegetable and it stores well. It soon became a maj

Brown rice, through the millennia, is the most consumed food in the world. Rice is eaten by over half of the world's population. It has fed prisoners in camps during WW2 and could be found soaking overnight in wooden troughs. It h

Butter verses Margarine How and When to be Your Own Doctor Margarine is almost indigestible, chemically very much like shortening–an artificially saturated or hydrogenated vegetable fat. Hydrogenated fats can't be properly b

Bulgur wheat was first produced 4000 years ago. Its origin is the Middle East. It is made by soaking or cooking the wheat berry for several hours until it swells and becomes very tender. It is then dried, often on a roof top in th