Unique Vegetables

1
Unique Vegetables

• Roots stems
• Kohlrabi
• Celeriac
• Fennel

• Fruit pods
• Okra
• Ground berries
• Tomatilla, strawberry tomato, cape gooseberry

2
What makes a vegetable unique?

• Not widely grown by gardeners
• Why?
• Part of a specific cuisine
• Okra _________ cuisine
• Fennel Italian cuisine
• ____________ Mexican cuisine
• Difficult to grow
• Okra ____________ seed hot temperatures
• Celeriac even soil moisture
• Unusual or acquired taste
• Strawberry ___________
• __________ ___________

3
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

• Originated near present day __________
• Okra means ladys fingers in Igbo
• Introduced into New World directly from _______
• Same botanical family as ______ and _______
• Seed must be ________ overnight before planting
  and seed do not germinate well in cool soils

4
Okra

• Okra is among the most _______- and
  _______-tolerant vegetable
• Harvest pods when very young before they get
  ________
• Pods grow very rapidly so requires frequent
  harvesting

5
Okra

• Uses
• Stir-fried in Japanese cuisine
• Thickening agent in ______, chilli, and soups
• ____________ properties
• ________ and deep fried
• Pickled

6
Ground cherry or husk tomato (Physalis)

• Origin in ______________
• Ancient Native Americas preferred Physalis
  species more than tomatoes
• Are in a genus related to tomato
• They product abundant small fruit that are
  surrounded by a ________ covering like a gift
• _________ season vegetables
• Examples
• Tomatillo, strawberry tomato, Cape gooseberry

7
Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa)

• Are native to ________
• Very popular ingredient in ________ foods,
  especially in the form of sauces
• Salsa ________ (green sauce)
• Growing practices similar to tomato
• Transplanted
• Seed only lasts __ years

8
Tomatillo

• Harvested when full size, has a firm consistency,
  and apex of _____ begins to break
• Preparation
• Raw in salsa
• ________ for sauces
• _________ enhances flavor and softens skin
• _________ can cause soupy consistency because
  fruit collapses

Young tomatillo
Mature tomatillo
Salsa verde
9
Strawberry tomato (Physalis pubescens)

• Is the _______ form that is not widely grown
• _________ germinates and grows
• Around July the fruit will begin to drop to the
  ground and should be gathered
• When ripe has a ______ flavor similar to that of
  a strawberry or tomato/pineapple

10
Strawberry tomato

• Will _________ to ripen after harvest
• Fully mature fruit are soft and sweet
• Can be stored in the refrigerator for several
  months
• Uses
• Salad
• Desserts
• Dipped in ________
• Flavoring
• Jellies and jams

11
Cape GooseberryPhysalis peruviana

• Has superior fruit compared to strawberry tomato
• Native to _______ and _______ and more commonly
  grown in warmer climates
• Does not tolerate ______ or wet soils
• Grown from seed

12
Cape Gooseberry

• Harvesting
• Fruit takes ___ to ___ days to mature
• Can ____ plant and gather fallen fruit
• A plant can produce 300 fruit
• Are ________ before using or storing
• Uses
• Canned, jam, sauces, pies, puddings,chutneys,
  fresh

13
Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes)

• Originated in northern ______ in 15th century
• Flavor similar to ______ but milder sweeter
• Same species as ________

14
Kohlrabi

• Cool season vegetable but tolerates _____ better
  than most others in cabbage family
• Stem remains short and swells forming an edible
  _______
• _______ two colors
• White or pale green
• Purple only skin, interior flesh is white

15
Kohlrabi

• What is a _______?

16
Kohlrabi

• A solid, fleshy storage structure formed by
  enlargement of the ______ base
• Fast growing
• Matures in 40 to 70 days
• Harvesting
• Best harvested when young up to the size of a
  _________ _________
• Avoid large kohlrabi because of coarse flavor
• Peeled before cooking because of most of fibers
  are in the ___________ skin

17
Kohlrabi Uses

• Peel, slice, and eat raw like a radish
• Kohlrabi slaw
• Core the kohlrabi and stuff
• Stir fried kohlrabi
• Kohlrabi soup

18
Celeriac (Apium graveolens var. rapaceum)

• Is enlarged, crown-level _________
• Used when 10-12 cm diameter
• Also called celery root or turnip-rooted celery
• _______ season crop
• Requires abundant soil _________ for seed
  germination growth
• Difficult to supply in a garden

19
Celeriac

• Best to ________ before use because _______
  _______ is tough and stringy
• Has a celery-like flavor
• Uses
• Flavoring in soups and stews
• Mashed
• Casseroles and baked dishes

20
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

• Also called finocchio or Florence fennel
• Native to southern ______ and southwest _________
• Used by ancient Romans for medicinal properties
• Has inflated leaf ______ which form a ____ that
  is eaten as a vegetable
• Has mild anise (______)-like flavor
• Caused by anethole

21
Fennel

• Perennial plant in the ________ family
• Has a tendency to ______ which causes bulb to
  split formation of side ________
• Started from seed and encouraged to grow rapidly
• Takes ___ to ___ months to produce swollen leaf
  bases

22
Fennel

• Fennel does not do well in ________ soils
• How improve soil?
• High quality bulbs should be
• ______, white, _____, whole
• Minimum diameter 5 cm

23
Fennel

• Uses
• Fresh in salads balancing sweetness with
  sharpness of onion
• Fish with fennel
• Braised fennel
• Fennel with chicken or meat balls