Mushrooms

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies produced by some fungi. The typical Mushrooms look like umbrellas. They consist of a stalk topped by a flat or cup-shaped cap. Their spores are produced on special cells called basidia, located on the underside of the cap.

There are more than 2,000 mushroom species exists And among them, Some are edible and delicious, while the remaining are poisonous. The poisonous mushrooms are used to be called as "toadstool".

Mushrooms are not formed until temperature and moisture conditions are right for them. During mild or warm weather, they often appear 7 to 10 days after a good rain.

Some Commonly Popular Mushrooms

• Shiitake: (Lentinula Edodes) Shiitakes have led the way for other mushrooms acceptance in local and national markets. They can be grown on straw or fresh cut hardwoods, have a very well understood culture and can relied on for timely harvests. There are many very specific strains, some are better suited to certain regions or temperature regimen, while others are classified by either indoor or outdoor culture.
• Agaricus: "White Button" (Agaricus. brunnescens) and "Portobello" (Agaricus portobello) also known as "Italian Agaricus".
• Enoki: Also known as Enokitake mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes) and the winter mushroom.
• Reishi: "Ganoderma lucidum" is widely used in the orient for its' medicinal properties.
• Lions Mane: Considered to be edible and choice by mushroom fanciers. Hericium erinaceus is claimed to taste like lobster. Produces cascading, icicle-like clusters that enlarge to baseball size.
• Hen Of The Woods: Also known as Maitake and Grifola frondosa (Polyporus frondosus). This mushroom has rapidly gained popularity and can produce enormous (up to #100) mushrooms. These prefer hardwood stumps.
• Morel
• Maitake
• Nameko(Pholiota nameko): Japans No.2 mushroom after shiitake, very edible and is considered to be very choice; And are very easy to produce.
• Oyster: Pearl (Pleurotus ostreatus), Pink (Pleaurotus djamor), Grey (Pleurotus pulmonarius and P. sajor-caju), plus several others. These are prized for their oyster-like flavor and ease of culture
• Patty Straw: (Volvariella violaceae) This is one of the oldest mushrooms in cultivation and is very simple to produce in some kind of controlled temperature growing area due to their high temperature (86-95F) demand.

Some eating tips
- Do not eat mushrooms raw.
- Eat only mushrooms in good condition.
- Eat only one kind at a time and do not eat large amounts.
- Eat only a small amount the first time; even morels, generally considered to be excellent, may cause illness/allergy in some persons.

A collection of Mushroom Recipes
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/vegetables/mushrooms/mush-coll.html

(Herbed Mushroom with White Wine)

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a cool season, crop garden vegetable belonging to the cabbage or cole family.

Few select varieties are: Snow Crown (early), Super Snowball (early), Self Blanch, Snowball 1 2 3. Cauliflower's maturity ranges from 60 days for early hybrids, 90 days for main season, to over 100 days for late varieties.

Cauliflower is best cooked barely tender, and snowy white.

Cultivation FAQ
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/cauliflo.html

Beet root

Ancient Greeks called the beet as teutlion and used it for their leaves, and both as a culinary herb and medicinally. The Romans were the first one to cultivate the plant for its root, and they also used the beet for medicinally purpose.

Beets contain a significant amount of vitamins A and C and also calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, protein and carbohydrates. Beets are also high in folate, dietary fiber and antioxidants.

They are high in betaine which is prescribed to lower toxic levels of homocysteine (which contributes to the development of heart disease, stoke and peripheral vascular disease). The highest levels of vitamins and other nutrients are available when the vegetables are eaten raw. The beet greens are high in vitamin A.

The juice of white beets has been used for cleansing digestive quality to “open obstructions of the liver and spleen – good for headache and all affections of the brain. The juice is also good for “blisters and blains of the skin and as a decoction in water and vinegar cleanses the head of dandruff and relieves running sores and ulcers.” White beet juice is also helpful for preventing baldness and shedding of hair. Red beet juice is known to help with yellow jaundice and when the juice is put in the nostrils, it is helpful for ringing in the ears and toothaches. It was used to treat illnesses relating to digestion and blood. Beet leaves were used as binding for wounds.

In folk medicine a decoction from seeds was used as a remedy for tumors of the intestines and seeds boiled in water were a cure for genital tumors. When uridine is isolated from sugar beets it can be used with omega-3 to alleviate depression. Today beets are used as a universal cure-all and are used in the treatment of AIDS. Beets are recommended as a general tonic and help disorders of the blood, are an effective detoxifier and recommended to relieve constipation because of their high fiber content.


(uprooted beet roots)

Cocoa bean, seed of Theobroma cacao (The Fruit of Gods)

A small Cacao tree usually 4–8 m tall and grow rarely up to 20 m. After 2-3 years the tree produces many cauliflorous flowers and fruits develop after about 5 years. The fruits grow for 150-180 days, contain 30-40 seeds surrounded with mucilaginous pulp, and produce 10-35 cm long pods with recalcitrant seeds. A good tree produces up to 40 pods a year.

There are three main varieties of cacao trees. The most common is Forastero, which accounts 90% of the world's cacao beans production. Rarest and most prized are the beans of the Criollo variety. Their aroma and delicacy make them sought after by the world's best chocolate makers. Finally, there is the Trinitario variety of cacao, which is a hybrid cross between Criollo and Forastero.

Cacao seeds are the source of commercial cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter. The Fermented seeds are roasted, cracked and ground to give a powdery mass from which fat is expressed. In the preparation of chocolate, this mass is mixed with sugar, flavoring, and extra cocoa fat. Milk chocolate incorporates milk as well. Cocoa butter is used in confections and in manufacture of tobacco, soap, and cosmetics.

Cocoa butter has been described as the world's most expensive fat, used rather extensively in the emollient "bullets" used for hemorrhoids.

Theobroma cacao, is native to South America. Cocoa cultivation began by Mayan tribes in Central America, since 1500 BC. Mayas and Aztec attributed divine origin to cocoa tree (brought by god Quetzacoatl). The precious cocoa beans were used as a currency. The sacred beverage called "chocolatl" was consumed from golden cups.

Cocoa butter is applied to wrinkles in the hope of correcting them.


(a split open Cocoa bean)

Pepper (Capsicum annuum)

Peppers are tender and warm-season vegetable. There are two types of peppers, Sweet peppers and Hot peppers.

Sweet peppers are large-fruited, mild-flavored and bell types. The sweet peppers include Bell, Banana, Pimiento and Sweet Cherry.

The hot peppers include Cayenne, Celestial, Large Cherry, Serrano, Tabasco, and Jalapeno. Hot peppers are usually allowed to ripen fully and change colors and are smaller, longer, thinner and more tapering fruits than sweet peppers.

Pepper cultivation FAQ
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/pepper.html

Pepper soup
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/soup/pepper-soup-coll.html

Medicinal usage
As a medicinal plant, peppers have been used as a carminative, digestive irritant, stomachic, stimulant, rubefacient, and tonic. The plants have also been used as folk remedies for dropsy, colic, diarrhea, asthma, arthritis, muscle cramps, and toothache.

Prolonged contact with the skin may cause dermatitis and blisters, while excessive consumption can cause gastroenteritis and kidney damage.

Consumption of red pepper may aggravate symptons of duodenal ulcers. High levels of ground hot pepper have induced stomach ulcers and cirrhosis of the liver in laboratory animals.

Body temperature, flow of saliva, and gastric juices may be stimulated by peppers.


(variety of peppers)

Cucumber

Cucumber is a tender, warm-season vegetable. Grown for slicing and pickling. Cucumbers are ready for harvest 50 to

70 days from planting.

A single 8 inch cucumber(about 10.5 ounces) provides 12% of the minimum amount of fiber needed daily.


Cucumber cultivation FAQ's:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/cucumber.html


(cucumber in plant)

Mulberry

Mulberry trees are as ornamental as they are fruitful. The mulberry was once considered the "King of the Tree Crops"

Mulberry has various species are: White Mulberry, Black Mulberry, American Mulberry, Red Mulberry. Also there are few Hybrid forms exist between white and red mulberry.

The white mulberry is native to eastern and central China. The black mulberry is native to western Asia. The red mulberry is native to eastern United States.

The white mulberry fruits are generally very sweet but often lacking in needed tartness. Red mulberry fruits are usually deep red, almost black, and in the best clones have a flavor that almost equals that of the black mulberry. Black mulberry fruits are large and juicy, with a good balance of sweetness and tartness that makes them the best flavored species of mulberry. The refreshing tart taste of it, is in some ways reminiscent of grapefruit.

Rice (Oryza sativa)

Rice is cultivated primarily for it's grain, which is an important part of the diet in Asian counties.

Rice bran contains 15 to 17% oil, and is a source of vitamin B. Fermented or Sierra rice is consumed in the Andean highlands and is used exclusively there in the preparation of dry rice. Rice hulls are sometimes used in the production of purified alpha cellulose and furfural. Rice straw is used as roofing and packing material, feed, fertilizer, and fuel.

Rice is native to the tropics and subtropics of Southeast Asia. Almost 90% of the world's rice production is only from Asia as China and India being the largest producers.


(Rice field)

Peanut (Groundnut)

Peanut is an important oil and food crop; and being a 3rd major oil seed of the world, next to soybean and cotton.

It's seeds contains 25 to 32% protein and 42 to 52% oil. One Kilo gram of peanut is high enough in food energy and provides approximately the same energy value as 2 kilo grams of beef, 1.5 kilo grams of Cheddar cheese, one litre of milk, or 36 medium sized eggs.

The vines with leaves are an excellent high protein hay for horses and are used as ruminant livestock. The pods or shells serve as high fiber roughage in livestock feed, fuel, mulch, and are used in manufacturing fertilizer.

Peanuts are called in many local names, like earth-nuts groundnuts, goober peas, monkey nuts, pygmy nuts and pig nuts.


(Peanuts on it's plant)

Lucmo

The lucmo was first seen by Europeans in Ecuador in 1531. It is native and cultivated in the highlands of western Chile and Peru and possibly southeastern Ecuador where it is known to have been cultivated since ancient times.

The fruit is shape oblate, pointed or depressed at the apex; 3 to 4 inch long, with thin, delicate skin, brownish-green more or less overlaid with russet, and bright-yellow, firm, dry, mealy, very sweet pulp, permeated with latex until almost overripe. There may be 1 to 5 broad-oval, dark-brown, glossy seeds with a whitish hilum on one flattish side.

The mature fruits are edible after they have been picked from the tree and kept on hand for several days. The fully ripe fruits can be eaten raw, out-of-hand. It's flavor is appealing at first, but it become soon repulsive because of it's peculiar aftertaste.

The lucmo has been stewed in sirup, used as pie-filling, made into preserves, and used in making ice cream.

Kiwifruit (Chinese Gooseberry)

Kiwifruits are native to the Yangtze Valley of China. The Seeds from China were taken to New Zealand and planted in 1906. The kiwifruit is borne on a vigorous, woody, twining vine or climbing shrub reaching 30 ft. The fruit is colored brown, egg sized and covered with fuzz and up to 2 1/2 inch long.

When sliced, the cross-sections are very attractive. It has emerald-green flesh with rows of small, edible seeds, and a light cream colored center. Its flavor is similar to a blend between strawberry and pineapple.

Fresh kiwifruit can be eaten by peeled and sliced. The kiwifruit is high in vitamin C and can be used as a tenderizer when rubbed on meats.

Kiwifruits can be kept for up to six months, at a temperature slightly above freezing and at a relative humidity near 90%.

Bitter gourds (Momordica charantia)

Bitter gourds (Momordica charantia) is also known as Karela, bitter melon. The root, leaves and fruit from this plant are used as vegetables and in some medicinal uses. The plant is native from either China or India.

Preparing to serve as food
Slice bitter gourds into circles or lengthwise, and remove the seeds and pulp. Parboil them before cook, to remove the bitterness. They can be then stuffed, steamed, stir-fried, or pickled.

Special dishes using bitter gourds

• combine prepared gourds with black, fermented soy beans to use in curries.
• green leaves and young shoots are also edible after parboiling and stir-fried like greens.
• pickled bitter gourds can be used in making special chutney.

Medicinal uses

• Recent research suggests that, more than 22 medicinally active substances has been identified in bitter gourds, which are useful in treating diabetes as well as other diseases such as cancer, ulcer, hepatitis, measles, HIV and immune disorders.
  
• Bitter gourds contains Gurmarin, a polypeptide considered to be similar to bovine insulin, which has been shown in experimental studies to achieve a positive sugar regulating effect by suppressing the neural response to sweet taste stimuli.
  
• Diabetic patients can take the juice of bitter gourds. The seeds of bitter melon also can be added to food in a powdered form.
  
• The use of Bitter gourds during pregnancy is not recommended.

Betel nuts (areca nuts)

Betel nuts(areca nuts) are the seeds of Betel palm (Areca catechu), which are native to Malaya. The size of the nuts are about 2 inches(5cm) long and colored between dark-brown to gray.

In general, the betel nuts become mature between the months August and November. The matured betel nuts are boiled in water, cut into slices, and dried in the sun. The driend nuts are then broken down into smaller pieces (sometimes into a powder) and mixed with edible lime (which aids in the absorption of their active ingredients, arecaine and arecoline, to human body). The mixture is then wrappen together in a leaf of the betel pepper (Piper betle) and chewed. To improve the taste and flavor, the betel-lime mixture can be then added with a small amount of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, tamarind or cardamom.

The alkaloid and arecoline ingredients of Betel nuts are a mild stimulant which produce a feeling of wellbeing, when chewing the above prepared mixture. 

Overuse of betel nuts chewing can cause a feeling of intoxication and convulsions. The habitual and long term betel nut chewers will eventually develop a distinctive red stain of the mouth, teeth, and gums; and sometime it alos cause tooth decay.

Other uses

The betel nuts are used to destroy intestinal worms, and are also used as a dewormer in veterinary medicine.

How betel nut got this name?

Since, the leaves from Piper betle(betel) are chewed together with areca nut and edible lime (the mixture is also called calcium hydroxide,  limbux, or slaked lime); and with that  association, the areca nut has become known as betel nut.

[image: woman holds Betel nut with piper betle]

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) - Cheenikizhangu

This plant is cultivated for it's large edible tuber, which is being used as vegetable; They are eaten after boiled, baked and fried. The sweet potato can also be dried and ground into flour to make biscuits, and breads. The leaves and shoots of the plant are also edible. The large sweet potato tubers are range in color from purple to white or orange.

The sweet potato plant is vigorous, which spreads over with its dark green heart-shaped or five-lobed leaves closely to the ground.

The sweet potato is a good source of sugars, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It contains carotenoids which can help to stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance, making cells more responsive to insulin.

The leaf decoction from the plant is used in folk remedies for tumors of the mouth and throat.

Planting guidelines for sweet potato are available here.

[sweet potato being cut open]

Yam - Dioscorea alata

Yam is cultivated for their edible underground tuber; and is a popular food item in tropics. Yam tubers are boiled, peeled and then mashed for eating. It can be also prepared like potato chips or french fries. It tastes sweet with starchy.

Yam is native to Southeast Asia. The plant grows for 8 to 10 months, and goes dormant about 3 to 4 months.

The flesh of yam tubers varies colors between white to yellow, and filled up with 15% to 40% starch, with little or no protein. Yam tuber contains more natural sugar than even sweet potatoes and are rich in moisture content.

Yam is termed as kachil kizhangu in tamil language.

Mango - Queen of tropical fruits

Mango is one of the most celebrated of all tropical fruits and is regarded as queen among any fruits. In general, the tree is long-lived, and some specimens being known to be 300 years old and still fruiting.

Mango fruits would normally reach maturity in 4 to 5 months after the flowering season. The fruits can be eaten fresh and raw. The fruit has one seed that is flattened and sticks centrally with the flesh.

The fruits can be cut in half or side-by-side to the stone. the slices are twisted in opposite directions to free the stone which has to be removed, and the long slices served for eating as appetizers or dessert. Or the two "cheeks" may be cut off, following the contour of the stone; then the remaining side long finger slices of flesh are cut off for use in fruit cups, etc.

The frozen and dried/ canned fruits are used in jams, jellies, preserves, pies, chutney and ice cream. The young green mangoes are also can be eaten raw.

The fruit weighs about 1/4 pound to 3 pounds. The shape of the fruit may be round, ovate, or obovate differ between various cultivar and variety. The immature and young fruits has their skin in green color and as the fruit gets mature, the color of the skin may gradually turns to yellow, orange, purple, red, or combinations of these colors. The flesh of mature fruit is pale yellow to orange. The flesh is juicy, sweet, and sometimes with fibrous.

India produces mango crop, which is 9,920,700 tons and 65% of the world's total mango crop; in 2,471,000 acres of mango cultivation land (which is roughly 70% of its fruit-growing area in the world). Chief importers of mangoes are England and France, absorbing 82% of all mango shipments.

Mango cultivation are native to southern Asia, eastern India, Burma, and the Andaman Islands. Reduction in the size and height of mango plants would be a most desirable goal for the commercial planter, to assist easy harvesting and easy maintainance of trees in different fruiting seasons.

To induce early fruiting, double-grafting has been done in dwarf mango trees. A cultivar 'Julie' is a hybrid dwarf, which has been developed naturally. The polyembryonic Indian cultivars, 'Olour' and 'Vellai Colamban', when used as rootstocks, have a dwarfing effect; so has the polyembryonic 'Sabre' in experiments in Israel and South Africa.

The chemicals in this mangos plant are sometime very irritating to persons who are allergic to poison ivy (Toxicodendron).

Health benefits

• In general, mango fruits are low in calories and high in dietary fibre.
• Mangoes contains phenols compound, which has rich antioxidant and anticancer properties.
• Pregnant women and people with anemia are advised to eat mango fruit regularly. since the iron rich contents of mango.
• Mango is effective in relieving clogged pores of the skin.
• Mangoe fruits are particularly rich in potassium, which can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
• It is also valuable to combat acidity and poor digestion.
• Even a small size mango holds a quarter of your recommended daily allowance for vitamin C, nearly 2/3's of your daily quota for vitamin A(beta-carotene), and a good amount of vitamin E and Selenium, which help to protect against heart disease.
• In Chinese Medicine, mangoes are considered sweet and sour with a good cooling energy and are made as tonic.
• Recent researches suggest mango fruits are a powerful cancer-fighters.

See nutrition values for raw mango fruit at bloodindex

Other uses

The fat from the mango seeds has high stearic acid content and is desirable for soap-making. The seed residue from the extraction of this fat is used for cattle feed and soil enrichment.

Persimmons

Persimmons are grown for it's edible fruits. The persimmon fruit is known to be "the fruit of the gods" in the ancient Greeks. The tree can grow high up to 25 feet (7.6 m).

The fruit is size 3.5 inch(8.9 cm) in diameter, and the shape of the fruit varies between spherical, acorn-like, and pumpkin-shaped; with color pale yellow, orange, or red exterior with an orange flesh inside.

There are two types of persimmon fruits, one is with the astringent flavor while the other is non-astringent.

The fresh persimmon fruits can be eaten raw out-of-hand, or dried, or after cooked. When the fresh fruit is eaten raw, the outer skin is cut and removed, and the flesh is often cut into quarters or eaten whole like apples.

[image: sliced persimmon fruits]

Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia is grown fot it's edible nuts. The tree can grows up to 12 meter in height. The nut is shaped globose and follicle with a pointed apex. The nuts have a smooth and hard shell, which contains one or two seeds. The inside kernel is white with uniform quality and will shrink slightly after the harvest.

Macadamia nuts can be eaten raw after removed the husks, which covers the nuts. The white kernals are also eaten sometimes roasted by cooking in oil or salted. An edible bland salad oil also made from these nuts. A coffee names 'almond coffee' also made from these nuts.

Macadamia nuts are highly nutritious; and they are very rich in beneficial monounsaturated fats.

see an article from psu.edu, Macadamia nuts can be included in heart healthy diet.

[image: the shelled macadamia nuts]

Pecan Nuts

The pecans tree are large and can grow up height well over 100 feets.

The pecan nuts are shape oval, smooth, up to 2.5 inches long. The outer husk is fleshy at immature and turns to fibrous, and splitting open at maturity. The shells of the fruit are hard, thin, woody. The kernel can be easily separated when mature.

The pecan nuts are edible, with a rich, buttery flavor; and can be directly eaten raw. They can be also prepared into sweet desserts, ice creams and cookery. An oil pressed from pecan nuts are good for salad dressing.

The pecan nuts are shelled and put in the refrigerator in cold storage, to keep about nine months; and it can be keep upto two years if it kept in the freezer. These shelled pecan nuts can also stay good to another additional two months after being removed from the cold storage.

Medicinal facts: A diet rich in these pecan nuts can lower the risk of gallstones, in women. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecan nuts can be reduce high cholesterol by reducing the "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. There are scientific evidence suggests, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pecan nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Pecans tree is native to the lower Mississippi Valley and westward through Texas, and in northern Mexico.

[image: the ripe pecan nuts]

Santol - wild mangosteen

The santol fruits are shape globose to oblate, with size about 1 1/2 to 3 inch (4 to 7.5 cm) wide. There are two different varieties within this fruits; and they are, the 'pink to red' variety and the 'yellow to golden'. The tree can be grows upto 150 feet in height.

The inner part of the fruits are the edible white, translucent, milky, juicy pulp; which is sorrounded by a thin and thick downy rind. The taste of the pulp is sweet, subacid or sour. The pulp also contains 3 to 5 small brown seeds, which are inedible.

The fresh fruit can be eaten raw and plain or salted or with other spices added. These fruits can be eaten without peeling, as the rind is also edible; only the seeds are inedible. These fruits are sometimes candied and also prepared into some alcoholic beverages.

Santol is native to Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia; and are now being cultivated throughout India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and many Pacific Islands.

[image: the Santol fruit after cut open]