A Word Game Anyone?

Collard Greens. One of my new favorites (remember, I'm not originally from the south).

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/CollardGreens.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collard_greens

Can you have a "collard green" so we don't run into that too many S's situation?

WardinWake wrote:Howdy Folks:

Ice Plant = Turmeric - Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia.

God Bless, Ward and Mary.

I would never have guessed that Ice Plant = Turmeric. Fascinating, thank you! I use turmeric (the spice) in pickles and challah bread. (I think I've used it a time or two in Indian cooking with cauliflower, too, but I don't do that very much.)

BIG OOPS. Ice Plant does not equal Turmeric. I was just using the last letter in ice plant (T) to start the new word, in this case Turmeric. Ice Plant and Turmeric are two different plants and should not be used as a substitute for each other. Again SORRY.

God Bless, Ward.

Nicandra (Solanaceae)

A pretty flower, also known as Apple of Peru. Sometimes grown to help repel insects.

Warning: One link I found said it was poisonous to mammals. Keep it away from children and pets who might ingest it.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-nicandra.htm
http://rareseeds.com/flowers-n-z/nicandra/splash-of-creme-nicandra-shoo-fly.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lab/msg0822113415968.html
http://kitchengardenhelp.com/2010/05/02/apple-of-peru-nicandra-how-to-grow-soil-conditions-and-what-care-should-be-taken/

Just thought I would keep us up to date on what words have been used so far, 34 already

AMARANTH
Asparagus
Carrot
Collard Green (s)
Dill
Echinacea
Eggplant
Elephant Garlic
Endive
Habanero
Hill Onion
Horehound
Huckelnerry
Ice Plant
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leek
Mache
Malabar Spinach
Nasturtium
New Zealand Spinach
Nicandra
Okra
Oleander
Pepper
Pumpkin
Rampicante Squash
Rutabaga
Strawberry
Tulip
Tumeric
Wild Leek
Yam
Yarrow


My new word is
ARTICHOKE

Will perennialize in Zones 7 and above
After the first year's harvest, in late October, cut plants to 8 - 10 inches above ground and cover with straw or leaves to keep the stump from freezing. Uncover in early April. Overwinter survival is likely but not certain. Regrowth will be ofshoots of the parent plant.

Thanks Furbalsmom!

Elecampane

A large, perennial herb with 3-4" yellow flowers similar to a small sunflower, common in Great Britain and Europe but has naturalized to North America. Has medicinal uses.

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Inula%20helenium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elecampane
http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_elecampane.htm

Edamame/soybean (cuz this is the only "E" plant I had left, the "N" will give everyone an alternate )

From edamame.com

Edamame is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the "hardening" time. The word Edamame means "Beans on Branches," and it grows in clusters on bushy branches. To retain the freshness and its natural flavor, it is parboiled and quick-frozen. In East Asia, the soybean has been used for over two thousand years as a major source of protein. Edamame is consumed as a snack, a vegetable dish, used in soups or processed into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water, and then the seeds are squeezed directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers.

And links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edamame

http://www.edamame.wsu.edu/

Nepeta cataria or catnip is a perennial commonly known for it's euphoria-inducing effect on cats. It has large. serrated leaves with small pink or white flowers but occasionally blue or lilac flowers. Average growth is 30-100cm high and spread of 25-60cm.

In the kitchen it is used in teas but may be chopped up for use in sauces, soups, pastas, grains and vegetables. The young leaf shoots are tasty sprinkled on salads.

For those concerned that they may turn their cats into drug addicts by exposing them to this plant, scientists have found that it does not harm them.

Early plant lore said that American hangmen often ate catnip before reporting for duty as it was widely held at the time that the root made even the most gentle person turn mean. So consuming the root was supposed to help hangmen prepare for the unpleasant task before them.

GK

Catnip tea made from the leaves is actually quite calming.

Wow, I wish I had a cup of mint tea just now... I guess I better harvest the last of the herbs tomorrow.

Parsnip History

Nutritional Value of Parsnip

How to grow Parsnip

Parsnip Recipes

Potato

http://www.healthypotato.com/index.php

This site tells how to grow, store, and cook potatoes, and also gives the history, nutrition, and fun facts about them. (Thomas Jefferson introduced french fries to the US during his presidency.)

Mom's Easy Potato Soup
(A simple version my mom fed us when we weren't feeling well.)

4 potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2"
1/2 onion, diced small
2 ribs celery, diced small
1 T. bacon grease
Milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Place potatoes, onions, and celery in saucepan and cover with water. Salt & pepper to taste. Simmer until veggies are tender. Add bacon grease. Add milk to taste, and heat just enough to serve. Do not boil. Serves 4.

Next let's do:

Oregano

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano and
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=73 and one more
http://gardening.about.com/od/plantprofil2/p/Oregano.htm

ONION
The most important factors for proper onion storage are good air circulation, relative dryness and cool temperatures. Look for an appropriate area in your home that has these conditions. Store your onions in small quantities and make sure they are safe from freezing.

You should periodically inspect the onions for damage and disease. Be careful to use or discard any onions that show signs of problems. If you want to use the onions, simply cut away the infected area and use within a few days. Onions that begin to feel soft to the touch may start to rot quickly. You may want to send these onions to the compost pile rather than using them.

In order to properly store onions, they must be well ripened and cured. Those that are immature, soft, or “thick necked” should never be placed in storage but used as soon as possible. Properly stored onions should be hard and may even rattle almost like wooden blocks when poured from one crate to another.

For the bulbs to remain bright and attractive, they should not be allowed to lie exposed to the weather, but should be stored in cool, dry areas as soon as possible.

In handling onions it is a good idea to pass them over a screen to catch any of the loose skins and to remove any of the soft, decaying bulbs.

Another good option for storing onions is to tie them up in bunches and store them by hanging them upside down in a cool, dry place.

Note that the stronger flavored onions last longer in storage than the sweet onion varieties. Try using all your sweet onions no later than two months after placing them in storage.

ander217 wrote:Potato
Mom's Easy Potato Soup
(A simple version my mom fed us when we weren't feeling well.)

4 potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2"
1/2 onion, diced small
2 ribs celery, diced small
1 T. bacon grease
Milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Place potatoes, onions, and celery in saucepan and cover with water. Salt & pepper to taste. Simmer until veggies are tender. Add bacon grease. Add milk to taste, and heat just enough to serve. Do not boil. Serves 4.

Love it!! Just as an aside: Maybe we could do a recipe word game one of these days, too. Wouldn't that be fun!

Nancy Hall (Sweet potato)

An heirloom variety of vining sweet potato widely grown in the 1930s and '40s. Many people don't know there are yellow and white sweet potatoes as well as orange. Nancy Hall (also known as Yellow Yam) has yellow flesh rather than orange, and the flesh is waxy and sweet. It doesn't look as pretty as commercial orange varieties but it is a favorite for flavor. It takes 110 days to maturity, longer than most sweet potato varieties which are usually 90-100 days. Northern gardeners may have to use black plastic row covers to warm up the ground sooner for planting.

According to this article from Slow Food USA http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/nancy_hall_sweet_potato/ :

Regardless of who first discovered the tan-colored, moist, yellow-fleshed tuber, the Nancy Hall was once so loved in the American Southeast a parade was once held in its honor. The taste was so adored that a 1919 farmers’ bulletin proclaimed it one of the most popular varieties of the day. Nonetheless, the Nancy Hall has all but disappeared from farms and tables. By the 1990s, the commercial market for sweet potatoes became dominated by only two varieties: Beauregard and Covington. This genetic consolidation resulted in the near loss of this regionally treasured treat.

Lychee also known as litchi, laichi, lichu.
lychee recipes

How about Elderberry

http://elderberries.ning.com/forum/topics/elderberry-faq-what-they-are

I've never tasted them, but it's the only thing I can find that starts with E!

Notice that the site says to stay away from the red elderberries completely because of the potential for toxins, and also to only use the berries cooked.

Odd Duck wrote:How about Elderberry

http://elderberries.ning.com/forum/topics/elderberry-faq-what-they-are

I've never tasted them, but it's the only thing I can find that starts with E!

Notice that the site says to stay away from the red elderberries completely because of the potential for toxins, and also to only use the berries cooked.

I gather wild elderberries but I missed my elderberry window this year, it came a bit earlier than usual. I use them to make jelly sometimes but mostly I make Elderberry Cordial, very good for respiratory ailments and calming the nerves. Elderberries are not sweet and they take an aquired taste. I think I may just have some of that cordial now, vintage 2006, very smooth.