Vegetable Gardening 

Did You Know? - The artichoke was first developed in Sicily and was known to both the Greeks and the Romans. In 77 AD the Roman naturalist Pliny called the choke one of earth's monstrosities, but many continued to eat them. Historical accounts show that wealthy Romans enjoyed artichokes prepared in honey and vinegar, seasoned with cumin, so that this treat would be available year round.

It was not until the early twentieth century that artichokes were grown in the United States. All artichokes commercially grown in the United States are grown in California.

In 1947, Marilyn Monroe was crowned the first Queen of the Artichokes!

Did You Know? - Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together.  Apple trees are typically propagated by grafting because seeds do not produce true-to-type varieties.

The top part of the graft is the variety of apple that will produce the fruit and is called the scion. The bottom part is called the rootstock and forms the roots. The choice in rootstock is determined by the special characteristics it offers. Some grafts are done to produce dwarf forms of apple trees; other times it is to take advantage of creating disease-resistant trees.

Did You Know? - All citrus fruits originated in the Old World, except grapefruit. Grapefruit originated sometime in the late 18th-century in the Caribbean. No one knows for sure, but it is probably a natural mutation of the pomelo and another citrus fruit.

• Grapefruit are hand-picked, no mechanical harvesting is used.
• Grapefruit trees can produce for 30-40 years.
• The United States produced 1.23 million tons of grapefruit in 2006.
• A Frenchman, Count Odette Phillipe, planted the first grapefruit trees in Florida around Tampa Bay in 1823. Today, Florida produces about 1/3 of the world's grapefruit. (1998).
• World production of grapefruit is almost 6 million tons, the United States produces over 60% of this total.
• Some mature grapefruit trees can yield up to 1500 pounds of fruit in a season.
• The average yield is 350 pounds.

Did You Know? - Despite this rough appearance, the leaves of the savoy cabbage are tender, even when eaten raw. This makes them an ideal choice for salads, vegetable wraps, or as a bed for rice, fish, or other dishes. This in sharp contrast to the leaves of "green" or "red"cabbages, that are hard and rubbery. Their only real use, in the raw state, is in making coleslaw. Even then, the texture can be too tough for many people to enjoy. On the other hand, savoy cabbage can make a tastier, and much more tender coleslaw.

As a side note, the terms "green" and "red" cabbage, refer to specific types of cabbages. Green cabbage is the typical hard, rubbery cabbage that most people are familiar with. Red cabbage is also fairly common. It is also hard and rubbery, with a slightly bolder flavor, than the green, and is most often used for the color contrast, rather than for the flavor. These are both high in many nutritional factors. Unfortunately, due to their texture and taste, people use them sparingly in their raw state. They become more tender, and less bitter tasting, when cooked, but they lose a lot of nutritional value in the process.