Tag Archives: Vegetation

Sweet Corn

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Sweet Corn

You cannot get jokes more sweet corn-y.

  • Sweet corn is a maize variety that has a particularly sweet taste in comparison to other varieties of maize, and it is also known as ‘pole corn’ and ‘sugar corn’.
  • The scientific name of the sweet corn plant is Zea mays saccharata or Zea mays rugosa, and it is from the family Poaceae, the family of true grasses.
  • Sweet corn has a higher quantity of sugar and less starch than other maize varieties, and it is believed that this is caused by a natural mutation, and the cobs are harvested before they are mature, to ensure maximum sweetness.
  • A single sweet corn plant produces a range of one to three cobs each, that typically range from 20 to 25 centimetres (8 to 10 inches) in length.
  • Generally sweet corn hardens and becomes starchy easily, meaning it should be eaten soon after picking and stored only for short periods of time in a cool location.

Sweet Corn, Yellow, Green, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Food, Maize, Culinary, Cob

  • Sweet corn can be steamed, microwaved, baked, boiled and barbecued, and is readily available in supermarkets and can be bought fresh, frozen or canned, and sometimes ‘creamed’.
  • Even though sweet corn is technically a grain, it is often eaten as a vegetable, commonly with peas, as a side to a main meal; with beans in Central and South America; and once the kernels are removed from the cob they are commonly used in salads and main meal dishes.
  • Sweet corn kernels are typically a yellow or white colour and they have a sweet flavour, and while on the cob, they are typically surrounded with a green leafy husk and strands of hair, known as ‘silk’.
  • Native American tribes were the original growers of sweet corn, and it grew in popularity around the late 1700s, when it became accessible to Europeans.
  • Sweet corn is very high in fibre, folate, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C, and contains many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Corn, 2013, Fresh For Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/veg_pages/corn/corn.html
How To Grow: Sweet Corn, 2013, SBS, http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2012/09/06/how-grow-sweet-corn
Sweet Corn, 2015, Victoria State Government Agriculture, http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/vegetables/vegetables-a-z/sweet-corn
Sweet Corn, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_corn

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Caper

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Caper

Feeling lively? Try a caper!

  • A caper is a small, edible bud of the flower that grows on the bush of the same name, native to the Mediterranean area and some parts of Asia.
  • The scientific name of the caper bearing plant is Capparis spinosa and it is from the family Capparaceae, the family of capers, which is considered to be closely related to the mustard family of Brassicaceae.
  • Capers are roughly oval in shape and are an olive-green colour, and the leaves and berries of the plant are also edible.
  • Capers are sold commercially and are generally categorised in sizes from 7 to 14 millimeters (0.28 to 0.55 of an inch), with different names for each size – the smallest being ‘nonpareil’ and the largest being ‘grusa’, though the smaller ones are more sought after.
  • Capers are commonly dried and salted, and often pickled in vinegar or brine, to enhance the flavour before consuming as is, or lightly cooked.

Capers, Vegetable, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Vegetation, Green, Food, Culinary

  • Foods that may include capers as an ingredient include tartare sauce and other condiments, salads, pasta dishes, and meat dishes including fish.
  • The flavour of capers tends to be a blend of vinegar or other pickling solution if any, salt, and a flowery mustard or peppery taste.
  • Due to their fragile nature, capers are unable to be collected using machinery and thus must be picked by hand.
  • The cultivation of caper buds as food originates as early as 2000 BC, and their use has become more widespread throughout the centuries.
  • Capers are extremely high in sodium and a good source of vitamin K and copper, and they have many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Caper, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caper
Fillippone P, What Are Capers?, 2015, About Food, http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/f/faqcapers.htm
So What The Hell Are Capers Anyway?, 2014, The Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2014/05/30/what-are-capers_n_1276491.html?ir=Australia

ʻĪao Valley

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ʻĪao Valley

ʻĪao Valley is the perfect mix of rainforest and rain.

  • ʻĪao Valley is a valley located in the western area of Maui, an island of Hawaii, which is part of the United States.
  • ʻĪao Valley has an abundance of lush rainforest flora, although it is said that most of the plants are not native to the area.
  • The United States listed ʻĪao Valley as a National Natural Landmark in 1972, and as such, it is Division of State Parks logomaintained by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
  • ʻĪao Valley State Monument, the national park encompassing the valley, covers an area of 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres), and a road makes the park easily accessible to visitors.
  • The term ‘ʻĪao’ is from the Hawaiian language, and when translated into English it means ‘toward the dawn’ or ‘cloud supreme’.
ʻĪao Valley, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Place, Landmark, Hawaii, Forest, America, Needle
Part of ʻĪao Valley
Image courtesy of Mary and Andrew/Flickr
  • The ʻĪao Needle’, a volcanic plug of ʻĪao Valley, is a notable landmark in the area, reaching an above sea level height of 685 metres (2250 feet) and approximately 365 metres (1200 feet) above ground.
  • According to Hawaiian mythology, the god and provider of life, Kāne, is associated with ʻĪao Valley.
  • In its history, ʻĪao Valley has been used as a royal burial site, as well as a major battleground in 1790, when King Kamehameha I conquered the island in his bid to establish the Kingdom of Hawaii.
  • ʻĪao Valley is a common place visited by tourists, who will often explore the site through hiking, and lookouts and a botanical garden are located on the main trail.
  • The peak of Puʻu Kukui, located above the ʻĪao Valley, receives an average of around 9.8 metres (32 feet) of rainfall annually, making it one of the ten wettest places on earth.
Bibliography:
‘Iao Valley State Park, 2015, Maui Guidebook, http://mauiguidebook.com/central-maui/iao-valley-state-park/
Iao Valley, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iao_Valley
Iao Valley State Park, 2015, Hawaiian Tourism Authority, http://www.gohawaii.com/en/maui/regions-neighborhoods/central-maui/iao-valley-state-park/

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Maize

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Maize

Is it maize or corn?

  • Maize is a grain-based food plant where the seeds, or kernels, are also known as ‘corn’, and the plant was first cultivated in Mexico, America, thousands of years ago, where the grain is a staple food.
  • The scientific name of maize is Zea mays and it is from the family Poaceae, the family of true grasses.
  • There are a number of different types of maize, and they are generally categorised under the names ‘sweet corn’, ‘popcorn’, ‘flour corn’, ‘flint corn’, ‘dent corn’, and ‘wild’ or ‘pod corn’.
  • Approximately 600 kernels of maize form on a cob, that grows as an ‘ear’ or spear head shaped spike, on a 2.5 to 12 metre (8 to 39 feet) tall plant.
  • Female flowers of maize plants produce stigmas that are like strands of hair, known as ‘silk’; and the kernels or seeds are a white, yellow, orange or red colour, while green, purple, black, and blue/grey varieties exist.

Maize, Food, Culinary, Ten Random Facts, Vegetation, Field, Europe

A Field of Maize
Image courtesy of Carsten Ullrich/Flickr
  • The United States was the world’s top producer of maize in 2013, producing roughly 353.7 million tonnes (389.9 million tons), of a world total production of just over 1 billion tonnes (1.1 billion tons), making it the most produced cereal crop on earth.
  • Depending on the type and variety, maize has different uses – sweet corn is generally cooked and eaten like a vegetable; popcorn is heated until the kernels burst providing a light weight snack, flour corn is typically ground into flour; flint and dent corn are used for animal feed and are also processed and made into products for human consumption; while pod corn is not usually used for commercial purposes.
  • A protein found in maize, that fails to break down when cooked, can cause allergic reactions, with symptoms that include itchiness, rashes, asthma or vomiting, among others.
  • Field corn, which includes all types of maize except for sweet corn and popcorn, accounts for at least 98% of corn crops grown in the United States, of which around 75% is used for stock feed and the production of ethanol fuel, while the rest is used to make products like breakfast cereal, corn syrup, corn starch and flour, corn chips, and other commercial products.
  • The cobs of maize have been crafted into smoking pipes, and it is believed that they were made as early as the 1860s in the United States, while the starch is used in many non-food products including adhesives and plastics.
Bibliography:
Corn, 1999, Purdue Agriculture, https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/Crops/Corn.html
Maize, 2009, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, http://www.iita.org/maize 
Maize, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize

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Spanish Moss

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Spanish Moss

Spanish moss is a mop of scraggy hair.

  • Spanish moss is a vegetation species that is hosted by a variety of trees, and it has no roots or need for soil and it is easily grown from cuttings or broken pieces.
  • The scientific name of Spanish moss is Tillandsia usneoides, and it is from the family Bromeliaceae, the family of bromeliads.
  • ‘Spanish moss’ is also known as an ‘air plant’, ‘Pele’s Hair’, ‘grey beard’, ‘old man’s whiskers’, and ‘old man’s beard’.
  • Spanish moss is native to the moist areas of southeast North, Central and South America; and has become a weed in some parts of Australia.
  • The leaves of Spanish moss have minute scales and appear to be a grey or green colour; and they are quite thin but long, reaching a single millimetre (0.04 inches) in width and 2 to 6 centimetres (0.8 to 2.4 inches) in length.

Spanish Moss, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Grassy, Vegetation, Wall, Climb, Australia

  • Spanish moss droops from somewhat shaded or completely exposed tree branches, and the plant can be as long as 6 metres (20 feet).
  • Nutrients and water for Spanish moss are generally obtained from the atmosphere, including precipitation.
  • Spanish moss has been historically used for a variety of purposes, including as a filling for mattresses, and it can also be used as a fibre or for shelter insulation, as well as in creative works.
  • Spanish moss is a common habitat for certain spiders, bats, rat snakes and insects, and is used as nest material for birds.
  • Small fragrant flowers in blue, yellow or green may grow on Spanish moss in summer, and they produce hairy seeds.
Bibliography:
Spanish Moss, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss
Tillandsia Usneoides, 2015, Plants Rescue, http://www.plantsrescue.com/tillandsia-usneoides/
Tillandsia Usneoides (Spanish Moss), n.d, Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/tillandsia-usneoides-spanish-moss

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Kale

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Kale

Imagine kale, imagine leafy vegetable.

  • Kale is a form of commonly eaten leafy vegetable that possibly has its origins in and around Turkey in the Middle East.
  • ‘Kale’ is also known as ‘borecole’, ‘boerenkool’ and ‘salad savoy’, while the ‘ornamental’ varieties that are grown are also edible.
  • Kale is directly related to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, as it is from the species with the scientific name Brassica oleracea, and it is from the family Brassicaceae, the family of mustards and cabbage.
  • Kale was grown in ancient Rome and Greece and was commonly eaten up until the Middle Ages, and at various times in history it has had renewed popularity.
  • Kale comes in a variety of colours, including pinks, whites, purples, reds and greens, of which the latter is most commonly eaten, and the vegetable can be stored in the freezer so that it can be used at a later time.

Kale, Vegetable, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Food, Culinary, Green,

  • Kale is popularly used in salads, soups, or as a side vegetable, and it can be separated into smaller pieces and cooked like a potato crisp.
  • There are different varieties of kale, and some have fairly flat leaves, while others have very curly leaves, and they can have a somewhat bitter or earthy flavour, though it depends on the variety.
  • The flavour of kale can decrease if lemon juice or oil is used with the vegetable, though it can reduce the bitterness, and the vegetable develops a sweeter flavour if harvested after a frost.
  • Kale is extremely high in vitamin A and vitamin C; is extraordinarily high in vitamin K; and the vegetable contains antioxidants, as well as having anti-inflammatory and cancer preventing properties.
  • A significant amount of oxolates are found in kale, which can crystallise and can cause problems in those with kidney and gallbladder issues.
Bibliography:
Kale, 2015, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38
Kale, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale
Neff C, How To Cook Kale, 2010, Experience Life, https://experiencelife.com/article/how-to-cook-kale/
What is Kale Good For?, 2015, Food Facts, http://foodfacts.mercola.com/kale.html

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