Lettuce

The popularity of kale as a cancer-fighting vegetable made me decide to plant some. I started with seeds and the variety is called “Toscano”. It is a plain-leaf type. Some kales have curly leaves. Some are called ornamental kales because of their different colors and mostly used as decorative plant in the garden. I have…

Kohlrabi is in the family of brassicas which includes cabbages, brocolli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens and brussel sprouts. The word kohlrabi is a German word meaning cabbage and turnip. I guess its because it look like a turnip but tastes like a cabbage. I decided to plant Kohlrabi because I was curious about the taste…

I like Swiss chard in my garden, not only of the healthful benefits but because it is pretty much easy to plant and grow. It is not finicky like some other plants like lettuce for example where you have to wait till the weather is a little bit cooler before you can plant. This one…

Artichoke is perennial vegetable that belongs to the thistle family of plants. The edible part of the plant is the bud before it opens into a flower. The immature florets in the center of the bud is called the “choke” but its not edible. You have to remove it from the base called the heart,…

Shallots in the Philippines is called Sibuyas Tagalog or Sibuyas Iloko. Sibuyas is a word derived from Spanish word “cebolla” which means onion. I like this type of onions fresh mix with tomatoes and used as a side dish for grilled fish, especially milkfish. But anything grilled like pork or chicken or even beef will…

Amaranth – Kulitis ( Amaranthus) is considered a very nutritious leaf vegetable in the Philippines.  The flowers are also edible and when the seeds are formed, the seeds are ground to make a healthy type of flour or eaten like a breakfast cereal.  The seeds of the amaranth is a good source of protein.  The…