Here it is again, another rewritten article. Like I said before in one or more of my previous articles that some of my very old articles were not created and/or put together as organized as the recent ones. My old article about carrots can be found here – Carrots Nutrients and Benefits. So, let’s sit back, relax, and begin our new and updated research on carrots.
Carrots are in the family of Apiaceae and their binomial name is Daucus Carota. Carrot is considered as a Root Vegetable. In Russian carrots are called Markovka, and the actual Russian word looks like this – Марковка. Make sure to pronounce the R or roll your R’s in Markovka the Spanish or Russian way and not the English way. (I’m still having trouble saying the letter R the English way, but I’m working on it).
Carrots come in multiple different colors like; Red, Yellow, Orange, White, Light Purple, and Dark Purple. Depending on the environment, mature carrots can be kept after picking for about three to four weeks, but the young carrots can only survive for about two weeks. If you want to make the carrot’s shelf life longer, make sure to remove their green tops.
Did you know that the tops of the carrots are also edible? I really didn’t know that. Hmm… Interesting. The Orange part of the carrot is called a Taproot. Some people claim that Carrots are very good companion plants, especially in tomato production, because the white carrot’s flowers attract wasps which help protect the tomatoes from different kinds of pests.
People around the world enjoy carrots in very many ways like; chopping, boiling, frying, steaming, or by just eating them raw and fresh. You can use or cook carrots in soups, stews, salads, cakes, puddings, rice, and baby foods. The Nutrients in one cup (or 128 grams) of Raw Chopped Carrots are: Continue reading
Have you seen the Red, Yellow, and Green Bell Peppers in your local grocery stores? Have you ever bought them or used them for your meals? Well, I used them and sometimes still do for my soups, salads, or whatever I can use them in. I really like the taste of the red sweet bell pepper, then I’d say the yellow one is next in line of taste for me, and then the green one. What is kind of annoying to me is that the red ones are the most expensive ones in stores. For salads I would recommend fresh peppers, but for the soups or cooked meals I usually use the frozen ones that are already chopped into strips and the package I buy at Wal-Mart has all three colors in it.
Many people are used to seeing wasabi in a form of a green paste and usually by sushi dishes. But in real life Wasabi is pretty much another Vegetable plant that is also known as Japanese Horseradish, or Wasabia Japonica, or Cochlearia wasabi, or Eutrema japonica. Wasabi is a member of the Brassicaceae family, in other words, it’s in the same family as Mustard, Horseradish, and Cabbage. Typically Wasabi is used as a condiment, especially for sushi and/or rice. Since it’s pretty difficult and expensive to grow and keep wasabi plants, people began to make a very similar tasting product called Western Wasabi which consists of Western Horseradish, Mustard, and Green Food Coloring.
In this article I would like to talk about a very unique plant called Roselle, or Rosella Fruit, or Binomially speaking Hibiscus Sabdariffa. This annual or perennial herb is one of the species of Hibiscus. The fruit of Roselle plant become mature in about six months and that is when it gets beautiful bright red color. While still immature, this plant can have whitish or yellowish colors with a dark reddish spot at the bottom of each petal. The stem of the Roselle plant is cultivated for the production of Bast Fiber or Skin Fiber which is then used to make burlap (Woven Fabric, Gunny Cloth, or Coarse Fabric).
I believe that I have never tried Rhubarb or Rheum Rhabarbarum vegetable, so that means I really don’t know how it tastes. Not too long ago one of my relatives offered me to try one of these Rhubarb vegetable stalks, but since I wasn’t sure about this vegetable I decided not to try it. In Russian language Rhubarb is called Pевень. Some people refer to Rhubarb as a vegetable but some refer to it as a fruit because of the regulation, duties, and tax purposes. Some people from around the world prefer to eat Rhubarbs raw and some prefer to cook it. Just to warn you, the leaves on this vegetable are toxic, so try to avoid eating them. People claim that fresh and raw stalks from Rhubarb are as crisp as a Celery and that they have a strong tart taste to them.
Did you know that there is a root vegetable that really looks like a 
Parsnips grow bigger and have better flavor if they are grown in colder countries, but there must be good healthy soil in order to accomplish that. In Roman times some people believed that Parsnip was an Aphrodisiac vegetable which means it increased sexual desire. Since Parsnip is so rich in Vitamins, Minerals, and Nutrients people use it for baby food products. The Nutrients in a cup (133 grams) of Raw Sliced Parsnips are: 
If you have been in Mexico for about a week or more, then you most likely heard of, seen, or even tried their very popular meals with Nopales. These meals could consist of Meat with Nopales, Eggs with Nopales, Tacos with Nopales, or a salad that is made with Nopal Cactus. Nopales must be prepared properly to make sure that all of the Glochids, Spines, and the Outer Layer are removed prior to eating or even cooking.
The Lotus flower that I’m talking about is also called Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or Binomialy speaking Nelumbo Nucifera, Nelumbium Seciosum, or Nymphaea Nelumbo, but NOT just Nymphaea which is a Water Lily. This Lotus flower is considered as an aquatic perennial plant.
