|
Kathy’s Garden Writing |
|
A RAINBOW OF NUTRITION Color in Your Garden is a well-known title by the famous British landscaper, Penelope Hobhouse. She was discussing ornamentals, of course. But for the more pragmatic gardener, let’s take a look at the rainbow of colors available for the vegetable patch. Hybridists and heirloom seed collectors have been busy mixing it up in the edible plant families -- for visual appeal, taste, and perhaps most importantly to enhance the nutritional value of various food groups. Your mother was not far off when she told you that a colorful plate of food was also a healthy one, because each vegetable color serves up its own designer cocktail of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (see table below). How about a blue potato? The Aztecs grew these for centuries. “All Blue” is exactly that, deep purplish-blue skin and flesh. Great baked, with its subtle nutty flavor. Or boil with “All Red” and a standard white, and you have a patriotic potato salad. And did you know that eggplant flaunts a myriad of vitamin-rich skin tones besides the standard purple-black – rose, lilac, red, orange, yellow, green, and white? One of the tastiest is “Thai Long Green,” a sweet Asian variety that roasts to a creamy richness. Even America’s favorite summer vegetable -- sweet corn – comes in surprising shades of red, black, blue, pink, and orange. The kernels of “Rainbow Sweet Inca” include a beautiful pastel palette, with old-fashioned real corn taste. Or try “Ruby Queen,” an exceptionally sweet, bright red table corn. Toss the steamed kernels from either variety, with diced cucumbers and peppers, and maybe some black beans; dress with a light vinaigrette and cilantro; and you have a colorful mosaic for a summer salad. Not to be outdone, there is also the “Atomic Red” carrot, loaded with lypocene; “Purple of Sicily” cauliflower, which steams to a bright green; amazingly sweet “Golden” beets; and “Neon Lights” Swiss chard, an underutilized vegetable packed with nutrition (see “The Best 11 Foods You Aren’t Eating,” New York Times, June 30, 2008). Tomatoes and peppers also come in an array of tasty colors, and deserve a feature story of their own. As do beans and squash and all sorts of herbal and floral garnishes. A painterly and nutritious approach to good eating is almost limitless. If you’re drooling at the thought of beautiful summer meals, now is the time to place a seed order for flavor-packed vegetables from one of your favorite catalogues. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com) offers many interesting choices collected from around the world. The Cook’s Garden (cooksgarden.com), a subsidiary of Burpee’s, features vegetable varieties especially appealing to the gourmet cook. And Pinetree Garden Seeds (superseeds.com) is a staple for those wanting to make only a family-sized seed purchase. So move beyond the simple advice to “Eat your greens.” And think of “color in your garden” as an opportunity to raise a beautiful and delicious crop of nutrition. Nutrition in Color Blue/Purple: anthocyanins, phenolics Green: lutein, indoles White/Tan/Brown: allicin Yellow/Orange: vitamin C, carotenoids, bioflavonoids Red: lypocene, anthocyanins (Visit fruitandveggieguru.com for additional information.) Kathleen Arcuri The Benton News – March 1, 2009 |