Family Table

Veggie 101

Did you ever stop to look at a bowl of vegetable soup? A good hearty soup might contain green beans, corn, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes. Let's find out where those veggies originally came from and what nutritional value they have.

We'll also tell you how some of these veggies got to your soup bowl - read on!

Green Beans - The green bean was first discovered in the hot regions of the Americas, India and China. It was introduced to France by the Conquistadors around 1597. For a long time, green beans were considered rare and were very expensive. This vegetable became widespread only in the 19th century. The first to put green beans on their menus were the French. Green beans are low in calories and filled with nutrients including carbohydrates, protein, vitamin C, iron and potassium.

Carrots - The history of the carrot can be traced back 5000 years. Evidence has been found that this root plant originated in Afghanistan. Over the centuries traders traveling through the region picked up carrot seeds and carried them along the trade routes of Arabia, Africa, and Asia, selling them in regions where people were anxious to cultivate new and productive plants. Even in the early days there were many varieties of carrots, coming in an assortment of colors - purple, white, black, and red but, not orange. Carrots are high in fiber, vitamins A, C, K, B6, potassium, thiamin, niacin; manganese and foliate.

Potatoes - The word potato refers to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber, or the round part we eat. Potatoes were first introduced outside the Andes region four centuries ago, and have become an integral part of much of the world's food supply. Potatoes are the world's fourth-largest food crop. There are over a thousand different types of potatoes. Potatoes are high in protein, carbohydrates, fiber and have a low sugar content.

Celery - It is not known who discovered celery but is has been around for almost 3,000 years. The oldest record of the word celery is in a 9th-century poem written in France or Italy, speaking of its medicinal uses. In the 16th century people in Italy and northern Europe began growing celery in gardens but it was still only used for medicinal purposes. The use of celery for food was first recorded in France in 1623. Yet, for about 100 years it was only used to flavor foods. In France and Italy, by the 17th century, the stalks and leaves were occasionally eaten with an oil dressing. It is a source of riboflavin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, foliate, potassium and manganese.

Onions - It is presumed that people discovered and started eating wild onions very early - long before farming or even writing was invented. Very likely, this humble vegetable was a staple in the prehistoric diet. Onions (Allium) belong to the lily family, the same family as garlic, leeks, chives, scallions and shallots. There are over 600 species of Allium, distributed all over Europe, North America, Northern Africa and Asia. The plants can be used as ornamentals, vegetables, spices, or as medicine. Onion is effective against many bacteria. Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects.

Onions are a rich source of flavonoids, substances known to provide protection against cardiovascular disease. Onions are also natural anticlotting agents.

Corn - Scientists believe that corn was first grown on the Mexican plateau or the highlands of Guatemala. Kernels dating back to 6600 BC have been found in caves in Mexico. Fossil grains were discovered in lake sediment in Mexico City. Early corn was believed to be similar to oats and barley with each individual kernel covered in a husk. By the time Columbus reached the new world corn fields were evident in both North and South America.

Today corn is the second most plentiful grain in the world behind rice and ahead of wheat. Yellow sweet corn is a good source of lutein which is good for healthy vision and a healthy cardiovascular system. Corn also adds folate to our diets.

Tomatoes - The tomato is a native of Mesoamerica: it was cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas. In 1519, Cortez found it growing in Montezuma's gardens, and it became part of the culinary bounty brought back to Spain C by the 16th-century conquistadors (along with chocolate and turkeys).After five centuries of breeding, there are thousands of varieties of tomatoes in a vast array of shapes, colors and sizes. The most common shapes in the U.S. are round (beefsteak and globe), pear-shaped (roma and plum) and the miniature (cherry and grape). The tomato is a good source of Vitamins A & C. The skin contains a chemical called lycopene which is shown to reduce certain types of cancers.

Ok we have taken a look at the background of our veggies. But, how did they get to your supper table? Early in the spring, Farmer Jones purchases tiny seeds from the best seed growers he can find. Those seeds are placed in a seeding machine and dropped into potting soil in tiny compartments in seed trays. They are carefully watered to make sure they do not get too much or too little water. When the plants are big enough and the weather has warmed the ground so the plants will live, the tiny plants that have grown in the seed flats can be transplanted to the farmer's field. Corn is faster growing and is generally not planted in seed flats.

After the vegetables come out of the ground, they must be weeded to make sure the nutrients from the soil can go to the plant instead of feeding the weeds! After several weeks of sunshine and rain, the crops are ready to harvest. Farmer Jones chooses not to use chemical fertilizers but instead grows plants like rye, vetch, sorghum, and clover which are cut and composted into a compost tea to fertilize crops.

At Farmer Bob Jones' farm, the vegetables in your soup could be harvested by agricultural college students who come to America to learn about farming. Perhaps Serge from Russia spent the morning bent over in the hot sun to harvest those delicious red shiny tomatoes, while Judit from Hungry dug down in the dark loamy earth to uncover those shining white onion bulbs that gave so many flavors to your soup. Meanwhile Jose who is from Brownsville, Texas, just across the border from Mexico, spent the early part of the day pulling a wagon load of sweet corn before the sun became too hot. A few ears of that corn could have been part of your vegetable soup.

The tall pale green stalks of celery glistening in the sun are on the work schedule of Andre this morning. Andre is from Brazil. Just across the way, Migal, another Russian student can be seen with a potato harvester digging the round brown balls that we know as potatoes. When he finishes with the potatoes he will harvest carrots which are also grown under ground. At Farmer Bob's farm, the carrots come in a variety of colors, yellow, white, red, purple and of course orange.

Finally we see a group of men bent over the green bean patch gathering baskets of the hardy vegetable that will round out the vegetable soup recipe!

Bon Appetite - Enjoy your soup!