Cruciferae Family and sweet rain

Blessed rain (but not on Wednesday when we're packing in Nataf)
I wish to remind you of two important matters related to our blessed wet weather:
1. Dry your greens before putting them in the fridge in plastic bags.
2. It is not dirt - it is mud, provided by mother nature to nurture your veggies.... (we try to clean them as much as possible)

3. I have written previously about each veggie here on it's own so please click on their names on the side for more infם and reciepes.

4.prices of tomatoes, Cabbages, cauliflower and fennel have gone down.  Lavrioot!

The rain has saturated the soil, watered the plants and caused them to sprout and also made it a bit difficult for us to pick (especially the peas, where the picking is very time consuming). The rain also knew to make way for the sun... well done, the garden is a pleasure. The air is clean, everything is green, growing and enjoying water and sun... lots of weeds too....
This week is about a very respectful family in the garden during the winter, that preffers weather just like this. The Cruciferae Family - wide and variable, rich with anti-oxidants and proven as anti-cancerous and found in many shapes and colors. Something for everyone!
Here are 10 interesting facts about the Cruciferae Family for the young and the old (in age and in spirit), parents and children:
1. The family name, Cruciferae, in latin means "cross bearing" and is derived from the shape of the inflorescence. 4 petals arranged in two perpendicular pairs, like a cross.
2. In Israel approximately 150 species of cruciferae grow wild. The most familiar being the mustards and the radishes.

3. In this family we can eat all the parts of the plant. How great! If you get a broccoli with a stem and leaves, eat them. In my home, we all agree that the stem and leaves are tastier than the flowers.
4. This family is rich with nutritional fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B, iron, potassium, calcium, karatenoids... and low in calories.
5. This family has been cultivated for 2000 years in Europe and was an essential part of the menu in ancient Rome. Many years of artificial selection by man created several species throughout the years. How does this work? If my kids, that really like the broccoli stem, would plant broccoli, they would always keep the seeds from the plants with bigger stems. In time these seeds would be identified as a specie with an especially large stem - just like the kohlrabi.
6. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi and brussel sprouts are all different species of the same kind Brassica Oleracea. A baked kohlrabi will taste almost exactly like a cauliflower. Try putting kohlrabi in a soup!

7. Turnip, Chinese cabbage and bok choy are different species of the same kind Brassica Rapa.

8. The name broccoli comes from "Brocco" in Italian and means something like " the top blossom of the cabbage".
9. For us they are seasonal, which means they terminate a life cycle in one season, the winter. They are sown in autumn and either completely picked (like kohlrabi, cabbage and cauliflower) or continuously plucked during the season (like mustard, kale and aurugula). When it gets too warm the plant identifies it as the time to blossom and produce seed and invests all of its energies in doing so, no longer caring about growing the leaves we like to eat. In tropical regions, where there is no drastic change in weather, one can actually grow a "cabbage tree" for a couple of years and pick off it leaves during all that time.

10. The magic corner: you can use the purple cabbage juice as an indicator of acidity. The red pigment antocianin, changes its color in according to the acidity level with which it comes in contact. Try mixing purple cabbage juice with lemon juice or with baking soda and see what happens.

Below is a healthy recipe that is fun to make!!
Have a magical, healthy & strengthening week,
Yours,
Maggie and the garden & marketplace teams.
Sauerkraut (Kim Chi)
FYI - Cabbage maintains its nutritional value also after being pickled and pickling adds one big advantage -the live microbial culture - proboitics. The pickling causes the carbohydrates and protein to decompose while still maintaining the levels of vitamin C found in raw cabbage. Pickling creates good bacteria that aid digestion and the immune system. It is also effective against inflammation, reduces the "bad" cholesterol, increases the "good" cholesterol and induces the creation of new body cells.
Forecast for our weekly baskets:

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Lettuce maybe not Romaine

Leeks

Sprouted beans

Kayle

Ramiro peppers

Broccoli

Parsley

And butternut squash

Larger ones also:

Dill

Coriander

Green mustard

And cauliflower or Fennel

Fruit baskets

Apples, bananas, and citrus