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A member of the sunflower family of vegetables, the artichoke is actually a perennial thistle. First cultivated in the Mediterranean region, artichokes became scarce after the fall of the Roman Empire. They made a comeback in Italy in the 1500s, and then appeared in the Americas after introduction by French and Spanish gardeners.
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The fourth most widely cultivated “vegetable” in the world, the cucumber, related to both the melon and squash families, is technically a fruit. With its mild, refreshing flavor that mixes so well with other garden offerings, cucumbers are actually 90% water, but still manage to provide many valuable health benefits.
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Asked to describe an eggplant, most would mention dark purple, glossy, and shaped like a very large teardrop. Eggplants are known as aubergines in other parts of the world, where they’re much more popular. India is said to be the native country of this strange-looking fruit – because that’s what it is, rather than a vegetable.
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An ancient fruit and arguably the most popular in many parts of the world, mangos are in the same family of plants as pistachios and cashews, which are also tropical, fruit-bearing trees that can grow up to 100 feet in height. Oval in shape and around five inches long, mangos are heavy because of the single, large seed or stone in the middle, which makes them a drupe.
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Fresh Pomegranates from Egypt, Ready to export to all markets worldwide
From ancient Persia to the Himalayas and beyond, tangy pomegranates are mentioned several times in the Bible, and are one of the world’s most popular and cultivated fruits today. After being introduced in California by Spanish settlers in 1769, they’re still grown in the American west, although they require very dry air and high temperatures to produce the best flavor.
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Revered in Egypt for its medicinal qualities, and prized in Italian, Asian, and Indian cooking, garlic has been called “the stinking rose” for good reason. Closely related to the onion, it’s a bulbous root with an undeniably fragrant pungency. It was mentioned in historical documents that date back 5,000 years ago, before its fame permeated the rest of the known world.
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The grapefruit (Citrus × paradisi) is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour to semi-sweet fruit. Grapefruit is a hybrid originating in Barbados as an accidental cross between two introduced species, sweet orange (C. sinesis) and pomelo or shaddock (C. maxima), both of which were introduced from Asia in the seventeenth century. When found, it was named the “forbidden fruit”; and it has also been misidentified with the pomelo.
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When you think of a popular fruit with a myriad of uses, grapes might come to mind. Under the correct treatment and conditions, the “fruit of the vine” makes one of the most desirable beverages in the world. Dried grapes (raisins) can be a lovely addition to salads and yogurt. Fresh, seedless grapes can be used to make grape juice, and they’re a handy snack all by themselves.
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A favorite scene of summer is sitting in a porch swing while snapping green beans for dinner. Picking them from the garden is fun, too, from either pole beans, requiring a stake for support, or bush beans, which don’t. Bean varieties include pinto, kidney, lima, black, red, or white, and yellow wax beans. French beans, sliced lengthwise, stay in the pod and are long and slender, while many others are shelled and dried for later use.
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If pineapple is known as the “king” of fruits, guava is considered the queen. Thought to be native to southern Central America and Mexico where it’s been a major crop for centuries, guavas are members of the myrtle and eucalyptus family, growing throughout the tropics on small trees with smooth, copper-colored bark. Another type, Psidium cattleianum, grown in flower and foliage gardens, is not for eating.
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Lemons are thought to have originated at the base of the Himalayan Mountains, as a natural cross between the lime and the citron. Cultivation spread throughout the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, and, like many other plant-derived foods, were introduced to the Americas when Columbus made his second voyage in 1493. Lemons have been a major food crop in Florida since the 16th century.
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