Agrihortico strana 3 z 7

This small book on "Mushrooms and Seaweeds" explains in detail about TEN edible mushrooms such as Milky white mushrooms, Paddy straw mushrooms, White button mushrooms, Brown (crimini and portabella) mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms, Oyster (Pleurotus) mushrooms, Enoki mushrooms, Maitake mushrooms, Morel mushrooms, and Chanterelle mushrooms, and NINE edible seaweeds/sea vegetables such as Red seaweed Gracilaria, Winged kelp, Green laver or Sea Lettuce, Purple laver or Nori, Spirulina, Wakame, Dulse, Caulerpa or Sea grapes, and Kombu. Mushrooms are a group of edible fungi while seaweeds are a group of edible algae. Both mushrooms and seaweeds are cholesterol-free, caffeine-free, low-fat, low-sugar foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein and dietary fibres and therefore, considered as superfoods. Superfoods are multifunctional foods that contribute towards consumer’s health and wellness. They are rich in antioxidants and are consumed to prevent modern-day life style diseases such as heart attack, diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis. Seaweeds and mushrooms are rich in antioxidants that help us to stay fit and young. Antioxidants are present in seaweeds and mushrooms in the form of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and polyphenolic compounds.

Some flowers are eaten as vegetables in many parts of the world. Most popular among them are pumpkin flowers, Sesbania flowers, calabash gourd flowers and broccoli flower clusters. Nutritional information and food significance of these 4 popular flowers are briefed in this small book for informational purposes only.

Mulberry plant is a woody perennial plant. Scientific name of mulberry is Morus spp.. White mulberry is known as Morus alba, red mulberry is known as Morus rubra, and black mulberry is known as Morus nigra. Mulberry belongs to the family Moraceae. Mulberry plants are mainly grown for their fruits and for sericulture purposes. Sericulture is the culture of silk worms where mulberry leaves are used as fodders for silk worms.

This is a small booklet/pamphlet of about 35-40 pages regarding various recipes of spicy Indian chutneys. Chutneys can be prepared from fruits, nuts and dry fruits, vegetables and mixed fruits and vegetables. This booklet contains some popular recipes of food chutneys, vegetable chutneys and dry fruit chutneys.

This small book explains in detail growing practices, health benefits, food preparations, and nutrient information of four popular vegetables namely, artichokes, crosnes, broccoli and chives. Artichokes and crosnes are perennial vegetables and are used in rare and exotic food preparations. Crosnes are also known as 'Chinese artichokes' and these are one of the most delicious root vegetables available today. Broccoli and chives are considered as one of the most nutrient-dense, plant-based food groups.

Minerals are essential elements that are required by a human body in minute quantities to perform its metabolic functions as well as for healthy growth and development. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, chlorine etc help in body fluid movement and tissue building. When a human body does not have sufficient amount of minerals, its deficiency is manifested in human body as diseases. This small booklet is intended to provide some insights into mineral-rich vegetables.

Scientific name of Papaya is Carica papaya. It belongs to the family of Caricaceae. Papaya plants are short-lived perennial tropical fruit plants. These plants are dioecious, i.e. both male and female flowers are borne on the same plant. Papaya is also known as tree melon, papaw or pawpaw. Other members of Caricaceae family are Babaco (Carica pentagona), Mountain Papaya (Carica pubescens), and Chamburo (Carica stipulata).

This eBook includes the images of all common and known flowers.

Fruit, from a consumer’s point of view, is a juicy, sweet, and fleshy edible product (i.e. the ripened ovary of a flower) of a plant that contains seeds and an envelope. So from a consumer’s point of view, plant products such as apple, apricot, pear, peach, ripe sweet mango, ripe sweet papaya, phalsa, karonda, pineapple, berries of all kinds, cherry, lychee, citrus fruits of all kinds, mangosteen, ripe sweet jackfruit, rambutan, grape, and all other similar fruits that are sweet, fleshy with seeds are fruits.

The word “nightshade” is often used in herbal medicines to refer a poisonous species of plant, but a highly regarded medicinal plant, belonging to the plant family Solanaceae. This plant is often called ‘deadly nightshade’ because of its toxic properties. Common name of this medicinal plant is ‘belladonna.’ Nightshade family is mainly known for its toxic and poisonous member plants and many of them are medicinal plants. However, the nightshade family i.e. Solanaceae family includes some of the most popular and economically important vegetable plants such as potatoes, tomatoes, tomatillos, brinjals or eggplants, chile peppers, bell peppers and jalapeno peppers also. These vegetables are very popular among consumers and are used by the whole world on daily basis. These vegetables are often referred as ‘nightshade vegetables’ or ‘Solanaceous vegetables.’ In other words, ‘Nightshade Vegetables’ are a group of vegetables belonging to the plant family Solanaceae.

Pineapple is a popular tropical fruit. Scientific name of pineapple plant is Ananas comosus. It belongs to the family of Bromeliaceae. Pineapples are a native to southern Brazil and Paraguay. Pineapples are an important commercial fruit crop of the tropics. Major commercial-scale producers of pineapples are Hawaii Islands, Brazil, Malaysia, Taiwan, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, India and Puerto Rico. There is a high demand for canned pineapples and other processed pineapple products worldwide. Pineapple is an important fruit plant in tropical kitchen gardens.

Superfoods are rich in antioxidants and are consumed to prevent modern-day life style diseases such as heart attack, diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis. Vegetable Superfoods are those vegetables which are rich in plant-based antioxidants and phytonutrients that help us stay fit and young. Major vegetable Superfoods are brassica vegetables, bulb vegetables, seaweeds, and mushrooms.

Feeling young and healthy is the most important preoccupation of people of all ages and types. Making conscious decisions about what to eat and how to eat has a great impact on our health and appearance. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is the only way to achieve health and youthful appearance for everyone. It is an indisputable fact that a right diet having a high nutritional value benefits you irrespective of who you are and what age you are. This eBook explains in detail various nutrients found in 150 vegetables and the health benefits of each nutrient group.

This is a small booklet that explains general GROWING PRACTICES for rhubarb plant and is meant for growers of this plant. Rhubarb is popularly known as ‘the pie-plant’ because of its significance as a major ingredient in preparing pies. Botanical name of Rhubarb is Rheum rhabarbarum. Rhubarb is a cool season crop which is grown as an herbaceous, perennial vegetable. Rhubarb belongs to the family Polygonaceae. The economically significant portion of the plant is its fleshy leafstalks and the plant is normally grown for these fleshy leaf stalks (petioles) only. Color of petioles may be red, white or green depending upon the cultivar.

Scientific name of common pumpkins, which are rounded with smooth skin and yellow colour, is Cucurbita pepo. Scientific name of large cultivars of pumpkins and squashes (giant pumpkins) is Cucurbita maxima. Scientific name of winter cultivars of pumpkins and squashes is Cucurbita moschata. Pumpkins are actually a group of squash plants, fruits of which may be small-, medium- or large-sized with round or elongated shape and with smooth or ribbed skin. Fruit colour varies from green to greenish yellow to deep yellow to orange to red color. Fruit has a thick shell which contains seeds and pulp. Numerous pumpkin cultivars are available in the market that varies in shape, size and colour of flesh. Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including the fleshy shell, pumpkin seeds, the young leaves, and the pumpkin flowers.

Compost is a type of organic matter that is rich in humus and plant nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). NPK content of compost varies from 1.5-0.5-1.0 to 3.5-1.0-2.0 depending upon the organic waste materials and manures used for making compost. The process of making compost is called composting.