Are Beans Magical?

Some people are fat, some people are lean
But I want you to show me the person
Who doesn't like butterbeans!
The B-52s
Butter beans, lima beans, and fava beans are varieties of the broad bean. These legumes have been growing from flowering vines in Peru for over 8000 years, where the limey, loamy soil is very friendly to the bean’s health. Pizarro named it the “City of Kings”, for it was founded on the Epiphany; the locals changed it to Lima for the beautiful cliffs upon which the city was erected. These delightful morsels have a creamy, buttery texture when cooked, but some varieties can be deadly, for they all contain cyanide compounds. In Japan, baby varieties are used to make “an”, a pasty concoction used in desserts. They are very nutritious, being high in soluble fiber potassium, iron, copper, folates, and manganese. Their high potassium, low sodium content helps lower blood pressure; since they are low in fat, high in fiber and protein, they make and excellent vegan alternative to meat. Lima beans contain protease inhibitors, which thwarts the growth of cancer cells; the folates promote healthy blood cell growth.

Cool as a Cucumber!

Who coined these words that strike me numb? The cuke, the glad, the lope, the mum.”
Ogden Nash
Cool as a cucumber! Botanically speaking, the cucumber is a fruit because it is the mature ovary of a plant having developed the reproductive structure of plants bearing seeds to propagate. Gastronomically, the cucumber is more often prepared as a vegetable, lending itself to cool salads due to its high water content, which exceeds 90%. There are well over 150 varieties of cucumbers to enjoy, so dig in!
Etymologically, the cucumber is a gourd, as are melons, squash and pumpkins. Though its nutritional content isn’t very concentrated, it does contain many vitamins, minerals and some fiber. Sadly, one of the best ways to enjoy your cucumber wipes out most of the nutritional value. You guessed it - Pickles. In the U.S., we consume over 4 pounds of pickles per capita or about 12 billion pounds each year. Fresh cucumber consumption is growing rapidly, zooming past 6 pounds for each of us. Thanks goodness there are burpless varieties.
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Basil is King

Basil is king! Its importance to cuisine cannot be overstated: try to find a culture in the old world where it does not feature prominently. And, oh the subtleties of flavor within its leaves tease the palate: pepper, mint clove, cinnamon, lemon, and anise. The color palette makes a basil garni a feast for the eyes as well, ranging from reds to yellow, green and purple with lovely variegations in Rorschach patterns on the leaves. Of the over 40 known varieties, “Sweet” basil is the most common and widely grown. This variety, Ocimum basilicum “fragrant king” has a spicy aroma that blooms as soon as the delicate leaves are merely bruised. It is one of the earliest cultivated foodstuffs, dating back to over 5000 years in the Indian subcontinent; it is often placed in the mouth of the dying to insure they reach heaven. It has immense cultural significance in other societal and religious customs: ancient Mediterranean cultures believed it would open the gates to heaven, so it is found with mummies; Greek Orthodoxy uses it to bless holy water; it was said to be found around the tomb of Christ after his resurrection; some European lore avers that it is the symbol of Satan. So, choose Indian, Asian, Italian, Greek, African; pick a continent, pick a culture, pick an age, pick a cuisine; just pick some and put it in your recipe and you’ll be glad you did.

Wherefore art thou artichoke?

At least you'll never be a vegetable; even artichokes have hearts! Amelie Poulain
So let's get to the heart of the matter... that is the delicacy revered in this thistly cousin of the daisy. There are three main artichokes we know of: the Jerusalem or sunchoke, which is really named for the girasole　(Fr. sunflower) by French missionaries in North America　whose tubrous root resembles potatoes; the Chinese artichoke which is a flowering mint whose tuber is also consumed; and the globe artichoke, which is a perennial thistle whose head we lop off before it blooms from its leathery leaved bud. The forerunner of the globe choke was probably the cardoon, cultivated by ancient Mediterranean cultures; the cardoon is also prized for its stalks, which when trimmed are quite like celery. The choke in artichoke refers to the immature florets inside the globe's bud, which are spiny and inedible; allowed to mature, they blossom into a spiny purple flower. 80% of the U.S. crop comes from Castroville, CA, which likes to call itself the "Artichoke Capital of the World. According to myth, Zeus,　while visiting his brother Poseidon,　was smitten by a　fair-haired beauty named Cynara, who he arduously pursued. Rebuffing his advances, she was made into a goddess, but alas, she was not happy on Olympus and began to visit her earthly home on the sly. Infuriated, Zeus turned her into a thistle; her name is the genus from which all thistles issue.