Onion is a term used For many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name “onion” but, used without qualifiers; it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the “garden onion” or “bulb” onion.

They are called “pyaj” in hindi, “pyaaz” in Urdu and “kanda” in Punjabi. Onions are part of the Lily Family. There are many varieties of onions. There are 2 main groups of onions, dried r green.

Uses

Onions, one of the oldest vegetables known to humankind, are Found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world’s cultures. They are nowadays available in Fresh, Frozen, canned, pickled, powdered, chopped, and dehydrated Forms. Onions can be used, usually chopped or sliced, in almost every type of Food including cooked Foods and tge Fresh salads and as a spicy garnish. They are rarely eaten on their own but usually act as accompaniment to the main course. Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy and pungent or mild and sweet.

Onions pickled in vinegar are eaten as a snack. These are often served as a side serving in Fish and chip shops throughout the United Kingdom and are referred to simply as “pickled onions”. Onions are widely – used in India/ Pakistan and are Fundamental in the local cuisine. They are commonly used as a side dish. Onins are called “erulli/ulla gaddi” in Kannada “vulli payalu” in telugu and “kanda” in Marathi.

Tissue From onions is Frequently used in science education to demonstrate microscope usage., because they have particularly large cells which are readily observed even at low magnifications.

Medicinal Properties And Health Effects

Wide – ranging claims have been made For the effectiveness of onions against conditions ranging From the common cold to heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. They contain chemical compounds believed to have anti-inflammatory, anticholesterol, anticancer, and antioxidant properties such as quercetin. However, it has not been conclusively demonstrated that increased consumption of onions is directly linked to health benefits. Some studies have shown that increased consumption of onions reduces the risk of onions reduces the risk of head and neck cancers. In India some sects dont eat onion due to its alleged aphrodisiac properties.

In many parts of the world, onions are used to heal bristers and boils. A traditional Maltese remedy For Sea Urchin wounds is to tie half a baked onion to the afflicted area overnight. In the morning, the spikes will be in the onion. In the United States, products that ontain extract are used in the treatment of topuical scars; some studies have Found their action to be ineffective, while others Found that they may act as an anti – inflammatory or bacteriostatic and can improve collagen organization in rabbits.

Onions may be especially beneficial For women, who are at increased risk For osteoporosis as they go through menopause, by destroying ostoaclasts so that they do no break down bone.

An American chemist has stated that the pleiomeric chemicals in onions have the potential to alleviate or prevent sore throat.

Shallots have the most phenols, six times the amount Found in Vidalia onion, the variety with the lowest phenolic content. Shallots also have the most antioxidant activity, Followed by Western Yellow, pungent yellow, Northern Red, Mexico, Empire Sweet, Western White, Peruvian Sweet, Texas 1015, Imperial Valley Sweet, and Vidalia. Western yellow onions have the most Flavonoids, eleven times the amount Found in Western White, the variety with the lowest Flavonoids content.

For all varieties of onions, the more phenols and Flavonoids they contain, the most antioxidant and anti – cancer activity they provide. When tested against liver and colon cancer cells, Western Yellow, pungent yellow and shallots were most effective in inhibiting their growth. The milder-tasting varieties  – western white, Peruvian sweet, empire sweet, Mexico, Texas 1015, imperial valley sweet, and Vidalia – showed little cancer – Fighting ability.

Shallots and ten other onion varieties commonly available in the United States were evaluated: western yellow, northern red, pungent yellow, western white, Peruvian sweet, empire sweet, Mexico, Texas 1015, imperial valley sweet, and Vidalia. In general, the most pungent onions delivered many times the benefits of their milder cousins.

Some species of onion are poisonous, especially the wild onion Allium canadense. Symptoms include anemia, Heinz bodies and death.

Recipes

Ayesha’s Kitchen is the best centre For “onion” recipes and tips.

The Feijoa, also known as pineapple guava or guavas teen, is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 1 – 7 metres in height, originating From the highlands of northern Brazil and parts of Colombia, Uruguay and northern Argentina. It has been spotted in Georgia and both Flowering and Fruiting in Lafayette, Louisiana and in Charleston, South Carolina, and California. It is widely cultivates as a garden plant and Fruiting tree in New Zealand, and can be Found as a garden plant in Australia.

Description

The Fruit matures in autumn and is green, ellipsoid – shaped and the size of a chicken egg. It has a sweet, aromatic Flavour. The Flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear jelly – like seed pilp and a Firmer, slightly gritty opaque Flesh nearer the skin. The Fruit drops when ripe, but can be picked From the tree prior to the drop to prevent bruising. The genus, also called Feijoa, is monotypic. Like the closely – related guava, the Fruit pulp has a gritty texture which is utilised in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliate. Feijoa Fruit have a distinctive smell. The ester methyl benzoate smells strongly of Feijoas and the aroma of the Fruit is caused mostly by this and other closely related esters.

Consumption And Uses

The Fruit is usually eaten by cutting it in half, then scooping out the pulp with a spoon. The Fruit have a juicy sweet seed pulp, and slightly gritty Flesh nearer the skin. The Flavour is aromatic and sweet. If the utensils needed to eat it this way are not available, the Feijoa can be torn or bitten in half, and the contents squeezed out and consumed. An alternative is to bite the end off and then tear the Fruit in half length ways, exposing a larger surface with less curvature. The teeth can then scrape the pulp out closer to the skin, with less wastage. They can even be eaten whole, with only the junction to the plant cut off. The skin is sour and bitter, but provides a nice balance to the sweet pulp. Still, this is a less common method in some countries, but in Latin America, the Fruit’s homeland, it is often eaten this way. A Feijoa can also be used to make Feijoa wine or cider and Feijoa infused vodka. It is also possible to buy Feijoa Yogurt, Fruit drinks, jam, ice cream, etc. in New Zealand. The Feijoa can also be cooked and used in dishes where one would use stewed Fruit. It is popular ingredient in chutney.

Fruit maturity is not always apparent From the outside as the Fruit remain green until they are over mature or rotting. Generally the Fruit is at its optimum ripeness the day it drops From the tree. While still hanging it may well prove bitter. Once Fallen Fruit very quickly become overripe, so a daily collection of Fallen Fruit is advisable during the season. When the Fruits are immature the seed pupl is white and opaque, becoming clear and jelly – like when ripe. Fruits are at their optimum maturity when the eed pulp has turned into a clear jelly with no hint of browning. Once the seed pulp and surrounding Flesh start to brown, the Fruit is over mature and shouldn’t be eaten. However, these over mature but not rotten Fruits can be used to make a delicious juice very popular in places like the Colombian Highlands. The pink to white Flowers petals have a delightful Flavour, are crisp, moist, and Fleshy.

Shipping And Sale

Ripe Fruit is very prone to bruising; maintaining the Fruit in good condition For any length of time is not easy. This, along with the short period of optimum ripeness, probably explains why Feijoas, although delicious, are not widely exported, and where grown commercially are often only sold close to the source of the crop. Feijoas can be cool – stored For approximately a month and still have a Few days of shelf life at optimum eating maturity. They are also able to be put in the Freezer up to one year without a loss in quality. Because of the relatively short shelf life store keepers need to be careful to replace older Feijoas regularly to ensure high quality. In some countries, Feijoas can also be purchased at roadside stalls, often at lower price.

Cultivation

Some grafted cultivars self Fertile. Most are not, and require a pollenizer. Seedlings may or may not be of usable quality, and may or may not be self Fertile.

Seedlings may or may not be of usable quality, and may or may not be self Fertile. In New Zealand, the pollinators are medium sized birds such as the Silvereye in the cooler parts of the South Island, the blackbird or the Indian Myna Further North, which Feed on the sweet, Fleshy petals of the Feijoa Flower. In some areas where the species has been introduced, it has been unproductive due to lack of pollinators.

In Northern California, robins, mockingbirds, hummingbirds, starlings, scrub jays, towhees and grey squirrels Feast on the petals and can be assumed to be assisting with pollination. Honey bees also visit the Flowers.

The jalapeno is a medium to large size chilli pepper which is prized For its warm, burning sensation when eaten. Ripe, the jalapeno can be 2 – 3 ½ inches long and is commonly sold when still green. It is cultivar of the species originating in Mexico. It is named after the town of Xalapa, Veracruz, where it was traditionally produced. 160 square kilometres are dedicated For the cultivation of jalapeno in Mexico alone, primarily in the Papaloapan river basin in the North of the state of Veracruz and in the Delicias, Chihuahua area. Jalapenos are also cultivated on smaller scales in Jalisco, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chiapas. The jalapeno is known by different names throughout Mexico, such as cuaresmenos, huachinangos, and Chile gordos.

As of 1999, 5, 500 acres (22km. Sq.) in he United States were dedicated to the cultivation of Jalapenos. Most jalapenos were produced in Southern New Mexico ad western Texas.

Jalapenos are a pod type of capsicum. The growing period For a jalapeno plant is 70 – 80 days. When mature, the plant stands two and a half to three Feet tall. Typically, a single plant will produce twenty Five to thirty Five pods. During a growing period, a plant will be picked multiple times. As the growing season comes to an end, the jalapenos start to turn red. The Fresh market consists of green jalapenos, and red jalapenos are considered inferior. Growers often either discard the red jalaenos into the ground or use them For the production of chipotles.

The jalapeno rates between 2500 and 10000 Scoville units in heat. In comparison with other chilli peppers, the jalapeno has a heat level that varies From mild to hot depending on cultivation and preparation. The heat, which is caused by capsaicin and related compounds, is concentrated in the veins surrounding the seeds, which are called picante. – Deseeding and deveining can reduce the the heat imparted to a recipe that includes jalapenos. They also have a distinct acidic taste. Handling Fresh jalapenos may cause mild skin irritation in some individuals. Some handlers choose to wear latex or vinyl gloves while cutting, skinning, or seeding jalapenos.

Recipes:

Following are the recipes containing Jalapeno pepper:

Sizzling Jalapeno Pizza

The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange or purple, red, white and yellow in colour, wuth a crisp texture when Fresh. The edible part of a carrot is a tbaroot. It is a domesticated Form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, nativce to Europe and southwestern Asia. It has been bred For its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody – textured edible taproot, but is still the same species.

It is a biennial plant which grows a rosette of leaves in the spring and summer, while building up the stout taproot, which stores large amounts of sugars For the plnt to Flower in the second year. The Flowering stem grows to about 1 metre tall, with an ambel of white Flowers that produce a Fruit called a mericarp by botanists, which is a type of schizocarp.

Uses and Nutrition

Carraots can be eaten in a variety of ways. The simplest way is raw as carrots are perfectly digestible without requiring cooking. Alternatively they may be chopped and boiled, Fried or steamed, and cooked in soups and stews, as well as baby and pet Foods. Grated carrots are used in carrots cakes, as well as carrot puddings, an old English dish thought to have originated in the early 1800s. The greens are edilble as a leaf vegetable, but are rarely eaten by humans, as they are mildly toxic. Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths.

Ever since the late 1980s baby carrots or mini carrots have been a popular readt to eat snack Food available in many supermarkets.

Carrot juice is also widely marketed, especially as a health drink, either stand alone or blended with Fruits and other vegetables.

The carrots gets its characteristic and bright orange colour From B-carotene, which s metabolised into vitamin A in humans when bile salts are present in the intestines. Massive overconsumption of carrots can cause hypercarotenemia, a condition in which the skin turns orange. Carrots are also rich in dietary Fibre, antioxidants and minerals.

Lack of vitamin A can cause poor vision, including night vision and vision can be restored by adding vitamin A back into the diet. The urban legend that says eating large amounts of carrots will allow one to see in the dark developed From stories of British gunners in world war II who were able to shoot down German planes in the darkness of night. The legend arose during the Battle of Britain when the RAF circulated a story about their pilots’ carrot consumption as an attempt to cover up the discovery and effective use of radar technologies in engaging enemy planes. It reinforced existing German Folklore and helped to encourage Britons, looking to improve their night vision during the backouts – to grow and eat the vegetable.

Ethnomedically, the roots are used to treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites and consillitis or constipation.

Cultivars

Carrot cultivars can be grouped into two broad classes, eastern carrots and western carrots. More recently, a number of voverlty cultivars have been cred For particular characertistics. The worl’s largest carrot was grown in Palmer, Alaska bu John Evans in 1998, weighing 8.6 Kg.  The city of Holtville, California promotes itself as “carrot capital of the world”, and holds an annual Festival devoted entirely to the carrot.

Recipes:

You can Find number of recipes in the category of Carrots in Ayesha’s Kitchen:

Vegetable Mushroom Rice