Welcome to the May thru August '96 Archive !
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Produce Quiz --- What am I?
I am a member of the rose
family and was probably first cultivated by the chinese prior to 2000 BC. I was
spread westward by silk dealers. I now grow well all over the warmer temperate
parts of the world. Although most popular dried, or in jams and jellies, I have
a "sweet brightness of golden velvet" when eaten fresh. I am a jam,
jelly, glaze, dipped in cholocate, salted, smoked, stuffed and sheeted. My
kernels contain small amounts of prussic acid which is destroyed when I am
roasted. My kernels are also responsible for the flavor and texture of amaretti
do Saronno. 8/29/96
I am a berry. I am the only
berry plant a silkworm will eat. I am black, white, pink, purple, or red. My
black variety is most preferred by humans, my white variety is most preferred by
the silkworms, and my red variety is most popular in the United States. I must
be allowed to ripen fully before being picked. For this reason I am usually
left to fall off my tree onto grassy ground on which I am most often planted.
Devotees will place a drop cloth under my medium sized, attractively untidy tree
during harvest. People who harvest me often wear purple so the stains I create
don't show, or ruin there garments. I stain hands as well! Eaten with fresh
cream I'm best, but I perform quite well in puddings, compotes, or plated with
pears. 8/22/96
I am a member of the mustard
family. I require cool running water as my growing ground, and can often be
found in the wild, around streams and brooks. Puritan diners have often held
that I was a living example of "deivltry" because I thrived in the
darkness, and I would only be a health benefit if mingled with foodstuffs
harvested in pure sunlight. Personally I think this is hooey! Often used in
sauce vert, my pungent flavor is slightly bitter and I have a peppery snap. My
leaves are crunchy and always a shade of green. I can be used as a salad
compnent, finely chopped and used as a seasoning, an ingredient in English tea
sandwiches, or as a base for cream soup. I am also a popular garnish, putting
that silly old parsley to shame. 8/15/96
Simply put, I am the most
disgusting smelling fruit on the planet! In Hong Kong and Singapore my odor is
sooooo bad I am banned from being consumed in public, and banned from carriage
on public transport. I fall off my 100 foot tree when ripe , so beware when
walking under me. My spiked hard shell attracts tigers when split, and yes, I
have been know to kill. My taste is a rich butter-like custard flavoured with
almonds, and some people bury me to ferment before consumption. As one of the
longest established inhabitants South-East Asia rain forests, I have stunk for
millions of years. I am often mixed with rice and sugar as "lempog",
or made into sugar or salted preserves. When eaten raw awareness of my smell is
lost, but only to the person who is eating me. Traditionally I have been cooked
into a sausage shaped cake that preserves some of my rich flavour and loses most
of my smell. 8/8/96
Although I am generally
associated with Thailand and south-east Asia, I have been absorbed into cooking
around the world. I am perennial and tropical. I have gray-green leaves and a
scallion-like base. Citral gives me most of my flavor and fragrance, but some
describe my taste as sweet and sour. In the kitchen my base is my most
prominent part. I can be fresh, dried or powdered, or used as a basting brush.
Other than Thai cooking, the world has now recognized me as great with fish and
light meat dishes. I can be infused with milk for custards, puddings and
souffle's. Also great for teas, soups, curries, or bunched like a bouquet
garni. 8/1/96
Each time you look at me I will
look less like the last. I can be petite and chartreuse, mammoth and brown,
smooth-skinned and laquer like, or tan and sprinkled, with a confetti of
russeting. My shape is not what you would expect after hearing my name. Many
of my 25 varieties were planted by Chinese prospectors during the gold rush.
When eaten raw, I am the epitome of crunch and juice. If you poach, saute, or
bake me, my taste will be intensified while my flesh will remain firm and meaty.
I will always take longer to cook then my "ordinary" cousins. I am a
good source of vitamin A and contain a modest amount of fiber. Luckily for you,
I am available year round. 7/25/96
(Ed. Note - This weeks quiz was submitted by Ms. Mary Mahaffey, owner of Heart of Texas Produce, in Austin Texas. The produce quiz welcomes quiz submissions, and retains final say over all quizes)
I am a salad green. I am the
least bitter member of the chicory family. I grow as a loose leaved head rather
like a leaf lettuce. My leaves are bright green on the outside and sometimes I
dress tinged with red. I am usually pale yellow in my center because no matter
how I turn, I can't get that part in the sun. The rib running down my center is
always bright white, showing off my glowing health. I need to be used pretty
quickly, but if I go limp on you I can often be brought back to life with an ice
water bath. (And I ask you, in this heat, who wouldn't?) 7/18/96
I am a small round fruit. I
can be red, yellow, green, or purple. Sometimes I wear a cape for protection
or to keep warm. My skin can be smooth or fuzzy. I am a good source of dietary
fiber and rich in pectin. I am eaten raw or used in jams, jellies, or chutneys.
I can also be fermented to make a wine of considerable alcoholic content. In
France, a sauce made from my green variety is a traditional accompaniment to
mackerel. As a juice, I am an interesting substitute for lemon or lime juice.
I am a native of England where I thrive in the cool climates and minimal direct
sunlight like my cousin the currant. If cooked, pureed, strained, and folded
into whipped cream you would have made me into a fool. (7/11/96)
bourbon, whiskey, pop, white,
yellow, bicolor, fritter, pone, sticks, cob, dodgers, hominy, hush puppy,
flakes, pudding, spoonbread, meal, sypdent, flint, sweet, flour, posole, blue,
tamales, baby, black, aztec, dogyteos, in the husk, bread! (7/4/96)
Dating back as far as 300 B.C.
I was named after the town of Cerasus. People often flock to see my yearly
blossoms. I am sweet or sour or both. I am red or white or yellow or any
combination. Sometimes, during a very hot summer, I actually ferment while
still on my tree. When the birds come to eat me they get so drunk they collapse
and tumble to the ground. (We have learned to assign a designated flyer for
them!) I am eaten out of hand, in pies, cakes, covered in chocolate, canned or
dried. I am freshest with my stem on and always have one pit. (6/27/96)
I am the fruit of the Soapberry
tree. I am native to China, but now cultivated all over the world. My smooth,
aromatic, and juicy white flesh is covered by a rough, slightly spiky and
leathery pink to red shell. (I have this cousin who even grows hair on his
shell, just awfull!) Anyway, I am rich in vitamin C and have one small inedible
seed in my center. I have often been referred to as nuts but actually I look a
little more like a strawberry. If you pluck me fresh and eat me I have a sweet
acidic musty flavor. When I get canned my pulp turns black and dry while my
flavor becomes similar to a very sweet muscat grape. (6/20/96)
I am a sweet, nutlike tuber of
the genus Trapa. I am three or four sided and most popular in the cuisines of
China, Japan, and Thailand. My roots are anchored to the bottoms of lakes or
ponds, my leaves are at the surface, and I am formed at the bottom or in the
middle. Although indigenous to Southeast Asia, I also grow prolifically in
southern Europe and the eastern United States, particularly in the Potomac
River, where my thick growth often hinders navigation. Rich in starch and
mineral salts, I am most frequently used in stir-fry. I am also available
canned, (whole or sliced), or as a powder for flour. Because my seeds were
often used in making rosaries, I am sometimes called a "Jesuit's nut".
(6/13/96)
I originated in the Middle East,
grown in Spain during the 8th century, and it was the Spaniards who brought me
to North America. Although I am a rich source of iron as well as vitamins A and
C, I also contain oxalic acid which inhibits the body's absorbtion of calcium
and iron, so my nutritional value is somewhat diminished. I have a slightly
bitter taste, which is prized by some and disliked by others. I am flat or
curly, big or small, and always green. I come fresh, canned, or frozen. I can
be used in salads, as a side dish, steamed, boiled, or even rolled up like a
grape leaf. You will need me to be strong for Olive Oil! (6/6/96)
I am a tropical legume.
Originally from New Guinea, Thailand, Viet Nam, and the Phillipines, I am
relatively new to the United States. I am a staple throughout poorer regions of
the world where I grow , because I am disease resistant, grow quickly, and I am
packed with protein. I am a great value because you can eat all of me,
including shoots, flowers, roots, leaves, pods, and seeds. My four sided pod is
usually green but I can be found wearing various shades of purple or red. I am
used in salads and stir-fries. When sliced, my flared pod will create beautiful
star shapes. (5/30/96)
Held sacred by some, I was a
staple of ancient Mediterranean civilizations. I have over 600 relatives and
we often stand for peace or prosperity. I have the highest sugar content of any
fruit. My skin comes in shades of brown, black, green, purple, and red.
Originally hailing from Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa, I was brought to the
North America by the Spanish Franciscan missionaries who set up in Southern
California. I have a soft, juicy texture and a sweet, nut-like flavor. I am
used fresh, dried, canned, in concentrates, and in purees. I am a good source
of iron, calcium, and phosphorous. (5/23/96)
I am a small, acidic, ruby red
fruit that grows wild in the bogs and marshes of northern Europe and am
cultivated in the United States. Originally too tart to eat, Native Americans
showed early settlers how to use me to make a sweet sauce. Most of my
production (three million bushels a year!) comes from the Northeastern United
States. I am primarily used as a sauce or jelly on holidays. (5/16/96)
I am a member of the gourd
family like the pumpkin, but I am rarely eaten the same way. Egyptian
hieroglyphics show that I was being consumed as early as 2400 B.C. I am always
high in vitamin C and when I have deep orange or red flesh I am also rich in
vitamin A. Depending on my variety I am available all year but I peak in the
late summer and early fall. I am best when picked ripe, as I do not ripen after
harvest. A good sign of ripeness is a clean break between fruit and stem,
rather than just a cut in my stem. With age, I will create more internal liquid
as my pectic substances in my cell walls get more soluble. (5/9/96)
I am a tree. I possess a sweet
smelling root and broad tri-lobed leaves. I was one of the earliest exports
from the New World and was highly regarded in Elizabethan England. I grow
abundantly in tight thickets throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and west to
the Rocky Mountains. As a tea, I was considered helpful in thinning blood, but
when it was determined that my oil contained toxic elements, I was banned as a
tea or oil by the FDA. Today I am common in soft drinks, a main ingredient in
creole sauces, used for flavoring in confections, and in the manufacture of
perfumes. (5/2/96)
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