Basic information about fifteen good food crops
Food Factsheet: BANANA |  | |
| (Musa acuminata) | ||
| Bananas are a good snack food for children. They can grow from suckers and are harvested all year round. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Bananas came first from the jungles of Southeast Asia. They grow in the tropical "Banana Belt" between 30o N and S latitude. There are two main types: the table banana and the plantain (cooking banana), and almost 1,000 varieties. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Bananas are very good for us. They provide a quick boost of energy and are a good source of vitamins C and B6. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Eat bananas fresh for breakfast or a snack. Eat dried banana slices as a snack. To make banana juice, press a ripe banana through a wire strainer, then add some milk and a little clear honey. Mashed banana can also be part of a weaning diet for infants. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow in the right place. Bananas like moderate rainfall and moderate warmth. They grow best in rich, well-drained soil. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Bananas are grown and harvested all year round and are ready to be harvested 8 to 10 months after planting. They are more likely to fruit in warm weather. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Bananas grow up to 15 m high. Planting distances vary between 2 × 2 m and 5 × 5 m, depending on variety. Where should we plant it? How do we plant it? They are grown by planting suckers taken from the base of mother plants. Suckers are dried for about two days before planting. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? Their stems are not wood but rolled leaves and can blow down easily. Use props or windbreaks to protect against high winds. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? The banana weevil, a black beetle, is one of the serious constraints tobanana production. The larvae bore through the corm and the lower stem. Field sanitation is very important and the plants should be kept clean. Use borer-free planting materials and plant suckers very soon after you cut and treat them so that weevils cannot re-infest the suckers. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? Each stalk produces one huge flower cluster/bunch and then dies. each bunch is made up of many "hands" which in turn have a number of fruits. the whole bunch can have hundreds of fruits and weigh more than 50 kg. How long does it go on producing? It can produce fruits from 3 to 20 years on average. The main plant is cut away after harvesting, and the daughter becomes the main plant. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Bananas can be harvested when three-quarters of the fruit are full size. To ripen them, hang the bunch in an airy place. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Bananas are usually eaten fresh, but they can be kept for a long time in dried form. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? The big leaves are used as green umbrellas, plates, tablecloths, temporary mats, etc. |
| Culture | Some think that bananas were the first fruit on the earth. They are one of the most important tropical fruits, an important cash crop grown on large plantations for export, and an essential staple food for many developing countries. |
Food Factsheet: BEANS |  | |
| and their cousins (Phaseolus vulgaris) | ||
| Beans and peas grow on vines or bushes. The main food parts are the seeds and the fleshy seedpods. They are easy to grow in the warm season or all year round in the tropics. Besides producing tasty food, beans and their cousins can improve garden soil. |
| Name, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? There are many kinds of very nutritious beans and peas. a) The vegetable types are picked when pods are still soft, for eating right away. These include peas, runner beans (French bean), cowpea, lablab, long bean, broad bean and sugarpeas. b) The grain or pulse types produce dry bean seeds for storing, including common bean, mung (green gram), urd (black gram), chickpea, lentil, pigeon pea (dahl) and blue pea. c) Many peas and beans with tasty and fleshy pods can be picked either hard or soft - for example, green pea, pigeon pea and runner bean. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Beans and peas are very good for us! They have body-building protein, great food energy, vitamins C and A, and iron. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Eat vegetable beans in stir-fry, steamed or boiled. Young runner beans and peas are delicious raw, in salads or as a snack. Dried beans need to be soaked first to absorb water and then boiled until soft. They are perfect for curry, stew and soup (e.g dahl, India; feijoada, Brazil). Eat boiled beans cold in salad, or mash them and fry with onion and chilli (frijoles, Mexico) or in a paste with grated coconut and chilli. Dried, roasted peas and beans are great snacks. Many beans have edible leaves which are excellent vegetables, particularly cowpea, winged bean, runner bean and pigeon pea. Steam leaves or stir fry with a little garlic and serve with any meal. Winged bean and runner bean also have edible tubers. Some beans like soybean and groundnut produce cooking oil. Green gram and other small beans are germinated and eaten as sprouts in salad or as a garnish. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Beans will grow in practically any garden soil from sand to clay. They grow in warm places, except for broad beans, which grow in winter and spring in cool climates. Dry kinds such as gram and lentil need dry weather at harvest time. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Two to six months to grow. Plant early in the warm season. Harvest vegetable bean pods in about 6–8 weeks, before the seed has fully formed. Harvest dry bean seeds when fully mature, just before pods begin to split open, 3–4 months after planting. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Bush types of beans and peas need about half a square metre each. Climbing beans like long bean and runner bean need a trellis about 2 m high. Where should we plant it? Plant in a well-drained, sunny place sheltered from wind. Mix compost and firewood ash into the bed before planting. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Soak the seeds for an hour, then plant directly into beds. Plant bushy beans about 5–10 cm apart, in rows about 50 cm apart. Runner beans are planted 5 cm apart in a single row under a trellis. They usually germinate in 1–2 weeks. Failures are often caused by planting too deep, drying out, very hard compacted soil or over-watering. |
| Care/cultivation | How should we look after it? Beans don't need much compost. They have special roots that collect nitrogen from the air, which other plants have to get from manure or compost. Weed around plants. Does it need staking? trellising? a lot of water? shade? For climbing beans put up a trellis about 1.5 m high when you plant. Water regularly in hot weather - at least once or twice a week. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Diseases can build up in the soil from old plants. Do not plant beans in the same place next year. If you have infected plants, destroy them. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? How long does it go on producing? Ten runner beans or long bean plants will produce 4–5 bunches of fresh bean pods - about a kilogram a week for 4–8 weeks. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? a)Vegetable types need to be harvested every second day to pick the succulent green pods before they get old and stringy. They store for only a week or two in a cool moist place. Don't put them into airtight bags as they will get warm and start to rot. b) Let the hard kinds dry off once the seeds in the pods are mature and hard. But make sure you harvest before pods shatter and seeds fall out. After harvesting, spread out the pods on a mat to dry in the sun so the bean seeds fall out of the pods. Winnow out the pods or remove them by hand. Sun-dry for a few days so they store well and to help get rid of pests. Turn them daily so they all dry, and remove damaged or diseased ones. Store in sacks, bins, urns or grain stores, and make sure rodents are kept out. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Mature dry beans last for two years or more if they have been dried properly. But seed coats may harden in storage and make cooking more difficult. Some factories freeze fresh beans and peas. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Beans or peas are an essential part of the crop rotation cycle. They put nitrogen back into the soil. |
| Culture | Beans provide essential protein and iron for vegetarian people and for those who do not eat much meat. In India and Mexico, beans are a daily staple food. In Asia green gram flour is made into special cakes for festivals. Many Indians would say pigeon pea dahl is their national dish. Soybean is made into a vegetable curd, tofu, or into a fermented cake, tempeh. Green gram and soybean are made into a kind of milk, a popular and nutritious drink. |
Food Factsheet: CABBAGE |  | |
| and its cousins (Brassica species) | ||
| These vegetables are a common and nutritious food in many cool or warm countries. They are delicious too! They are quite hardy and cabbages can be stored for up to 2 months. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Head cabbage forms a tight head of leaves. Other vegetables in the cabbage family have tasty leaves and flowering stems including: mustard greens, broccoli, pak-choi. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? It has vitamins A and C, and minerals we need each day. The kinds with green stems and leaves have the most vitamins. Raw vegetables have more vitamin C. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Head cabbage is mostly eaten sliced and boiled, steamed or added to soups and stews. Leaves or flower buds of the others are cut into pieces and steamed, stir-fried or added to soup and curry. Eat all kinds of brassicas cut up as a salad, raw or lightly cooked to make them tender but crisp. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow, but get a variety suited to your local climate. Cabbage and broccoli are for cooler places. Mustard greens and pak-choi grow in the tropics. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Plant cabbage and broccoli after the summer heat and harvest 2–3 months later in winter and spring. Plant and harvest mustard greens all year round, but don't grow pak-choi in the hottest season. Start picking leaves after about 4 weeks. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? It needs 30–50 cm square per plant. Where should we plant it? Plant in rich soil. It needs rain or watering, but is hardy to cold, sun and wind. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? It's easiest to buy the good seeds. Seeds of mustard greens can be saved from a plant left to flower in the garden. Cabbage, broccoli and pak-choi seeds can be sown into seed trays or a seedling bed. Transplant to garden beds in rows 30–50 cm apart when they have their first true leaves. Mustard greens and the others can also be sown directly into garden bed rows and thinned to 25 cm apart. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? Add animal manure or compost to the mulch. Water regularly, but don't swamp the soil! Without air the roots will rot and the plant will die. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Snails, slugs and White Butterfly caterpillars will chew the seedlings, leaves and flower buds. Pick them off by hand, or dust plants with ash, or use a soap spray or an approved pesticide like Derris Dust (rotenone) or Pyrethrum. Don't forget to look under the leaves! Aphids can be controlled in the same way. Generally, avoid pests and diseases by using clean soil, keeping weeds down and mulching the soil so it doesn't get too hot. Remove badly infected plants to avoid spreading infection. And rotate crops! Don't plant any of the cabbage family in the same place next year. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? A typical cabbage head is rounded, heavy and 40 cm across. Pak-choi grows a tight, solid cylinder of leaves and fleshy stems about 30 cm high and 10 cm wide. Broccoli can produce a tender main flower bud 15 cm across on a fleshy stem 15–20 cm long. After the first main bud, small side flower buds can be harvested. From 10–15 mustard greens will produce a meal of leaves every 3–4 days. How long does it go on producing? Cabbage and pak-choi are harvested once, but broccoli and mustard greens will go on producing a little more after the first cut for about a month. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Cut the stem of cabbage and pak-choi heads close to the ground and wash off dirt. Store cabbages covered with a sack in a cold place for up to 2 months. Cut the central stalk of broccoli when it is still tight and soft looking: it gets fibrous if the head starts to open. Cut the later side buds when they reach 2 cm across. Pak-choi and broccoli can be stored in a cool place for 7–10 days. Single mustard green leaves can be cut close the stem or the whole plant harvested at once. The leaves wilt after 2–3 days. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Cabbage and pak-choi can be fermented or pickled. To ferment, slice them up into a bowl or pot with a little water. Cover with a damp cloth and put a clean stone on top to squash the cabbage. It will soften and go sour, and can be kept for up to a month. Another way to preserve it is to pickle large pieces of leaves in vinegar and store in sterile jars (boil the jars in water to sterilize them first). |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Feed leftover stalks and leaves to animals or put them on the compost. |
| Culture | Fermented cabbage, sauerkraut and pak-choi, are popular traditional foods in northern and eastern Europe and eastern Asia. Ancient Romans liked cabbage; for ancient Egyptians, it was a sacred food. |
Food Factsheet: CARROT |  | |
| (Daucus carota) | ||
| These vegetables are a common and nutritious food in most cool and some warm places. They are crisp, juicy and a little sweet, and can be stored for up to 2 months. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Carrot grows a succulent orange or red root. Common varieties are Chantenay, Oxheart, Kuroda and Red. Carrot has a few tasty cousins: parsnip roots, celery stems, and the kitchen herbs parsley and coriander. Turnip and radish are root foods in the cabbage family that have nutritious leaves as well as a root. All of these plants are grown in a similar way. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Carrots are one of the most health-giving vegetables. They have vitamin A and other vitamins and minerals, and they are important for good eyesight, skin, hair and brain development. They are also high in sugar. Eat a carrot every day to do well at school! |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Carrots are most nutritious eaten raw, by themselves or in salads. Raw carrot, celery and cucumber sticks make crisp and refreshing snacks. Grated raw carrots mix well in many dishes. Carrots can also be boiled, steamed or added to soups, stews, stir-fry and curry. Wash them well. Scrape the skin with a knife if it is dirty, damaged or has been stored awhile. If it's fresh, just wash it - there's goodness in the skin too. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow, but get the right variety for your climate and soil. Cool climate varieties may not form a root in hot lowlands - instead they grow tall and go to seed. Short, fat varieties are suited to clay soil; longer varieties need deep loose soil. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Normally plant carrots in spring and harvest 3–4 months later. Tropical varieties are planted in autumn and harvested at the beginning of the warm season. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? It needs 30–50 cm square per plant. Where should we plant it? Carrots like deeply dug, well-manured soil. Plant in a sunny well-drainedplace. Carrots should follow a leafy vegetable in crop rotation. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Buy good seeds, or save seeds from a plant left to flower in the second year (carrots grow the root one year and the seeds the next). Sow seed 1–2 cm deep directly into garden beds in rows 40–50 cm apart. After 2–3 weeks, thin to 5 cm apart. Eat the thinnings if they are big enough. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? Carrots grow slowly at first. Keep them growing by sprinkling animal manure or compost along the rows every few weeks. Water regularly. Keep weeds down by shallow hoeing. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? a) Aphids and leaf hopper insects sometimes attack leaves and can give plants a disease which makes the leaves yellow and twisted. Spray soapy water if they get really bad. b) The grubs of "carrot rust fly" burrow into the roots. They hatch from eggs laid in cracks in the soil. To keep them away, dig the soil over well and practise good crop rotation. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? Big carrots (Chantenay, Kuroda) are up to 0.3 kg , "finger" varieties about 0.1 kg. How long does it go on producing? Dig carrots as you need them (up to two months), or dig out the whole lot at one time. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Carefully loosen the soil on either side of a row of carrots and pull them out by the leafy tops. Wash and brush them clean. Store in a cool, dark place in a moist sack or plastic bag to keep them from drying out. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? If protected from heat and drying out, fresh roots last one to two months. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Feed the waste stalks and leaves to animals. |
| Culture | Wild carrots have been eaten since ancient times. Ancient Greeks wrote that carrots were good for the eyesight and made people feel friendly to each other. In World War II, soldiers and pilots were fed lots of carrots to help them see in the dark! Today scientists have bred carrots with 300 times as much vitamin A as the original carrots had, for health not war. Who needs guns when you have super-carrots? |
Food Factsheet: DARK GREEN LEAVES |  | |
| (many species) | ||
| Green leafy foods are important for strong healthy bodies. Amaranth, spinach and lettuce are easy to grow. But there is a huge variety of edible green leaves. Some come from trees, herbs and plants in swamps or ponds. Don't neglect them! Many are semi-wild, like lotus, fern shoots, tamarind and baobab. Trees at school give shade and shelter - plant some that you can eat as well! |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Common green leafy vegetables are amaranth (pictured here), water spinach (Ipomea aquatica), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa and L. indica). Some other leaves good to eat are from cassava, sweet potato, pumpkin, sweet bush (katuk, Sauropus), taro, basella nightshade (Ceylon spinach, Basella rubra), beans, buckwheat, spinach (Spinacia oleracea), nettle, turnip and beet, even seaweed. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Leaves contain more protein than any bud, flower, fruit, root or tuber. They are very rich in vitamins A, B and C. (To really know your ABCs, eat dark green leaves!) They are also the best plants for iron and calcium - especially important for children and their mothers. Dark green leaves have the most vitamins and minerals. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? In most countries, green leaves are added to the relish or stew that goes with the staple food (like rice, maize, yam, potato). They add not only extra goodness, but also flavour. A little oil in the cooking helps you get more vitamin A. Lettuce is very popular as a salad sprinkled with a dressing of lemon juice (or vinegar) and vegetable oil. Use big green edible leaves to wrap up mixed parcels of meat or seafood with beans, rice or maize. Steam or bake the parcels. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow. Amaranth is a hardy plant, but lettuce and water spinach need regular watering. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Plant and harvest all year round. Start picking leaves after about 4 weeks. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Amaranth is open and leafy, while lettuce can form a head of leaves, like cabbage. It is low and needs 10–25 cm between plants, depending on variety. Water spinach is a succulent branching vine that trails over a whole garden bed like sweet potato. Plant 25 cm apart. Where should we plant it? Plant amaranth and lettuce in raised beds of sandy soil. Water spinach grows well along a creek or drain, downhill from the garden tap or well. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Dig in animal manure or compost before planting. For lettuce, it is easiest to buy good seeds. Amaranth seeds can be saved if a plant is left to flower. Sow in seed boxes, or plant seeds 2 cm deep direct into beds in rows 25 cm apart. Thin to 15–20 cm apart, planting those thinned out elsewhere. Water spinach can be grown from a stem cutting or sown directly into garden bed rows and thinned to 25 cm apart. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? In hot sunny places, mulch around lettuce to cool the soil, and give water spinach compost monthly. Water all these plants regularly (you can swamp water spinach). What attacks it? And what do we do about it? These plants are fairly free of pests and diseases. Caterpillars and aphids can attack them; snails and slugs attack seedlings and mature lettuces. Avoid these pests by using clean soil and keeping weeds down. Avoid soil - borne diseases by mulching to keep the soil cool. Spray soapy water for aphids, or plant mint as a companion to keep them away. The tips of lettuce leaves may burn when it's hot or if the weather changes a lot. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? 20 plants will produce a bunch of green leaves every day. Some varieties of lettuce will form a head 20 cm across. How long does it go on producing? Lettuce and amaranth can be harvested once, or leaves can be picked regularly for 3 months or more. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? To harvest the whole plant, cut the stem at soil level. Wash off any dirt. Cut or pick single leaves close to the stem. For water spinach, harvest leafy shoots: leave some stem with a few leaves, and it will grow again. Green leaves do not keep well. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Eat green leaves fresh to get the best food value. Some (e.g. beet and nettle leaves) can be dried in the shade, pressed flat and stored in airtight bags. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? The waste stalks and leaves can be fed to animals or put on the compost. The seeds of some kinds of amaranth are used to make bread or roasted and puffed for snacks. |
| Culture | Many cultures have stories of the nutritional power of dark green leaves. Indian, Tibetan and East Asian people tell the legend of Saint Milarepa who lived for about ten years in a cave in the mountains eating only nettles. He became not only healthy, but wise. During the Depression in the West when many people were poor and hungry, a humorous cartoon folk character called Popeye was created whose amazing feats of strength were due to eating spinach. Even today he is popular amongst children, promoting the idea that eating green leaves make you strong! |
Food Factsheet: KITCHEN HERBS |  | |
| Mint (Mentha sp.) and others | ||
| Kitchen herbs add flavour to meals and provide extra nutrition. Some have medical properties and some make good drinks. All countries have a variety of locally popular kitchen herbs. Most are easy to grow in a small garden. A herb garden can even be in a tub or pot - great for schools with no room for a bigger garden. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Kitchen herbs are usually leafy plants that have special flavours and smells. The many different kinds of mint and sour-flavoured herbs (like lemon grass and lemon sage) have a fragrant oil in their leaves. Cousins of carrot, the tasty leaves of coriander, celery and parsley are popular. Other leaves like nettles and flowers like jasmine are made into tea for refreshment and good health. Some herbs, like coriander, anis and caraway give highly-flavoured seeds. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Leaves of all herbs have nutritional and health-giving powers. They are rich in vitamins A, B and C and minerals, iron and calcium, especially important for children and their mothers. Mint is good for breathing, nose and lungs. Parsley and nettles, rich in iron, are good for strong blood. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? In most countries, a few shoots or leaves are added to salads, soups, relishes or stews that go with the staple food (like rice, maize, yam, potato). They add flavour as well as extra goodness. Mint and others can be used for tea or in cold drinks. Mint and coriander added to breakfast soup is a favourite in East Asia. In temperate countries chopped mint and parsley are added to boiled potatoes; cumin and coriander with beans. Lemon grass cooked with chicken or fish is also tasty. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow. Mint and coriander need regular watering, but lemon grass is very hardy. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Plant and harvest all year round. Start picking leaves after about 4 weeks. |
| Propagation /planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Herbs are generally small leafy bushes, less than 0.4 m high and wide Where should we plant it? Plant them in a sunny, sheltered corner of the garden or near a drain or well, in raised beds or together in a large tub. Herbs can also be planted as companions amongst other garden plants to keep away aphids and other pests. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Dig in animal manure or compost before planting. It is easiest to buy good seeds. Sow seeds in boxes and transplant when 5 cm high, or plant them direct 1 cm deep in rows 10–20 cm apart, then thin to 5–10 cm apart in the row. Use the thinned herbs in the kitchen. Some herbs (e.g. mint and lemon grass) can be grown from cuttings. Put cuttings into moist soil, water often, and they will grow roots. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? Mulch around herbs to keep the weeds down and keep the soil moist. Give them a little compost monthly. Water all these plants regularly (you can swamp mint). What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Herbs are fairly free of pests and diseases. In fact, the flavour and fragrance of most herbs keep away insects, so it is good to have some in your garden. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? Ten plants will produce a small bunch of kitchen herbs every day. Herbs are not used in large amounts. How long does it go on producing? Many herbs like mint will re-grow and can be picked for a few years. Others like coriander grow to seed and die after 4–5 months. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? To harvest the whole plant, cut the stem at soil level. Wash off any dirt. Otherwise, cut or pick leaves or shoot tips. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Use green leaves fresh to get the best food value. Mint and many others can be dried in the shade hung up in bunches, then stored in jars or airtight bags |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Sweet-smelling herbs like cloves and lavender can be used to make people and houses smell good and keep out insects from cupboards and clothes. The waste stalks and leaves can be fed to animals, put on the compost or spread around vegetable seedlings to keep away pests. |
| Culture | Many cultures in the past knew a lot about local herbs and their uses. Today, especially in big cities, people buy packaged foods flavoured with artificial herbs, and have forgotten. A good school project is to find out local stories about herbs and how they are used in food and as medicine. Try asking old people in the village. In Greek legend, Mint was a daughter of a river spirit. She fell in love with Pluto, the god of the underworld, but another jealous spirit changed her into a plant. That is why (they say) mint likes to grow in damp soil, like near a stream. |
Food Factsheet: OIL SEEDS |  | |
| Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Sesame (Sesamum indicum), Coconut (Cocos nucifera) | ||
| Oil seeds can be cooked and eaten, or processed into cooking oil. Oil is made from many different kinds of seeds and nuts. The kinds here are suitable for home and school gardens. Others like soybean and oil palm need commercial processing and are better as cash crops. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? The main kinds suitable for gardens and kitchen processing are: Groundnut or peanut (a kind of bean), a low bushy plant with seeds underground. Sunflower, a tall plant with a single huge flower full of seeds. It has oilseed relatives Safflower of southwest Asia and Noog or Niger of Africa and India Sesame, a small upright plant with many seed pods Coconut, a tall palm tree with large nuts with oily meat and liquid inside |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Oil seeds have essential oils for nutrition and energy, but also valuable protein and vitamins. For example, sunflower seeds contain 20–40 percent oil, and about 40 percent easily digested protein. So as part of a balanced diet, oil seeds are good. But too much oil can make people too fat and give them heart trouble. Stored groundnuts can get infected by a fungus which makes them toxic. Don't eat them if they are mouldy. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Seeds can be eaten fresh at harvest time, but are best after sun drying or roasting. Groundnuts can also be boiled. Eat oilseeds as snacks, put them in salads, maize or rice porridge, bread and pancakes. Pound them into paste and add to soups, stews, curries and relishes. After extracting the oil, use seeds for flavouring dishes and frying. Mix oil with vinegar for a salad dressing. The liquid in young coconuts is a refreshing drink; the fresh meat can be grated and pressed to make coconut cream. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Easy to grow in a suitable climate. Groundnut, sesame and coconut grow well in tropical areas in free-draining soil. Coconuts prefer lowlands. Sunflowers grow in the summer in cooler places, and have deep roots which help them tolerate drought. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Plant groundnut, sesame and sunflower late in the wet season and harvest 3–4 months later when it is dry. Plant coconuts anytime. They take 5–7 years to produce. For oil-rich coconuts, wait for them to mature and fall. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Where should we plant it? Plant oil seeds in a warm, sunny place. Groundnuts should grow in soft sandy soil which will not stick to the nuts. Coconuts need lots of room for their roots, and should not be too close to a building. Plant sunflowers where children can see the big attractive flowers but where they won't be knocked over by wind or playground fun. They can be grown singly, in lines or in a clump. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Prepare a fine seedbed with compost or rotted animal manure mixed in well. Groundnut: Remove shells. Plant 7 cm deep, 20 cm apart in rows 1 m apart. Sesame: Sow 2–5 cm deep in rows 20 cm apart and thin to10 cm apart in the rows. Sunflower: Sow direct into beds, or start in seed boxes or pots and transplant when the first true leaves unfurl. Space them out about 50–70 cm apart. Sunflower and sesame can be intercropped with vegetables or grain. Coconuts: Use only newly fallen nuts. Lay them flat side up in sandy soil, shaded with leaves, and water often. When they have 4–5 leaves, plant into holes 40 cm deep, half full of compost. Cover the top of the nut with leaves, not soil. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? All oil seeds grow better if you apply compost or rotted manure a month after planting. Keep weeds out of the garden. As groundnuts grow, heap soil around the base of the plants and water them well. Sunflower and sesame don't need so much water. No need to stake sunflowers. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Coconut and sunflower are fairly free of pests. The most important pests for groundnut and sesame are aphids and leaf-roller caterpillar. Pick off the caterpillars, and spray the aphids with soap spray or dust with ash. Diseases can be a problem if the plants are too close together or too wet. The best control is crop rotation, a different crop in the same place next season. If there is a lot of wilt disease, the soil needs about 5 years rest from groundnut and sesame. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? Groundnut: 0.2–0.4 kg per square metre. Sunflower: 0.2–0.3 kg per plant Sesame: 0.1 kg per square metre. Coconut palms: about 40 nuts a year. How long does it go on producing? Groundnut, sunflower and sesame are harvested once. Coconuts produce bunches of nuts monthly for 40 years or more. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Groundnuts are ready when the tops start to go yellow. Dig them up carefully so that the nuts stay on the plant. Spread the bushes on a fence or dry ground in the sun for 2–3 weeks, then remove nuts. Harvest sunflower and sesame when seeds are hard. Sesame seed capsules ripen bottom first, so cut the whole plant close to the ground as soon as the lower capsules on the stem begin to open. Cut the sunflower head or sesame stem and dry in the sun. Shake, beat or rub out the seeds onto a mat. In all countries where there are coconuts, children (and adults) can easily climb up and cut young nuts for drinking. Mature coconuts fall when ready and store well. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Dried seeds can be kept for a year in a dry place protected from rodents and insects. Oil extraction at school Roast seeds and remove the seed skin by winnowing. Grind or pound the seeds into a smooth paste and gradually mix in small amounts of hot water. Heat it and the oil rises to the surface. Skim off the oil (the proteins stick together below). The protein cake can be used in cooking or fed to animals. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Groundnut leaves can be eaten and the whole plant provides nutritious food for livestock. Coconut shells and timber can be made into many useful things; coconut leaves are used for thatching, for making pots for seedlings, etc. |
| Culture | Archaeologists found that groundnuts were grown 4,000 years ago in Peru. Spiced groundnut stew is a popular dish for festivals in Nigeria and Senegal, where the leaves are also added to soups and stews. Coconut is so important in most Pacific Islands that it is regarded as a national symbol. |
| NOTES |
Food Factsheet: OKRA |  | |
| (Abelmoschus esculentus L, Hibiscus esculentus L) | ||
| Okra is a slightly bushy plant, a common vegetable in many tropical countries. The main food part is the immature seed pod, but the mature seeds can also be eaten. It is easy to grow in a school garden, at the right time of year. | ||
| Photo: Bill Tarpenning. © US Department of Agriculture |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Okra is also called bhindi, gumbo and lady's finger. Some of its cousins are also food: the cassava-like leaves of a West African variety (A. manihot), the aromatic seeds of another East African variety (A. moschatus), and the succulent fruit and sour leaves of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa). They are all grown in the same way. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? It's a good source of most nutrients, including body-building protein, energy, vitamins and minerals. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? OkraYoung okra seed pods are eaten steamed or boiled, as a vegetable or in stews and curries. Some people cook okra with a little soda, but this makes it less nutritious. Seeds from mature pods (not young ones) must be cooked to make them safe to eat (remove toxins). Then they can be pounded into a paste/meal rich in protein and oil. Use okra leaves to flavour stews and soup. Roselle The fruit and leaves can be put into stews and soup. Put roselle fruit into boiling water and leave it to cool. This makes a refreshing and colourful drink. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow. Okra and roselle are grown in many tropical countries. They can survive drought and poor soil if they have to. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Okra begins to be ready for harvest 6–8 weeks after planting. Plant early in the warm season (spring and summer); as the days get shorter, the plant flowers and produces pods in late summer and autumn. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Where should we plant it? Plant in a sunny place. Okra and roselle grow up to 1.0 m wide and 1.5 m high. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Buy seeds or get a parent to donate some. Saving seeds is easy - just remove them from the pod and dry them. Before planting, soak in water overnight, then sow 1–2 cm deep directly into garden beds 0.75–1.0 m apart. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? a lot of water? shade? Okra is quite hardy. If you have poor soil, okra will grow but not produce as many pods as in rich soil. To get a good crop, add extra manure or compost at flowering. Okra can tolerate drought, but regular watering improves the crop. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Pick off caterpillars, which attack fruit or leaves, or spray with a soap solution. Most diseases result from planting the same crop in the same place year after year. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? 1 kg of okra or roselle per plant is common. How long does it go on producing? It goes on producing for 1–2 months. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Pick okra pods when tender, about 10 cm long, and eat within 3 days. Roselle fruit can be stored in a shaded, cool, airy place for up to 2 weeks. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Seeds from mature okra pods (left to harden on the plant) can be dried and stored for pounding into paste later. Roselle fruit can also be dried for long storage. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Roselle is also used to add red colour to jam and drinks. |
| Culture | Roselle is widespread in tropical Africa, Asia and the Pacific where it has been gathered in the wild for thousands of years. Special varieties have been selected for sour flavour and strong red colour. Sadly, the uses and value of the hardy okra and roselle are today sometimes forgotten. Many people buy drinks bright red with artificial colour - fewer have tried the real roselle soft drink, which is much healthier! |
Food Factsheet: ONION |  | |
| (Allium cepa) | ||
| When growing, onions look a bit like grass, but have hollow round leaves. The onion bulbs at ground level are also leaves - thick and juicy, and stuck together in layers, with dry papery outside leaves, which protect the bulb. Many countries consider onion and its relatives essential for adding taste, health and a wonderful smell to meals. But they are sometimes forgotten in gardens. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? There are three main types. The common onion from Central Asia forms a single bulb that can get as big as the palm of your hand. Garlic and shallots, also from cooler climates, form a clump of small bulbs that fit together tightly. Bunching onions from Eastern Asia are also called spring onions and chives. They provide leaves for eating, not big bulbs. If the soil is not heavy clay, the bulb kinds are easy to grow in cooler climates. Bunching onions are better for the tropics. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Bunching onion leaves have valuable amounts of vitamins A and C, which are needed by children every day. Mature bulb onions do not have much food value, but they add tasty flavours. Onion is pungent and not good for young babies. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Put fresh slices or chopped leaves in a salad or as a garnish. Cook chopped onion with rice, beans and meat and in relishes, soups, sauces, curries and stews. Garlic or onion is great in tomato and chilli sauce and chutney. Chop bunching onions finely and sprinkle over salad, soup and noodles just before serving. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Onions and garlic are easy to grow in places with a cool season. Bunching onion is easiest in warm areas. They grow in most kinds of soil, but need good drainage. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Time from planting onion and garlic to harvest is about 4–6 months. Plant in temperate regions in winter or early spring. Bulbs form as the days get longer: harvest them in mid-summer. Bunching onions can be planted in the tropics all year. Allow about 2 months from planting to the first harvest of lower leaves. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Where should we plant it? Plant in a warm, sunny place. They are small upright plants which can grow close together, so you can get a lot in a small bed. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? For onions, it is best to buy seeds. Seeds are small but can be sown directly into beds in rows 10–20 cm apart. Thin out the seedlings to about 4–10 cm apart. Common onion needs wider spacing than bunching onion. You can transplant seedlings if you are very careful - make sure only the roots are covered with soil, and all the green leaves are above ground. For garlic and shallots, break up a clump of bulbs and plant these small bulbs directly into beds 10 cm apart. They will grow a clump of bulbs from the one you planted. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? Seedlings are fragile and need protection. They will grow fast if you give them a little fertiliser (animal manure, compost and wood ash) and water them regularly. Don't use too much manure or plant too late in the season. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Onions are fairly free of pests and diseases. Sap-sucking pests like thrips can be controlled by sprinkling water over the plant. If there's too much rain and the soil gets swamped, roots, stem and bulb may rot. For this reason, don't put thick mulch around onions. To protect your crops, don't plant onions in the same place next year, and remove and burn badly infected plants to avoid spreading infection. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? 1–5 kg of onions per square metre is common. Garlic and bunching onions will produce 0.5–2 kg per square metre. How long does it go on producing? Common onion and garlic are harvested once, but bunching onion can go on producing a few leaves weekly for 6 months. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Onion and garlic bulbs store well. Stop watering when they are big and the leaftops start to yellow or flower buds appear. It is easy to pull up onions at this stage. For garlic you may need to loosen the soil with a fork before pulling. Wash the bulbs, but be careful not to bruise them or break the dry outside leaves (these protect the bulb during storage). Dry them in the sun ready for storage (see below). Cut lower leaves of bunching onions weekly, leaving a few leaves to keep the plant growing. Bunching onion leaves wilt and must be eaten fresh. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Onion and garlic bulbs can keep for up to 6 months before they sprout. Just after harvest, when the bulb's leafy tops are still soft, weave onion or garlic bulbs into strings and hang them in a dry airy place like the rafters of a school house. You can also dry the outer layers of the bulbs in the sun or shade with good air-flow around them. Once the outer layers are dry they protect the inside. Keep sun-dried onions in the shade in baskets or open-weave bags (sacks don't let enough air through). |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Small onions can be pickled in vinegar and eaten as snacks. Garlic has antibiotic properties and is taken to cure colds and respiratory infections. |
| Culture | Garlic has long been used as a medicine. In ancient Europe, a necklace of garlic was worn by people to ward off evil spirits. Probably the pungent smell kept everyone away! |
Food Factsheet: PAPAYA |  | |
| (Carica papaya) | ||
| Papaya is a very tasty and healthy tropical food enjoyed in many parts of the world. We can eat the ripe fruit, the green fruit, or even the male flowers in a salad. Papaya is easy to grow in the school garden, and every home should have several papaya trees. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Other name: Pawpaw. There are three types of papaya plant. There are female papayas with large flowers and fruit on short stalks. These fruit we eat. Male papayas have many small flowers and tiny fruit on long hanging stalks. We can eat the flowers, but we need them to fertilize the female papaya (one male for 8–10 females). There are also hermaphrodite papayas with both male and female flower parts: you only need one kind of tree. Commercial varieties are usually hermaphrodite (e.g. Hawaian Solo, Thailand Red, Richter Gold and Jamaican Sweetie). Mountain Pawpaw and Babaco are relatives of papaya. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Very good! Half a slice of ripe papaya supplies 21 percent of the vitamin A and nearly 200 percent of the vitamin C needed by a child each day. Ripe papaya has the most vitamins. Papaya is very good for babies, children and sick people because it's full of vitamins and easy to digest. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Eat it fresh for breakfast, with lime or lemon juice. Eat it in fruit salad, e.g. with pineapple and a little lime or lemon juice. Cook green papaya with meat or beans, or as a curry. Grate green papaya with a little lime juice and add to salad. Eat dried papaya cubes or slices as a snack. To make papaya juice, press a little ripe papaya flesh through a clean wire strainer or a clean cloth, then add some cooled boiled water. Do not add sugar. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow in the right place. Papaya grows well in a warm climate, sheltered from wind, with regular rain or watering. It grows best in free-draining soil rich in organic matter. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Plant in the warmer months. In a warm climate, the first fruit will be ready to harvest in about 6–8 months. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Where should we plant it? It grows rapidly to 3–6 m. Plant it at least 1 m from trees or buildings. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Take a ripe fruit and wash the pulp off the seeds. Sow seeds in bags or in a nursery bed. Transplant seedlings in groups of four. After first flowering, thin out to about 1.5–2 m apart. Leave one male for about nine females. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? Mulch around each tree, from the stem out half a metre. Add animal manure if possible. Water well during the growing months but do not swamp the soil. Trees over 3 years old can be cut down to about 1 m to make harvesting easier. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Pests include mites, bugs, moths and scale insects that pierce or spot the fruit and suck out the juice. Fruit fly maggots hatch just under the fruit skin. Most pests attack the fruit when it is nearly ripe. Fruit bats, birds and small climbing animals will attack the fruit as soon as it starts to turn yellow. In a diverse garden, mites are usually controlled by other insects. A spray of 3 percent cooking oil in water can reduce mites and scales, but may also upset predators. If you cut the green fruit and leaves a white juice (latex) will come out, which deters insects. (But be careful! It will irritate your skin.) When the fruit is nearly ripe, you can tie a bag over each fruit to keep off pests, or pick the fruit when mature and let it ripen indoors away from pests. Diseases Roots can be attacked by diseases such as damping off (pythium) and root rot. Anthracnose, leaf spot and powdery mildew infect shoots and leaves. These diseases cannot be controlled effectively. Remove badly infected trees and compost them away from healthy trees to avoid spreading infection. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? An adult tree will produce 15 to 30 fruits per year. In the warmer months the tree grows faster and produces more fruit than in the cooler season. How long does it go on producing? The tree typically produces fruit for 5–8 years. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? When the fruit starts to turn from green to yellow, it is mature and ready to harvest. Cut the stem close to the tree trunk so that other fruits will not be hurt by the sharp end of the stalk. Green papaya can be harvested when the fruit is nearly full size, but its flesh is still hard and white. Off or on the tree, the fruit will ripen quickly, getting more yellow and soft. Handle ripe fruit carefully so that it will not bruise. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Cut fresh ripe papaya into strips or cubes and dry it on clean banana leaves in trays or in a solar drier. Turn over the pieces two or three times a day. Store in an airtight container. Eat as a snack, or use in jam, chutney or spiced pickle relish. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Papaya leaves and green fruit contain papain, which has many uses: - To make meat tender, wrap in papaya leaves overnight. - To take away the pain of insect stings, rub with the juice of green papaya. But keep the juice out of your eyes. - For indigestion or intestinal worms, mix three/four teaspoons of the milky juice of green papaya with the same amount of honey, stir in a cup of hot water, and drink. - Use young papaya leaves instead of soap to remove stains on clothes. Rub clothes with crushed papaya leaves, then rub clothes against each other while washing. |
| Culture | A long time ago Central American Indians found they could tenderize meat if they rubbed it with papaya fruit, or wrapped it in papaya leaves before cooking. They also found at festivals they could eat great amounts of food and not suffer indigestion if they ate papaya as well! |
| NOTES |
Food Factsheet: PINEAPPLE |  | |
| (Ananas comosus) | ||
| Pineapples are tasty and healthy fruit. They can re-grow from side shoots for many years. | ||
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Pineapple (also called piña and ananas) came from tropical America and is now grown in many tropical countries. Popular varieties are Smooth Cayenne, Victoria (large, used for canning, but fine for schools), Queen, Esmeralda and Albacaxis. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? It is very good for us. Ripe pineapple is full of sugars for energy and vitamins A and C as well as minerals needed each day. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Cut off the skin and slice up the fruit. Eat fresh as a snack or in a fruit salad, or add slices or juice to flavour soup, relish, or stew. To make pineapple juice, chop and mash ripe fruit and press it through a clean wire strainer or a clean cloth, then add some cooled boiled water. Do not add sugar. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow in the right place. Pineapples like free-draining soil, moderate rainfall and moderate warmth. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Plant in the cooler months. The first fruit will be ready to harvest in 15–20 months. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Where should we plant it? Pineapples grow less than a metre high and half a square metre wide. Their roots are shallow so they need well-drained soil. Plant in a sunny place - they can tolerate some wind and drought. Varieties with prickly leaves may not be suitable for young children to work with. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Pineapple is not grown from seeds, but from planting material cut off the plant: a) small shoots ("slips") which grow from the stem at the base of the fruit; b) strong side shoots ("suckers") which grow near the ground; or c) the leafy tops of the fruit. Take planting material from plants with good fruit and few slips. If you use shoots, choose the biggest ones. Plant into a raised bed with manure or compost dug through. Space 0.3 m apart in two rows in one bed - they like to grow together. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? Mulch around the rows to keep in the moisture, and add animal manure or compost every 2 months. If there is little rainfall, water moderately. Keep the weeds down. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Pests Mealy bug is the commonest pest. It is a small bug with a waxy coating which crawls onto the leaves and fruit and sucks out the sap. Control with a soapy water spray, or a 3 percent oil spray ("summer oil" or "horticultural petroleum oil" commonly available from farm hardware shops, or use cooking oil). Diseases Pineapples can get root rot from poor drainage or from a tiny worm called a nematode. The only thing to do is remove badly infected plants (and burn them), thoroughly compost the affected area and plant a different crop there. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? Each plant will produce one fruit per year, some in the cool season, others in warmer months. How long does it go on producing? Each plant produces many suckers and slips for replanting. You have to replant from suckers to get good fruit. Thin and replant suckers every 23 years in any case or they will produce very small fruit for a few years and then become too weak. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Harvest the fruit just when it starts to go yellow, or smell good - or just before it starts to go yellow, if you are sure it is mature. (If it gets fully yellow before harvesting, the inside will go brown.) Use a knife to cut the stalk at the base of the fruit. Wash the dust off the fruit. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Most pineapple is eaten fresh. Mature green fruit can be kept in a cool place for 3–4 weeks. Slices can be soaked in heavy sugar syrup for a day then dried on clean banana leaves, in trays or in a solar drier. Turn over the pieces two or three times a day. Store in an airtight container. You can also use pineapple to make jam, chutney or spiced pickle relish. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Plant pineapples as a living fence along garden boundaries to keep out small animals. Pineapple juice is good for the stomach. |
| Culture | In a few countries pineapple is grown on large plantations for canning, drying, juice and fresh fruit, and exported all around the world. Its special flavour brings a touch of the tropics to people in cold countries. Along with the coconut, it is one of the most widely known tropical fruits and flavours in the world - but most people have never seen a pineapple growing! |
Food Factsheet: PUMPKIN |  | |
| (Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita maxima) | ||
| Pumpkin is a vine with nutritious fruit. Some varieties are small and some are large. The fruit is the main food part. It has a green, orange, yellow or striped skin. The tender leafy shoots and the large flowers are also healthy food, but a lot of people don't know this. Roasted pumpkin seeds make a tasty snack. Pumpkin can be grown in the warm season, or all year round in the tropics. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Other names are squash, marrow, gourd. Varieties like Butternut, Blue and Red have large hard-skinned fruit with firm, dry, orange flesh. In temperate or cool places they grow best in summer. Some hard varieties like Wax Gourd or Winter Squash have pale flesh and a waxy skin. Soft varieties such as Summer Squash and the common tropical or village pumpkin usually have pale flesh and are smaller. In warm places they can be grown all year. Cucumber, melon and watermelon are nutritious cousins of pumpkin, but sweeter and juicier. They all grow in much the same way. The seeds of watermelon are a popular food in some countries. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? It's very good for us! The fruit has a lot of vitamin A and energy food. The leafy shoots have valuable protein, iron, vitamins C and A. The seeds are rich in essential oils and protein. Pumpkin flesh is good for babies, children and sick people because it's full of vitamins and easy to digest. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Eat pumpkin as a cooked vegetable, roasted, steamed or boiled. Cook pieces in soup, stir-fry, curry, stew or serve cooked with other food. Sweet pumpkin pie, with a few spices, is a treat. Toss flowers into a stir-fry. Leafy shoots can be steamed or lightly cooked after peeling off any stringy skin from the stem. Seeds are best dried or roasted as snack food. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? It's very easy to grow. Pumpkin likes it hot and sunny. In tropical places it grows all year, but in cool places only in summer. It needs regular rain or watering. It will grow best in free-draining soil with lots of compost or manure. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Time to first harvest is 2–4 months after planting. In a tropical place, plant any time of year, but avoid a heavy monsoon season. In cool places, plant in spring and harvest over summer and autumn. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Where should we plant it? The vines climb and the roots spread widely, so they need to be 1–2 m apart. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Pumpkin grows from seed. Use commercial seeds, or seeds from a mature pumpkin. No transplanting needed. Plant 2–3 seeds together in mounds in the wet season and in shallow holes in a dry climate. Thin out, leaving one or two vines in each place. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? lots of water? shade? A few kinds of small pumpkin grow well on a trellis strong enough to support their weight. The common tropical or village pumpkin can be grown up a trellis, over a thatched roof, or amongst maize/corn. Most are happy spreading over the ground, and their big leaves shade out weeds. When the vines are covered with flowers the shoots may be harvested or pinched off to help set the pumpkin fruit. Water regularly in hot weather to keep them growing, but don't drown the roots. Mulch with straw or leaves around the stem, especially if the pumpkin is climbing a trellis. Feed the roots by spreading a little animal manure or compost each month. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Different things attack the plant in different places. Hard pumpkin varieties are hardier than soft-skinned squashes. Snails, slugs, aphids and some beetles attack the seedlings but older plants are quite hardy. Like children, a well-fed and watered plant with enough sun can outgrow most attackers. Mildew attacks the leaves if there is too much rain, shade or cold. Knock off old wilted flowers after the fruit begins to grow: sometimes they rot, and the rot can spread into the pumpkin. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? Hard variety plants can produce 4–5 pumpkins of 5 kg each, and 100–200 g of seeds for snacks. Soft squash produce fruit every few days. Each plant can produce a weekly bunch of shoots or flowers for meals. How long does it go on producing? Most squash produce regularly for 2–3 months, but hard varieties are harvested only once, at the end of the growing season. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Flowers, either alone or attached to baby squash, are cut or snapped off. Harvest fast-growing shoots in the same way when 15–30 cm long. Both must be eaten in a few days. Pick small squash when the fruit is about 10 cm across. Cut or snap the stalk off the vine. Soft squash dry and wilt so eat them within a few days. Hard pumpkin are harvested when the vine has died off. Wash off dirt, then store in a shaded cool place for up to 4 months. Varieties with waxy skins can last 6 months. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Hard pumpkin and dried seeds keep well if kept cool, dry and away from rats. Sliced thinly, pumpkin flesh can also be dried. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? A good dose of pumpkin seeds will expel intestinal worms. |
| Culture | In the West at Hallowe'en, people hollow out the pumpkin shell, carve a face in the side and put a candle inside the shell to make a festive lamp. In South Asia, pumpkins are used in religious festivals. Seeds of melons and pumpkins, sometimes coloured red, are special snacks at the Lunar New Year in China and its neighbours. |
Food Factsheet: SWEET POTATO |  | |
| (Ipomoea batatas) | ||
| Sweet potato is a vine with tasty roots and dark green leaves.The main parts to eat are the fat roots or tubers. The tender leafy shoots are a healthy food, but people who don't know that only feed them to animals. Sweet potato can be grown in the warm season or all year round in the tropics. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Other names: Kumara. You can tell the difference between the many kinds by the shape of the leaves and the colour of the flesh, root and stem. Varieties with orange tubers grow best in hot places. Varieties with pale-flesh tubers and purple skin can grow in a cooler climate. Sweet potato is a cousin of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), which grows much the same way but likes wetter places. It has dark green edible leaves. Yam root is another nutritious food from a vine. Yams are grown like sweet potato, planted a bit further apart and given a trellis to climb. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? It's good for us! The tubers have great food energy, yellow and orange tubers are rich in vitamin A, and the shoots have iron and vitamins. They are good for babies, children and sick people and are easy to digest. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Eat tubers as a cooked vegetable, roasted, steamed or boiled. They can be the basis of a meal, and also eaten as snacks. Cook pieces of tuber in a stir-fry, curry, stew or soup. Sweet potato chips are great snacks. Steam the shoots or stir fry with garlic. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Sweet potato came from tropical America and likes it warm and sunny. In the tropics it grows all year, but in cooler places only in summer. It grows best during drier weather, in sandy soil with enough compost or manure, but it even grows in low-fertility soil. It can survive dry or wet periods if there is good drainage. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Tubers are ready for harvest 4–6 months after planting. Leafy shoots can be picked after 6–8 weeks. Plant any time of year in a tropical place except in a heavy rainy season. In cool places, plant in spring and harvest after the middle of summer. Tubers form best when days get shorter. Long days favour production of leaves. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Each plant's vines will grow to cover about half a square metre. Where should we plant it? Plant in a well-drained mound or raised bed in the sun. In a shady place it will grow leaves but not good tubers. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Prepare ridges or mounds about 1 m apart in moist soil and mix in green plant material, compost or animal manure to make it warm. Plant either sprouted tuber tops or vine cuttings half a metre apart along the mounds. 1) Tuber tops: cut 3–4 cm pieces off the tops (stem end) of stored tubers that have sprouted buds. Put them in a plate of water or damp soil till they sprout, then plant in the mounds. 2) Vine cuttings: take vine cuttings from well-grown plants about 30 cm long which have already put out roots at the vine joints (nodes). Remove leaves from the bottom half. Plant cuttings in the mounds, angling them down with up to half of the vine buried. Keep the soil moist for a week until the roots get established. |
| Care/cultivation | How should we look after it? Does it need staking? trellising? a lot of water? shade? Mulch plants with compost and feed with manure or compost every month. As the vines grow, lift them off the ground occasionally to stop roots growing into the soil at the joints. Weed them until they have spread enough to shade out weeds. Give small amounts of water regularly in hot weather. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? One of the worst pests is the sweet potato weevil. It lives in the soil, burrows in the stem and spoils the tubers. It is very small and leaves thin black or brown holes or lines in the tuber, which you usually see only after harvest. Sprinkle ash around the plant to keep them away. Rats also dig into sandy soil to eat the roots. Protect roots by making sure the base of the plant is well covered with soil, especially if the soil cracks open. Don't forget - if plants have diseases, destroy them, and plant something else in the same place next time. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? How long does it go on producing? Light picking of shoots can be done regularly when the plant is growing well and the days are long. A good sweet potato plant will produce 2–3 kg of tubers. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Cut tender leafy vine tips about 10 cm long. They wilt, so eat them within a day or two. Dig tubers when they are big enough. If they are left growing too long, they get fibrous and tough. Gently wash or brush off the soil. Store them for 3–5 months in pits covered in cool, dry sandy soil, or wrapped in newspaper in a cool dry place. Varieties with thick skins keep longest. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Make sweet potato chips by frying or oven baking very thin slices and sprinkling with a little salt. Preserve in clean sealed plastic bags. They can last for 5 months or more. Some factories make tubers into flour or freeze them. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? All parts of the plant can be used for animal feed. |
| Culture | Sweet potato, like many other root crops, can be stored, so it was one of the foods people took with them when they went to sea. Scientists think this was how it spread from South America across the Pacific Islands into South-East Asia. In Africa and Melanesia, there are important ceremonies when planting and harvesting yams and sweet potato. Sweet potato has been so important in Papua New Guinea that tribes have had wars over the best land for growing them! In some East Asian countries people used to consider the whole plant only good for pigs.…. But those pigs thrived! |
Food Factsheet: TOMATO |  | |
| (Lycopersicon esculentum) | ||
| Tomato is a very tasty and healthy fruit enjoyed in many parts of the world. Tomato can be easy to grow in a school garden at the right time of year. | ||
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Tomato is a red, mostly round fruit full of tasty pulp and juice. Cherry tomatoes are small like berries, varieties like Grosse Lisse are as big as a fist. Processing varieties like Roma are in between, with more flesh and less juice and acidity. Tomato's tasty and healthy cousins are capsicum (sweet pepper, chilli) and eggplant (brinjal, aubergine). They are smaller and hardier than tomato but cultivation is similar. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? It has valuable minerals and vitamins A and C needed by children each day. Ripe tomato has the most vitamins. Tomato is good for babies, children and sick people. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Eat tomatoes fresh on their own. Put fresh or dried tomatoes in salads, sandwiches, chappatis, or tortilla, for snacks or meals. Cook tomato with fish, meat or beans, in curry, stew or as a sauce. To make tomato juice: Dip ripe tomatoes in boiling water to split the skin. When cool, remove the skin. Press the flesh through a clean wire strainer or a clean cloth, then add some cooled boiled water. No need to add sugar. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow. Tomatoes came from Central America but now grow in all tropical and temperate regions. They like hot days and cool nights, and regular rain or watering. They will grow in most soils, but prefer free-draining rich soil. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Tomato fruit begin to be ready to harvest 2–3 months after planting. Planting time depends on the climate. They need warmth to grow, but must have cool nights to set fruit. In sub-tropical areas, plant any time of year; in the tropics, in the cool season; in temperate places, in the summer. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Where should we plant it? Plant in a warm, sunny, sheltered place. Tomato bushes grow to about half a metre wide. Some varieties grow less than half a metre high, but other varieties will climb 1–2 m supported by a stake. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? Buy seeds for the best quality. If not available, get your own. Take a ripe fruit and wash the pulp off the seeds. Sow seeds in small bags, or about 2 cm apart in a nursery bed. When seedlings are about 2 cm high and the base of the stem is purple, transplant them into garden beds about 1 m apart. |
| Care/cultivation | How do we look after it? Does it need staking/trellising? a lot of water? shade? Tomatoes grow best if branches with heavy fruit are held up off the ground. Tie them loosely to a 2 m stake. Remove some branching shoots so that leaves and fruit don't get crowded. Lay mulch around the tree (leaves, straw, newspaper or other organic material), from the stem out half a metre. Add compost or animal manure to the mulch. Water regularly, but don't swamp the soil. Without air, roots will rot and the plant will die. What attacks it? And what do we about it? Many diseases (e.g. damping off, root rot, wilt, fruit rots) can be avoided by using clean soil, keeping weeds down and mulching the soil so it doesn't get too hot. Don't plant tomatoes in the same place next year. Remove and destroy infected plants to avoid spreading infection. When fruit is nearly ripe, water can carry fruit rots into cracks or insect holes: remove damaged fruit before the rot spreads. Snails, slugs and some caterpillars will chew the seedlings and shoots and eat into the fruit when nearly ripe. Pick them off by hand, or dust the plants with ash, or use an approved pesticide like Derris Dust (rotenone) or Pyrethrum. In a diverse garden, most other pests are naturally controlled by predator insects. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? 10–30 kg of tomatoes from big varieties like Grosse Lisse are common. How long does it go on producing? A plant can produce tomatoes for 2–3 months. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? Pick the fruit when most of the green colour has changed to red or orange. Fruit off the plant will continue to ripen and soften. Fresh fruit can be stored in a shaded, cool, airy place for up to 3 weeks. |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Tomato sauce or purée is an easy preserve. Lightly cook chopped tomatoes alone or with onion, garlic, and herbs. Seal in jars or bottles that have been sterilized by boiling them in water. To dry tomato, cut into strips, lay on trays, sprinkle with salt and dry in a sunny, airy place or in a solar drier. Turn the strips over two or three times a day. Tomatoes contain a lot of water and will probably not dry completely, so put the strips in sterilized jars and cover with edible oil to keep the air out - they tend to get spoiled by mould in plastic bags. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Tomato leaves are poisonous and should not be eaten. |
| Culture | Ancient Peruvians had tomatoes 2,500 years ago. When western men first discovered tomatoes in Central America, they were wary of the beautiful bright red colour and the strange smell of the leaves - they thought they were poisonous. But the taste was delicious and they were soon called ‘golden apple’ in Italy, and ‘apples of love’ in English. |
Food Factsheet: TROPICAL TREE FRUIT |  | |
| Fruit trees provide tasty and healthy foods for many years. There are many different kinds suited to school gardens. They provide shade and shelter and can be used to define boundaries in the school grounds. Once established, they need little care. |
| Names, varieties, relatives | What food is this? Are there different varieties? Citrus (Citrus sp.) - pomelo, orange (shown here), lime, lemon and many other varieties worldwide. Annona (Annona sp.) - custard apple, sugar apple and soursop, all originally from Central America. Star Apple (Chrysophyllum cainito) from Central America and tropical Asia; and from Africa (C. alba, C. Magalismontanum). There are many other suitable trees, for example, fruit trees like mango, longan, date, jujube; and nut trees like coconut, candle nut (Aleurites sp.) and Indian almond (Terminalia sp.). In temperate climates, try plum, apple, walnut, chestnut. |
| Nutritional value | Is it good for us? What is its nutritional value? Who is it good for? Very good for us. Fruits are full of sugars for energy and vitamins A and C as well as others which children need each day to protect them from sickness. They should eat three or four fruits a day, including one after every meal. |
| Dishes, combos, snacks, preparation | How is it generally eaten? How else can it be eaten? How do we cook it? Eat fruit fresh as a snack or with a meal. Slice different kinds into a fruit salad. Add slices or juice to flavour soup, relish or to tenderize fish or meat (see papaya also). Fruit and meat are often combined: mango and lamb, duck and orange, apple and pork. A popular Pacific dish is fish cut up and marinated in lime juice and served with coconut milk. To make juice, press a little ripe fruit through a clean wire strainer or a clean cloth, then add some cooled boiled water. Do not add sugar. |
| Easy to grow | How easy is it to grow here? Very easy to grow in the right place. Tropical fruits grow well in a warm climate, sheltered from wind when they are young, with regular rain or watering. Most grow best in free-draining soil rich in organic matter. |
| Time frame | How long does it take to grow? When should it be planted and harvested? Plant in the cooler months. The first fruit will be ready to harvest in 2–3 years. |
| Propagation/planting instructions | How big is it? How much space does it need? Where should we plant it? Citrus, Annona and Star Apple grow 2–6 m high. Plant at least 2–3 m away from big trees or buildings. A good place is where water drains from a well. Use them in the layout of the school grounds, for screens, shade or playground boundaries. How do we plant it? Does it need transplanting/thinning? The best fruit is from good varieties grafted by a nursery. But Annona or Star Apple can easily be grown from the seeds of a ripe fruit (it doesn't always work with citrus). Sow seeds in bags or pots with drainage holes. Plant out when 15–30 cm high. Space small trees like citrus 2–3 m apart, Star Apple and other bigger trees 3–5 m apart. In heavy soil, plant into mounds for good drainage. |
| Care/cultivation | How should we look after it? Does it need staking? trellising? lots of water? shade? Protect trees from sun and wind for a few months so they establish well. Water well during the warm months but don't swamp the soil. Mulch around each tree, from the stem out 1 m, to keep the soil cool and feed the roots. Add manure if possible. As they grow, prune them to a shape which lets light into the fruit and air flow through the tree, cutting off dead branches to keep tree healthy. What attacks it? And what do we do about it? Pests include mites, bugs, moths and scale insects that pierce or spot the fruit and suck out the juice; and fruit fly maggots which hatch just under the fruit skin and attack the fruit when it is nearly ripe. So do fruit bats, birds and small climbing animals. In a diverse garden, pests are usually controlled by other insects. A spray of 3 percent cooking oil or soap in water can reduce mites and scales, but may also upset insect predators. Diseases Root rot can result from over-watering or poor drainage. Anthracnose causes black, dead patches on flowers and fruit. Remove and burn badly infected branches and trees to avoid spreading infection. Reduce places where pests and diseases hide by pruning the inner branches to give a good airflow through the tree. |
| Productivity | How much will it produce? An adult tree will produce 10 kg or more fruit per year. Some produce fruit in the cool season, others in warmer months. How long does it go on producing? Trees can produce fruit for 10–20 years or more. |
| Harvesting/storing | How do we harvest it, clean it and store it? When the fruit turns from green to yellow, or softens, or smells good, it is mature and ready to harvest. Handle ripe fruit carefully so it will not bruise. Use a pole with a small basket attached to the end to collect fruit from tall trees. Raise the pole so the basket lip touches the fruit, then dislodge it into the basket and retrieve it. If the tree is easy to climb, you may not see much fruit - children will be up there snacking on it! |
| Preserving/processing | Can we preserve it, keeping its food value? How? Most fruit is eaten fresh. Some fruit like mango can be cut into strips and dried on clean banana leaves, in trays or in a solar drier. Turn over the pieces two or three times a day. Store in an airtight container. Eat as a snack, or use in jam, chutney or spiced pickle relish. Citrus and Annona cannot be dried easily. |
| Other uses | What else can we do with it? Put damaged fruit on the compost heap or feed to animals. |
| Culture | A special kind of citrus, kumquat, features in East Asian New Year festivities. In East Africa the bark of the Star Apple is used in ceremonies to placate ancestral spirits. In the west, oranges were stuck full of cloves and hung up in cupboards to make clothes smell sweet. |
