Garden for Nutrition IndexOrganic Crops in the City
Urban Agriculture
The crops listed below are those which are the most nutritious and can be grown in rotation in a small city plot. They are an excellant source for a raw living food diet.
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Collards (Brassica oleracea L. (Acephala group):
(Point of origin: Eastern Mediterranean / Asia Minor)
Nutrition: High in calcium, lutein, zeaxanthin
, sulforaphane.
Eatin raw is a good source of B1 nd B6.
Eat raw if thyroid is healthy.
Cook to de-activate goitrogenic compounds
or get extra iodine in the diet.
Harvest only after light frost.
Flavor will be enhanced.
ADVANTAGES:
Parboil and dry for late winter use.
Disadvantage:
Members of this Brassica family will cross
Stager by years to save seed
Insect susceptible.
Varieties: Champion, Georgia Southern, Green Glaze
Sources: Johnny's, Territorial, Seeds of Change
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Turnips (Brassica rapa):
(Point of origin: Siberia)
Nutrition: Greens are high in calcium, folate
, lutein, zeaxanthin, B6, sulforaphane.
Eatin raw is a good source of B1 nd B6.
Eat raw if thyroid is healthy.
Cook to de-activate goitrogenic compounds
or get extra iodine in the diet.
Preparation: Harvest when the leaves are young and not
too spicy.
Eat greens raw.
Advantages: natural biofumigant
very insect resistant
Disadvantage:
Members of this Brassica family will cross
Stager by years to save seed
Varieties: Seven Top (Brassica septiceps) - for greens only,
root is small and cold hardy
Sources: Seeds of Change, Territorial, Bountiful Gardens
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Kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala group):
(Point of origin: Eastern Mediterranean / Asia Minor)
Nutrition: High in calcium, lutein, zeaxanthin, B6
, sulforaphane.
Eatin raw is a good source of B1 nd B6.
Eat raw if thyroid is healthy.
Cook to de-activate goitrogenic compounds
or get extra iodine in the diet.
ADVANTAGES:
Parboil and dry for late winter use.
Will tolerate hard freeze
Disadvantage:
Members of this Brassica family will cross
Stager by years to save seed
Varieties: Dwarf Blue Scotch - cold hardy
Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch - cold hardy
Winterbor F1 - very cold hardy, hybrid
Russian or Siberian types (Brassica napus):
not a true kale, actually a rape,
astoundingly cold hardy
up to 3 feet tall
Propagation: Plant in summer and harvest until heavy freeze
Sources: Hume, Seed Savers Exchange, Veseys, Bountiful Gardens,
Seeds of Change, Territorial
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Malvaceae family:
Okra (Abelmoshcus esculentus):
(Point of origin: North Africa)
Nutrition: high in calcium, magnesium, folate,
lutein, zeaxanthin
Eatin raw is a good source of B1 nd B6.
The cooking water of okra is very soothing
to the throat and digestive system
since it is mucilaginous.
The seed and pod is good to eat raw if you are young
and healthy, but is often a bit much for the elderly.
The outer pod shell is easier to digest by itself.
The more red, the greater chance of lycopene.
Animal Feed: save the seed from overmature pods for animal feed
excess amounts can be toxic
Preparation: eat raw when in season
Young pods can be deseeded, parboiled, and dried for winter greens.
Mature seeds are high in quality protein with a slightly off taste,
but good in small amounts as curd to supplement other foods during
famines.
Large amounts of seed can be toxic.
Lost Crops of Africa
Varieties: Red Burgundy - red pods
1988 AAS winner
Emerald - developed by Cambell Soup Co.
early producer
Clemson Spineless - 1939 AAS winner
heat tolerant
Propagation: Soil must be >70 F consistently
or the plants will be stunted.
Once stunted, it never recovers.
Direct seed because of tap root.
Cultivation: Rhizobium meliloti, Rhizobium sp., and Bradyrhizobium sp.
will inhibit harmfull fungi on okra
Sources: Bountiful Gardens, Seeds of Change
Lycopene Sources
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Daisy (Compositae) family:
Chicory (Cichorium intybus):
(Point of origin: Europe)
Nutrition: High in calcium / magmesium, folate.
Eat raw for a good source of B1 and B6.
High in tannin like bitter compounds.
Preparation: Eat raw
Varieties: catalogna, wild
Propagation: Will cross with endives and wild chicory.
Sources: Siegers, Italian Seed and Tool, Seeds of Change, Bountiful Gardens
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Beet (Beta vulgaris):
Goosefoot or Chenopodiaceae family
(Point of origin: Germany)
Nutrition: High in folate, so eat raw.
uridine monophosphate
Never eat the leaves.
Root is high in bitters, so peel the skin
and do not eat too much.
Soak in water to reduce bitterness.
Very medicinally rich; eat small amounts at each meal
since the body can process only so much pigment
and geosmin.
Properties: Pollinates by wind up to 5 miles away.
Soak in water to sweeten.
Variety: Detroit dark red - low geosmin
Source: Stokes, Burpee, Seeds of Change,
Park Seed, Harris Seeds
BEETS
Geosmin
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Greens not listed due to a lack of advantages:
Nettle is not listed, even though it is high in calcium,
because it is perennial.
It is worth harvesting from fallow fields.
Dandelion was not listed because it is so invasive.
It is extremely nutritious, and is worth
harvesting from fallow fields.
Tendergreens (mustard spinach cross) were not included,
even though they are very high in calcium, because they are
also in the Brassica family and they do not dry well.
They are also a hybrid, so seed saving will not work.
But they are very cold hardy (-12 C) and might be ideal for
cold climates.
Mustard greens were not included, because the other members
of the same family have more calcium, magnesium, and
other nutrients.
It is very nutritious, but there are only so many greens
in the same family that can be grown in rotation.
Broccoli was not listed because it is too inefficient.
It is very nutritious, but it requires a large plant to
produce a small head.
Pak choi was not listed because it is not especially high in
magnesium.
Cabbage was not listed, because the other members of the same
family have so much more calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients.
The only exception might be Pak Choi, which does not store well
as a dry green. Red cabbage does have some lycopene.
Lettuce was not listed because it contains very little nutrition:
No fiber, no calcium, and no magnesium.
Only a few varieties have vitamin K, zeaxanthin, or lutein.
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Rabbit:
Nutrition: extremely lean meat
not a good source of fatty essential acids
Advantages: Feed conversion ratio around 2:1
Excellant B vitamin source.
Best if you have limited space
and access to mostly hay
Disadvantages: Requires high labor input
Feed: Hay
Breeds: New Zealand White
Californian
Chinchilla
Vein Library Rabbit Links
The Rabbit - Husbandry, Health, and Production
DebMark Rabbit Education Resource
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