VEGETABLES

Long Beans

Long, thin and green, best describes the Long Bean (Vigna Sesquipedalis) which is also known as Asparagus Bean, Chinese Long Bean, Garter Bean, Snake Bean (not the Snake Gourd), Yardlong Bean and also as Kacang Panjang in Malaysia and as Payathangai or Karamani in Tamil. This is from the legume family and it is a tropical plant grown in Southeastern Asia, Thailand, Southern China and also Malaysia. Long Bean is not a seasonal plant and therefore can be found year round. Apart from the green (which is common) there are other varieties such the pale green, short green(something like the French beans) and also somewhat in red.

Tomato

Technically, tomatoes are fruits. They come in hundreds of different varieties - including several different colors, shapes and sizes. Over the years, many tomatoes have been bred for different qualities - early producing, larger fruits, different colors, different sizes, etc... Heirloom tomatoes have seen a rise in popularity over the last decade or or so. Growing tomatoes of varying sizes and colors adds variety to your garden and your palate.
For our purposes, we will group tomato plants into 4 categories:

• Standard - These tomato varieties produce regular, red tomatoes, about the size of a baseball, that you would likely to see in the grocery store.
• Mini - These tomato varieties produce smaller red fruits, including cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, etc...
• Specialty - These varieties produce somewhat unusual fruit - unusual colors (purple, yellow, striped, etc.,), unusual shapes (pear shaped, roma, etc.,)
• Heirloom - These are non-hybrid varieties are not used in commercial agriculture production.

Broccoli

The word broccoli, from the Italian plural of broccolo, refers to "the flowering top of a cabbage. Broccoli is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli has large flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk. The mass of flower heads is surrounded by leaves. Broccoli most closely resembles cauliflower, which is a different cultivar group of the same species.

Broccoli is usually boiled or steamed, but may be eaten raw and has become popular as a raw vegetable in hors d'œuvre trays. Boiling reduces the levels of suspected anti-cancer compounds in broccoli; broccoli is high in vitamin C, as well as dietary fiber. It also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and small amounts of selenium.