Cruciferous Vegetables

Lou

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Today I learned that kale and collard greens, Chinese broccoli, red and green cabbages, savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower are all the same species.

Not that long ago we had a great discussion on Artifical Selection as opposed to Genetically Modified. (See link at the bottom.) And it never ceases to amaze me how effective artificial selection can be. Or how long it has been taking place. Sure the Apple story is awesome. but just think of how we turned one wolf-like dog into everything from poodles to pit bulls.

But today I learned that kale and collard greens, Chinese broccoli, red and green cabbages, savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower are all the same plant. Not only are they all descendants of the same plant, Brassica oleracea, a weedy little herb, but just like dogs, they are also interfertile, capable of mating with one another and producing fertile offspring.

For the whole story, you can check out this article.

and this one is illustrated
 
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if you think that's cool you should also check out the history of the evolution of corn

very fascinating stuff
 
if you think that's cool you should also check out the history of the evolution of corn

very fascinating stuff
Oh, Yeah. I actually know a lot about corn. Michael Pollard's The Omnivore Dilemma - there are a couple of chapters all about corn. I think I brought it up here a while back.

Corn is not a GMO either. Although the modern species are almost all hybrids now. Another amazing success story is the dwarf wheat plant.

But corn is corn. Wheat is wheat. but who knew that kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower are all the same species?
 
But corn is corn. Wheat is wheat. but who knew that kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower are all the same species?
I kind of did... they are always mentioned together as all being cruciferous vegetables, but that's about it
 
I think I may have been taught this in Botany 201, Taxonomy. It seems like a cool thing to bring up. But if so it was forgotten too long ago to even sound familiar.

I also got a kick out of the blogger's experience with the cabbage butterfly's caterpillars.
 
Oh, Yeah. I actually know a lot about corn. Michael Pollard's The Omnivore Dilemma - there are a couple of chapters all about corn. I think I brought it up here a while back.

Corn is not a GMO either. Although the modern species are almost all hybrids now. Another amazing success story is the dwarf wheat plant.

But corn is corn. Wheat is wheat. but who knew that kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower are all the same species?

I think it’s more accurate to say they all belong to the same family - they aren’t exactly the same species or they’d be the exact same plant!
 
@Elminster.
No. They are all the same species.

Now, Cavendish bananas are all the same plant because they are cloned.
Being in the same family is not very amazing. The Rosaceae family inlcudes over 4000 species. Many of the fruits we eat are in that family. Including apples, pears, quinces, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, raspberries, loquats, and strawberries.
 
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@Elminster,
The Business Insider article used the word "plant" in their headline. which could have caused some confusion. (I just noticed that). They should have used the word species. but probably didn't want their article to sound too nerdy.
 
And if that wasn't nerdy enough for you .....

Fractal geometry is the mathematical offspring of chaos theory; a fractal is the pattern left behind in the wave of chaotic activity. That single geometric pattern repeats thousands of times at different magnifications (self-similarity). For that reason, fractals are often likened to Russian nesting dolls. Many fractal patterns exist only in mathematical theory, but over the last few decades, scientists have found there are fractal aspects to many irregular yet patterned shapes in nature, such the branchings of rivers and trees—or the strange self-similar repeating buds that make up the Romanesco cauliflower.​

 
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I like all cruciferous vegetables and up until a few weeks ago, would eat tons of them. Sadly, my digestive system doesn't seem to
care for large amounts so I only eat them a few times a week.

What do kale, arugula and Brussels sprouts have in common? Aside from being trendy ingredients, they’re all delicious cruciferous vegetables and pack a nutritional punch.

Cruciferous veggies are a diverse group that includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, collards, watercress and radishes. Fun fact: The name “cruciferous” is an informal classification for members of the mustard family and comes from the Latin cruciferae meaning “cross bearing,” because the four petals resemble a cross.







 
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I like all cruciferous vegetables and up until a few weeks ago, would eat tons of them. Sadly, my digestive system doesn't seem to
care for large amounts so I only eat them a few times a week.

I have issues with the amount of fibre in them as well and so I make sure that they are very well cooked, almost never raw...

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com
 
This is a good week for cauliflower and math nerds.


 
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Rutabaga or swede.....don't forget this lonely vegetable. :)

I never would have guessed they were part Brassica - I do love them and haven't had one in a while, on the list it goes.

Love this quote from a Good Housekeeping Article:

Underneath its woody-looking exterior, rutabaga’s butter-yellow flesh is sweet and earthy. Rutabagas are the result of some promiscuous turnips crossing with wild cabbages in the 1600s, and while they contain the genes of both veggies, they’re considered a part of the cruciferous family of vegetables (cousins include broccoli and Brussels sprouts) and pack similar health benefits.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com
 
some promiscuous turnips crossing with wild cabbages in the 1600
I wonder if the sexual habits of vegetables have changed in the last 500 years. :iiam:

I've made rutabagas a few times this month. In soup, or just boiled, they are sweeter than potatoes and when fully cooked they are soft like potatoes. I just had some with broccoli this morning, a little vinegar w/salt, but any sauce would have been fine with them. Peeling and chopping them is a big healthy upper body work out!
 
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