Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on January 14, 2012.

Around three-dozen different varieties of cabbage are cultivated in China. The most famous among these in the West is the “Bok choy”, also known as “pak choy” and “Shanghai choy.” It was incidentally the Chinese who brought it to North America in the late 19th century, when they took part in the great gold rush.

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Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on November 19, 2011.

You would certainly remember if you have ever come across this vegetable, because its spiral, pyramid-shaped florets are hard to miss. We are talking about the Romanesco broccoli, a variety of cauliflower from Italy, or more specifically from Rome (hence the name).

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We all know that a healthy diet is one that is high in fruit and vegetables - but did you know that Canada’s Food Guide specifically recommends eating an average of one *dark green* vegetable every day? These are important sources of fiber and minerals, such as iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium, that our body needs to stay healthy.

These dark green veggies are also high in fat-soluble vitamins A, K, D, and E, which do require a little bit of fat in order for our body to absorb them. That is why it is appropriate to eat these vegetables with some oil, butter or cheese.
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Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on October 29, 2011.

There are pumpkins and there are pumpkins. The North American variety is round and bright orange in colour, whereas the European one is rather flat and can vary from reddish orange to dark green. The flesh of the latter is also sweeter, tastier and less stringy than its North American cousin whose ample seeds, which once dried, make a very healthy snack.

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If you liked the idea of taking advantage of “green baskets” during Summer, you can continue to support local farmers while eating local organic produce during Fall and part of Winter.

The baskets contain vegetables such as garlic, carrots, potatoes, various types of squash, onions, leeks, radish, rutabaga, turnip, etc. They are all locally harvested and kept under controlled conditions until delivery to preserve their freshness.
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Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on October 8, 2011.

The banana tree is one of the oldest known plants and probably one of the first to have ever been domesticated. However, it was the buds of the banana tree that were initially eaten and not the fruit, since these were not very fleshy and were full of inedible seeds. As for the fibrous stems, they were used for making nets.

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Had Cinderella been in Gentilly, Quebec, her pumpkin would have been transformed into a speedboat, instead of a coach. And she would be ready to paddle in the boat race that will take place on the Becancour River tomorrow Saturday, October 8th.

This race is the spectacular closing event of the Potirothon Gentilly. Several activities are organized in this community to promote the pumpkin (called “potiron” in France). Among other things, the producer who grew the largest pumpkin wins… the ‘golden pumpkin’ prize.
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