Last week’s Your Produce Man’s Produce Puzzzzle dealt with summer tomatoes: How many chemicals make up the flavor of a tomato? If you have ever gone to a casino and played the craps table, you know that there are two dice. If you role the right combination with just two dice, you can win a ton of money. Oh, if only tomato scientists had two dice to deal with when it comes to the volatile chemicals in a tomato. Actually, scientists have about 23 volatile chemicals to deal with in the make-up of the tomato flavor. 23! Imagine if the craps player had 23 dice to role to win a lot of money. Probably not too many people would play the game. Coming up with the perfect flavor combination with 23 chemicals, is something tomato scientists are working hard at. This week's Your Produce Man’s Produce Puzzzzle deals with summer Okra: What plant is Okra related to? Here's a hint: It makes great shirts. See next week’s Fresh Tips for the answer.

The newest Tomato in the produce department…is actually the very old Heirloom Tomato.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES (Monday, August 22): In 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood at the Berlin Wall and spoke directly to Russian President Mikail Gorbachev. “President Gorbachv,” Reagan said, “Tear down this wall.” And in 1989, the wall come down, along with the “Iron Curtain.” It started a flood of people crossing the protected wall, the Germany reunification, the fall of the Soviet Empire. And it also started a flood of one particular produce item to the United States. Have you noticed? Over the past decade, you have seen a lot more of this item? At the farmer's markets and at the grocery store. Heirloom Tomatoes, full of flavor, unique colors, shapes and textures. With names like Cherokee, Zebra, Brandywine, Striped German, Anna Russian, Crnkovic Yukoslavian, and many other interesting names. An Heirloom fruit or vegetable is a particular seed variety that originated prior to 1940. Well, some of these Heirloom tomato seed varieties date all the way back to Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and the Czars of Russia. Many Heirlooms Tomatoes that have been popping up the past dozen summers have come in from Eastern Europe, since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Until then, there wasn't a lot of agricultural exchanges between countries behind the Iron Curtain and the United States. Many of these "new" Heirlooms come from Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European countries. But now, just like their people, these tomatoes have found freedom in our markets. By the way, they do cost a lot, don't they? That's because many of these Heirloom Tomatoes are difficult to grow and harvest. They tend to be more tender than other tomatoes, which is why most of them are packed in a single layer. Also, the sugar and acid content of many of these older varieties are more than today's tomato, which gives them not only a richer flavor, but also causes them to deteriorate much faster. They don't last as long. But then again, they don’t need to. They’re so good, you’ll eat them quickly.

There is more to the world of squash…than Zucchini.

Try a Sunburst!

SQUASH (Tuesday, August 23): This time of year, maybe your garden is overflowing with Zucchini Squash. Well, may I suggest that there is more to the world of Squash than just Zucchini? There are two main types of squash, summer and winter. Although now, with imports from other countries, we now can get summer squash all year, as well as winter squash. So now, you may hear them referred to as “soft” or “hard” squash. Soft squash is our “summer” squash. Hard squash is our “winter” squash. There is a perfectly good reason why God made soft squash for the summer, and hard squash for the winter. It was for our health. You see, soft squash has fewer calories and has a lot more moisture. Our bodies need more moisture in the summer months to stay hydrated. Try the other varieties, like Crookneck, Gold Bar Zucchini, Globe, Sunburst, Patty Pan or even Gray Squash. They all have a great flavor.

ASIAN VEGETABLES - SQUASH (Wednesday, August 24): Recent Asian immigrants have brought about dramatic changes in the kinds of vegetables consumed in the United States, especially in localities where these peoples are concentrated. When I first started in the produce industry, about the only place to get Asian Vegetables were in large cities, like San Francisco’s or New York City's Chinatown. Today, you can find many varieties of Asian vegetables in most grocery stores, and certainly in most Farmer’s Markets in most areas around the country. There is a group of Asian Vegetables I simply call the many different “Squashes.” They are actually the “cucurbit” family. Here are some of the most common varieties.

Bittermelon - Mormodica charantia: Bitter melon is a cucurbit vine native to Asia with eastern India and southern China proposed as the centers of domestication. It is now widely cultivated throughout the world for the immature fruits, and sometimes for the tender leafy shoots or the ripe fruits. Other species used for their immature fruits in a similar way are M. cochinchinensis and M. dioica. The immature fruits are stuffed, pickled, and sliced into various dishes. The immature fruits, called bitter melon, bitter gourd, or balsam pear, are harvested at developmental stages up to seed hardening; the fruits are warty in appearance and vary in size from 3 – 4” long. It is usually grown on a trellis system and is roughly about the size of a zucchini, but warty. Fruits are eaten while still green and before there is any color change. Bright orange fruits are saved for seed. Bitterness (quinine content) increases with age of the fruit. Salt reduces the bitterness. Slice lengthwise and stuff with pork or seafood and top with oyster sauce; or cut halves into ¼ inch chunks and add to meat/vegetable stir-fries. The young leaves and tips can be steamed. The bitter principle, for which the fruit is named, is due to the alkaloid momordicine, not to cucurbitacins as in other members of the Cucurbitaceae. Immature fruits are less bitter than the mature but unripe fruits. Among the different types of bitter melons, smaller darker green types are very bitter, and the lighter green-colored fruit are slightly bitter. Bitter melon is also important for various medicinal properties, with more recent attention focused on it as a hypoglycemic agent. The spongy white interior pulp and seeds of unpeeled immature bitter melon are sliced for use as a vegetable in various Asian dishes. The fruit are parboiled or soaked in salted water to remove excessive bitter principle. Proximate composition is similar to that of other immature cucurbit fruits. Good quality bitter melon should have a fresh appearance and the peel should be of uniform green color and free from visual defects. The developing fruit should be firm without excessive seed development, and free of defects such as decay and splitting, both associated with fruit ripening. When the fruit begins to ripen, the exterior color changes from green to yellow and the pulp becomes gelatinous and orange-red. Coincident with color changes, the fruit pulp loses bitterness and becomes sweet. It is a chilling sensitive vegetable.

Opo - Lagenaria siceraria: also called a type of bottle gourd, has large white flowers and may have originated in either Mexico or Egypt. Fruits are very smooth, hairless, and normally harvested when 10-12 inches long. This squash is the equivalent of the Italian cucuzza. It is commonly used in soups and stir-fries. The taste is mild.

Smooth luffa - (Luffa cylindrica): Dishrag gourd (loofah) originated in India and was later taken to China. Left to mature on the plant the squash will produce the familiar "Luffa sponge" found in stores and used as a dishrag or great back-scrubber (hence the name). Soak the light brown mature gourd in 10% bleach for 24 hours, then peel off the skin and allow dry. Most of the luffa grown in California’s Central Valley is for the young squash like fruits. Slice Luffa into 1" pieces and stir-fry with shrimp in a tempura batter and cooked in oyster sauce; or simply stir-fry in butter by itself or with other vegetables. Be careful not to overcook as it will become mushy. This is also known as “Chinese Okra.”

Angled Luffa - (Luffa actuangula): is very similar to the smooth luffa except that the actuangula seems somewhat more susceptible to spider mite attacks. Except for Chinese winter melon, all of the cucurbits discussed are trained on trellises to encourage straighter fruits, which can become more curved if allowed to grow on the ground. Warm season. The quality of this squash as a sponge gourd is not as desirable, however, in stir fries and other foods it excels and does not become mushy as readily. It is sweeter and has a better flavor than zucchini. This type should be peeled, as the ridges are fairly hard. Most plantings will have both types of luffa for the varied tastes of consumers, but the popularity of angled luffa predominates. Angled luffa is another cucurbit native to Asia cultivated since ancient times. The young immature fruit is also called Chinese okra, because of the okra-like shape and external appearance of the tender ridges. Luffas can only be eaten when young as mature fruits become very bitter due to the development of purgative chemicals. The species used for vegetable production is usually a separate species from the more fibrous species routinely used for sponge production (L. aegyptiaca). Immature fruits of Luffa acutangula are considered to be superior in flavor to immature fruits of L. aegyptiaca.

Snake gourd - (Trichosanthes anguina): is a night-blooming vegetable squash with white blossoms. Usually a small stone is suspended from its apex to keep it growing straight and long. The genus Thichosanthes is Greek meaning "hair flower", which describes the fragrant and delicately fringed white corolla (petals). The young fruits are cut into pieces and boiled. As the fruit ages, it becomes bitter. Like many other bitter fruits, the bitterness is viewed as a tonic in natural medicine.

Hairy Melon/Fuzzy Gourd - (Benincasa hispida var. chiehgua): This squash is little brother to the Chinese winter melon. Most often called Moqua, this squash is eaten in the immature stage as is opo/sinqua and before it has developed the white wax bloom on the skin. It has the same pest problems as angled luffa and is also trellised. In Chinese, “Mo” means hair and “qua” means squash. This is known as hairy squash. As the name implies, it is quite hairy and will need to be peeled. It has a refreshing delicate flavor and is often included in stir-fries and soups. It can be stuffed with shrimp, pork, bamboo shoots, bok choy, and onions and mixed with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. The immature fuzzy melon fruits have a delicious flavor, stronger and more distinctive than than of immature summer squash, although composition is similar to that of summer squash. Flavor can change during storage, with the fuzzy melon taking on an acidic, less agreeable flavor. The diversity and antiquity of cultivars in China suggest that this crop may be indigenous to southern China. Cultivars of B. hispida are classified on the basis of wax formation on the mature fruit, fruit size, and shape and pubescence of the immature fruits, from which its common name is derived. Generally, separate cultivars are used for immature vegetable production and for mature fruit production. One vegetable type has fruits, which are cylindrical and roundish with many bristle-like trichomes on the epidermis. The other (jointed gourd) has immature fruits which are narrowed in the center (dumbbell shaped) with their length 2-3 times their width. Small solid green fruit are the best; the younger the fruit, the firmer the flesh.

Chinese Winter Melon - (Benincasa hispida): Donqua melons usually weigh in excess of 30 pounds and are harvested when mature and have developed the white wax bloom on the skin. Because of its size, it is not trellised but allowed to spread over the ground. Like the other cucurbits, it is attacked by spider mites, aphids, nematodes, and viruses. The mature melon can be stored for 3-4 months over the wintertime. The flavor is mild, white and is a main ingredient in chicken broth soup with other vegetables or stir fry with pork, onions, and mizuna. An elaborate dish is made by carving the skin like a cameo, then filling the melon with other vegetables and meat. Steam until the melon flesh is soft.

Eggplant was named by the English, because the fruit were small, white and shaped like an egg.

This is a traditional Italian dish, Eggplant Parmigiana.

ASIAN VEGETABLES - EGGPLANTS (Thursday, August 25): The Eggplant is known as the Aubergine in Europe and Britain. It is one of the least widely appreciated vegetables in the Western World. Eggplant was nicknamed the "apple of Sodom" by physicians and botanists who accused the eggplant of causing fevers and epileptic seizures in their patients, thus the Eggplant was first called “Solanum insanum,” since it was thought to be deleterious and unwholesome to the point of causing madness! And yet, people starting taking a liking to this strange vegetable so the botanist Linnaeus decided that its name was a bit too harsh, and changed it to “Solanum Melongena,” meaning bad, but soothing, apple. The Eggplant is the only member of the deadly Nightshade family to originate in the Eastern Hemisphere and is closely related to the Tomato, Potato, Pepper and Tobacco. Because of its association to the Nightshade family, like its cousin, the Tomato, the Eggplant's popularity was stifled in Europe and North America until relatively recent years. The Tomato was believed to be actually poisonous, but the Eggplant was believed by superstitious Europeans to induce insanity and was unaffectionately known as the "Mad Apple" until only a few centuries ago. Eggplant is native to the general Southeast Asian region of India and modern day Pakistan and was first domesticated there over 4000 years ago, especially in the vicinities of Burma and Assam. In its home region, the Eggplant is used in many local dishes and carries a wide range of names in Bengalise, Hindustani, Urdu, Sanskrit and other local languages. In fact, the Eggplant's true species name "Melongena" is an ancient Sanskrit name for Eggplant. Within its home region, the purple fruited Eggplant were the first to be domesticated. In time, Eggplant soon spread into neighboring China by about 500 B.C. and became a culinary favorite to generations of Chinese emperors. About 500 A.D., a Chinese scholar put up the first written record of Eggplant, noting that they had become popular among all classes of the Chinese people some two centuries earlier.

Eggplant makes a great meat substitute during Lent, like in this Lasagna dish.

The purple Eggplant most of us recognize in the grocery store, was actually hybred by… Thomas Jefferson.

A traditional Hungarian dish would be this Stuffed Eggplant

The Chinese viewed the Eggplant differently than the Indians did and soon developed their own unique varieties. In particular, they preferred smaller fruited Eggplant, as well as differing shapes and colors. From India and Pakistan, the Eggplant soon spread West into the Middle East and into the Lower Stans regions, as far west as Egypt and northward into Turkey. Arabic records of Eggplant exist from the 9th, 10th and 12th centuries. Eggplant is an important part of Arabic, Turkish and Persian cuisine. The Turks alone are believed to have over 1000 native recipes calling for the use of Eggplant in varying ways. In the 4th through 7th centuries A.D., the Moors introduced Eggplant to Spain and the vegetable soon spread throughout Europe. The 16th century Spaniards had great respect for the Eggplant and believed its fruit to be a powerful aphrodisiac, hence they referred to them as "Berengenas" or the "Apple of Love." The Italians too, held the Eggplant in very regard and called them "Melanzana". Northern Europeans, however, were not so kind to the Eggplant. Albert of Cologne described the Eggplant in the 13th Century and referred to them as "Mala Insana", a corruption of the Italian name "Melanzana". By the 16th century, Eggplant were widely known in Europe as "Mad Apples" and were believed to induce insanity if eaten. Despite this, a few people did respect the Eggplant and in 1550, both purple and yellow varieties were introduced to Germany from Naples, Italy. By 1600, white Eggplants, as well those with ash-colored and brown colored fruit, as well as those with pear shaped, round, oblong and long, thin fruit were also known in Germany. The English were responsible for coining the name "Eggplant." They had colonized India and brought back with them many of the plants of India. One such plant was an Eggplant variety with egg shaped, white fruit. This small Eggplant is still the most popular Eggplant in the world. Oddly enough though, the English still refer to Eggplant today by the French name of Abergine, which is a corruption of the Catalonian name "Alberginia," the word for purple. Although the Spanish actually introduced the Eggplant to the Americas, in particular, to Brazil as early as 1650, Eggplant were still unknown to the United States for another 150 years. Thomas Jefferson introduced them to the United States in 1806 from a friend in France. Jefferson loved Eggplant. In fact, even today, a prickly, white Eggplant is still grown in Jefferson's preserved Virginia Garden at Monticello. Jefferson was not only a founding father of the United States, the writer of our Declaration of Independence, he was also a legendary horticulturist who championed the Eggplant. Jefferson actually hybred the large purple Eggplant most of us know today. Until as recently as the 1900s, Eggplant was primarily grown in the United States as an ornamental plant. Eggplant also reached Australia, and were introduced there in 1850 by a nurseryman by the name of John Baptist who obtained the seeds from a friend who spent some time in India. Despite this, the Eggplant was largely a neglected species in Australia until scores of Europeans immigrated to Australia in the 1950's and popularized them. Eggplant comes in a wide array of shapes, sizes and colors, which makes them an outstanding edible landscape plant. When selected and prepared properly, you will become a true Eggplant fan, opening you up to a whole new world of culinary delight. So, Happy New Year. When picking out the best Eggplant, the skin should be smooth, without any brown spots; it should feel heavy and firm and have a nice green stem end. If the surface yields to gentle pressure, the eggplant is ripe; if the flesh springs back, it is immature and you will have to wait a few days before eating it. Simply rub two Eggplant together. If they are fresh, they will squeak. Younger, smaller, unblemished Eggplant will have less bitter skin and the seeds determination be smaller. Be careful! Eggplants are delicate and bruise easily. Handle them like fine China. Eggplant can get chill damage from your refrigerator if stored too long. Try to use your Eggplant within 3 or 4 days. Eggplants love tomatoes, peppers and zucchini, and are good partners for lamb and beef. They marry well with garlic, and have no objection to oil which they soak up with delight. You will find Eggplant as a big part of French cuisine. It appeared on the French royal table of King Louis XIV in the 17th century. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the Eggplant made it into cookbooks. It finally had become part of everyday cooking. It is usually preferable to let the eggplant release some of its water, since the high moisture content makes it difficult to fry. This method also removes some of the bitterness of the skin. The principle is simple: cut the eggplant in half or into rounds, sprinkle with salt and let rest 30-60 minutes; many cooks say that you should wash the eggplant to remove the excess salt, but you only need to wipe each piece with paper towel. Otherwise, rinse it quickly under cold water and dry as usual; eggplant does not have to be peeled. Eggplant can be boiled, fried in oil, baked, roasted or used in casseroles. The flesh of the eggplant oxidizes very quickly once it is cut, so work quickly when preparing any recipe. Eggplant loves Olive Oil. In fact, there is an ancient Arab saying: “That man is so rich, he doesn’t care how much Olive Oil his wife uses for the Eggplant.” There is a story that somewhat goes along with that saying. A very long time ago in the East, a priest wanted to marry a young girl whose greatest quality was that she was a very fine cook. The priest sought out the girl's father and demanded as a dowry 12 large jars filled to the top with the purest Olive Oil. The girl, returning from her wedding, put some Eggplants aside to soak in the oil. In fact, they soaked up so much that in 11 days, the Eggplant had drunk up all her dowry. Learning that the oil was gone so soon - or perhaps from too much fat consumption - the Imam fell into a dead faint. In some Eastern restaurants you will sometimes find Eggplant fried in oil served under the name "Imam Bayildi," meaning "the priest fainted."

ASIAN VEGETABLES - GREENS (Friday, August 26): The third main group of Asian vegetables are the greens. Here’s a list of some of the main ones.

Bok Choy and other Choys - (Brassica rapa var. chinesis): All are non-heading types of cabbage. Bok choy (pak choi), choy sum (var. purpurea), yu choy (similar to bok choy except it is more delicate and sweeter), gai choy (B. juncea), and tai cai (B. chinesis) are all closely related to gailon, mibuna, mizuna, Napa, and turnip. Bok choy has green leaves and white midribs. Baby bok choy (Shanghai) has green midribs and leaf bases. Cool season. All are used in stir-fried dishes with meat and other vegetables. The stem and leaves are also used in soups. They are also good raw in salads.

Gailon - (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra): This Chinese broccoli (Kale) very closely resembles the more familiar broccoli, but with much smaller stems and flowers. The seeds are planted for a spring crop or fall crop. Main problems are aphids, armyworms, and cabbage butterflies. Pick just before the flowers open for best quality. The stems are more tender and sweeter than broccoli. Stir-fry the 2" pieces of gailon for one minute, then cover with water and cook covered for two more minutes. Stir oyster sauce into a pan with heated oil and water, then spoon over the broccoli and eat. OR, instead of oyster sauce, use minced garlic and chicken broth and a little soy sauce. It is also good in stir-fries with beef, pork, chicken and with noodles. The edible vegetable consists of a tender green flower stem with buds of what will become white flowers. The leaves and stems are light to medium green in color and are covered with a white haze due to cuticle and wax development. Different varieties of gai-lan vary in stem length and color from light to medium green. After harvest the stem becomes tougher than does that of Chinese kale and it may be peeled before use much as broccoli stems are. Gai-lan, like broccoli, is very perishable.

Chinese cabbage - is also known as celery cabbage and Napa cabbage. The heads are fairly dense, though not as hard as regular cabbage. They may be of two types - 'Michili', which are tall and upright, and 'Napa', which are more round or barrel shaped. The leaves are thinner than cabbage. The flavor is more delicate than cabbage. It is one of the last ingredients to add to a stir-fry dish. It is also added raw to salads.

Chinese flowering cabbages or choy sums - Choy sums are also referred to as mock pak choy. This vegetable is grown and harvested similar to gai-lan. The white to light green stems are cooked without peeling and have a pleasant, mild flavor. Important quality characteristics are a tender stalk and closed yellow flower buds. For optimum quality, cooler growing weather is required. Postharvest requirements are similar to those of other cool season leafy vegetables.

There are other Asian vegetables which are not in the three main categories. Here’s a few of them.
Chinese long beans - (Vigna sesquipedalis): Also called the asparagus bean and yardlong bean, the plants are long training vines grown on trellises. The plants are susceptible to black bean aphids, spider mites, nematodes, and mosaic viruses. The plant is more closely related to blackeye peas than to the common green snap bean. Dark and light green varieties are available as well as a red type. The darker varieties are generally preferred. Cut into 2" pieces and add to various stir-fries. The paler green is sweeter and more tender than the dark green.

Lemongrass - (Cymbopogan citratus): probably originated in either Malaysia or India. It is a perennial grass propagated entirely vegetatively from stems as seed is seldom produced. Usually planted in March, the earliest harvest is October, though it can be left growing until the market price increases. In California’s Central Valley, 5-7 rows at a time are covered with clear plastic to protect the plants from 28º freezes, which can kill the above ground portion. Below this temperature, the plastic may not help. Stems are chopped or pressed and added for lemony flavoring to many dishes. Leaves and/or stems can be used to make a hot/cold tea drink. The plant also makes a beautiful ornamental.

Daikon - (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus): Also called Chinese radish, this root crop is very closely related to the common radish. An Alternaria leaf blight and turnip mosaic are the main problems on the leaves but aphids, and soil wireworms can also be a problem. The main planting times are spring and fall, but some varieties can be planted almost year-round. Bolting (premature seedstalk) can be a problem with other varieties. Lo bok is a separate cultivar that may have some green coloration. Medicinal uses are many. Daikon can be grated and added to various cooked dishes, sliced and added fresh to salads, or stir-fry onions and add shredded daikon and shrimp (6-8 minutes). The young leaves are also good steamed and served with a little butter. Daikon seeds are slightly peppery and great in a tossed salad.

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