Great Greens! A Festive Foods List

We are seeing green! Read about where some of our favorite green foods come from. Perfect for the start of spring! Includes book recommendations, videos and more. 

1.Green bell peppers

Green peppers are harvested before they are fully ripe. After a while green peppers will turn red! While this is true, the different colored peppers you get in the store are from different plants.  So for red peppers you would use red pepper seeds.

Here is a fun recipe for a St. Patrick’s Day themed breakfast. 

2. Spinach

Spinach likes to grown in soil high in calcium like the kind they have in southern Texas. Machines clip the leaf off of the plant, but leave enough of it to grow back. This means the same plant can be harvested up to three times in one season! That’s a lot of greens!

Learn more about spinach by watching this America’s Heartland video.

Book recommendation: Sylvia’s Spinach 

3. Peas

Peas are one of the first vegetables to grow in the spring. When they grow they will either have a pink or white flower. Did you know – garden peas are a valuable source of protein, iron and fiber!

Thomas Jefferson loved peas! Read more about it from the folks at Monticello!

Book recommendation: First Peas to the Table 

4. Zucchini

Zucchini is a great summer veggie! Did you know that you can also eat the flower of the zucchini? Not every flower turns into a zucchini which means there are some to enjoy. Some people like fry them. Yum!

Recipe for fried zucchini flower 

Recommended book: Zora’s Zucchini 

5. Broccoli

Did you know when you are eating broccoli you are really eating a lot of immature flowers? Broccoli is a great green choice because it is full of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber!

Learn more about the history of broccoli.

Recommended book: Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli; while not a book specifically about agriculture the message here is a good one – vegetables aren’t so bad after all!  

BONUS: White Clover

While clover is not a tasty treat for humans, it is to dairy cows! And a very festive food at that!