Ancient vegetables and cereals

Introduction to historical vegetables and our biodiversity

Over the years, all sorts of plants and crops have been lost in our botanical gardens. Our ecosystems consist of complex networks and these networks consist of millions of different species that regulate themselves and are dependent on one another. Nevertheless, humans repeatedly intervene in these complex systems and thus create an imbalance in our nature. In this book you will learn about the loss of our biodiversity, its effects on our life, nature and a few lost plant species.

Prologue

Chapter 1-Loss of Biodiversity

Chapter 2-Cause of extinction

Chapter 3-Why is biodiversity important

Now the question arises why all this is so bad for our environment. As mentioned before, our ecosystems consist of many different interlocking species which are interdependent and therefore many more are affected if one species becomes extinct. Furthermore, a variety of plants also protects us, as different species also bring different resistances with them and we will have to struggle with increasingly difficult circumstances due to climate change in the future. For example, agricultural areas with greater biodiversity are better protected from harmful insects, promote pollination and produce higher yields and farmers are less dependent on the use of insecticides if natural pest control is ensured through high biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems. This means that biodiversity is also important for our survival and well-being and that is why we should protect and preserve it.

Infografik: So viele Arten sind vom Aussterben bedroht

Contents:

🍃Introduction to historical vegetables and biodiversity
🍃Gardening project -cultivation of ancient vegetables in school garden and classroom (microgreens)
🍃Visit to the Moserhof - organic/ conventional agriculture and Kraichgaukorn
🍃Methods of breeding - origin of our vegetables and cereals - identification exercises
🍃Asparagus a regional vegetable -heredity
🍃Determination of vitamin C content of vegetables from school garden and grocery store by titration

Gardening Project

🪴Our gardening project🪴

For our Etwinning Project we were planting old vegetables that are not really common anymore, even though they taste more flavourful and just add something different.

Our school has an own school garden where we have planted them. 🌿

By Kira

Strawberry blite ( Erdbeerspinat)

Chenopodium capitatum

Family: Amaranthaceae

Occurance: North America, parts of Europe and New Zeeland

Planting process: - sown from march to april

https://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ichkoche.at%2Fdata%2Fimage%2Fvariations%2F620x434%2F13%2Ferdbeerspinat-blueten-salat-img-123263.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ichkoche.at%2Ferdbeerspinat-blueten-salat-rezept-234800&tbnid=pAPcAyxX9e-guM&vet=12ahUKEwiO67vT9bPzAhUbMRoKHW9iCj4QMygtegUIARC1Ag..i&docid=Yq-WiEcU1yplGM&w=620&h=434&q=erdbeerspinat&hl=de-de&client=safari&ved=2ahUKEwiO67vT9bPzAhUbMRoKHW9iCj4QMygtegUIARC1Ag

First mentioned was the plant 1601 in the Rariorum Plantarum Historia of Carolus Clusius.

Through various botenical gardens, the strawberry spinach reached the private gardens and was used as spinach vedgetables. Soon it was replaced by the real spinach.

Recipes:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ähriger_Erdbeerspinat#/media/Datei:Chenopodium_capitatum_Strawberry_Blite_2048px.jpg

https://commonsensehome.com/strawberry-spinach/

https://www.ichkoche.at/erdbeerspinat-blueten-salat-rezept-234800

Strawberry blite ( Erdbeerspinat)

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ähriger_Erdbeerspinat#/media/Datei:Illustration_Blitum_capitatum0_clean.JPG

Look: the fruits are small, bright red and edible, reminding of strawberrys, though they don‘t taste like much

Use: used as a red dye by native North Americans,
Can be eaten as spinach or raw in a salat or only as an ornamental plant

First mentioned was the plant 1601 in the Rariorum Plantarum Historia of Carolus Clusius.

Through various botenical gardens, the strawberry spinach reached the private gardens and was used as spinach vedgetables. Soon it was replaced by the real spinach.

In our classroom

Recipes:

https://commonsensehome.com/strawberry-spinach/

https://www.ichkoche.at/erdbeerspinat-blueten-salat-rezept-234800

By Kira

Sorrel (Sauerampfer)

Rumex acetosa

Family: Polygonaceae

Occurance: Europe, Asia, Northern Africa, Australia

Appearance: • can reach heights of up to one metre
• usually smaller and reaches heights of
around 25 to 50 cm
• has a brown to brown-black rootstock

Seed: March to April

Cultivation: • prefers a full-sun to semi-shaded location
• needs a temperature of about 15 degrees

Harvesting: May to August

Use: • medicinal herb (e.g. stomach pain)
• aromatic herb (e.g. herb butter, quark,…)

Already the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans enjoyed sorrel as a compensation for the excessive intake of fatty foods at their banquets.
In the Middle Ages, sorrel was widely used in England.