THE PALMETTO,Winter 1992, Page5 after-school snack for American young- is native to Central America. Common (Duchesne) Poiret: butternut, pumpkin, sters is the peanut-butter-and-jelly green beans are grown as a winter veg- and winter crookneck. sandwich. etable throughout the state, commer- In winter, squashes are grown com- Corn, Zea mays l., is a grain or cereal cially as a winter vegetable in south mercially in south Florida. native to Mexico. In other English- Florida. Squash casserole made from yellow speaking countries, "corn" refers to any The Phaseo/us genus and Stropho- crookneck squash is a favorite of many grain (e.g., wheat), while Zea mays is styles genus of beans can be found Southerners, while many others disdain called "maize". growing wild in Florida. If they had been squash in any form.

There are five kinds of corn: pop, flint, selected by the native Florida Indians What Southerner could long survive dent, flour, and sweet corn. Sweet corn for cultivation, perhaps we would havea without butterbeans and cornbread, is the kind grown in Florida throughout different bean as one of our foods! chowchow on the side, squash casserole, the state. Zellwood in Orange County has Beanflowers are mostly self-pollinating slices of tomato and Cayenne peppers, an annual sweet corn festival, scheduled and thus cherished cultivars "come true" and sweet potato souffle? How wou Id we when the corn gets ripe. when seedsare savedto replant. Beans get through Thanksgiving without turkey "Indian corn" has variously colored are a good source of protein, iron, and (another New World food), cranberry kernels and comes in flint or flour B vitamins.When eatenwith corn, all the sauce, cornbread dressing (not"stuffing"! varieties. Popcorn needs to have a essential amino acids are supplied. So that's a Yankee invention), wild rice, and moisture content of 11to 14% before it the poor man'sfare of cornbread and but- green beans? Chocolate cake, black will pop. terbeans helped to provide a balanced walnut ice cream, pecan pie, pecan tarts, Corn is deficient in tryptophan and meal,especially when tomatoesand pep- pecan sandies, toasted pecans, pumpkin

- my lysine (essential amino acids) and also pers were added to satisfy the need for piewith pecans,blueberry pie, and binds up most of niacin, a B vitamin. vitamin C. (Baked sweet potatoes sup- favorite-sweet potato pie.. .oh, my!

Sincecorn was a primary food sourcefor plied ample vitamin A, and buttermilk If any of the above foods or spices were Southerners,it contributed to the dietary helped to supply calcium and phos- missing, people all over the world would phorus.) The Mexican meal of tortillas,

deficiency of niacin, causing pellagra, a be affected. The commercial value of common ailment in the South prior to beans, and peppers also has all the these foodstuffs probably far exceedsthe the 1900s. Hominy is made from corn essential amino acids. value of the gold taken home by Spain. grains that are soaked in lye. Hominy Squashes(Cucurbita spp.)were part of Certainly,the world is richer for possess- does not have the unfortunate niacin the big three of the Amerindians: corn, ing and devouringthese marvelousfoods deficiency problems that untreated corn beans, and squash. The squash blossom and spices. has. Grits are tiny broken pieces of dry motif is frequently used in jewelery and hominy that are rehydrated and made other decorative items by Amerindians. into a mush-like breakfast cereal to There are nu merous varieties of squash, Nancy Craft Coile, Ph.D., is botanist with the Florida Department of accompany eggs. including the varieties of Cucurbita pepo

Without the discovery of the New L.: acorn, summer crookneck, marrow, Agriculture and Consumer Services, World, wewould not have popcorn (nor gourd, pattypan, scallop, pumpkin, and Division of Plant Industry; secretary peanuts and Cracker Jacksfor the ball- zucchini; the varieties of Cucurbita max- of the Association of Southeastern game), nor corn chips (butwithouttoma- ima Duchesne: Hubbard squash,winter Biologists; and editor of Castanea, toes and peppers there'd be no salsa for squash, pumpkin, and turban; and the journal of the Southern Appalachian dipping, anyway), no tacos, no hominy, varieties of Cucurbita moschata Botanical Club. no cornbread, no corn dogs, and no grits for breakfast. Italians would not have their famous corn dish, polenta. Bour- bon whiskey, named for Bourbon County,

Kentucky, by definition must be made We'reIfill IIerel Cite UI a callI from at least 51 % corn mash. Without the New World, there would be only rye whiskeyor some other grained whiskey.

Beans.Several genera of beans (Vigna, Vicia, Phaseolus, Cicet;: Glycine, etc.) were known in the Old World, but in- clude only broad beans,chick peas(also called garbanzos),lentils, English peas, Support Your Local Retail Nurseries.

black-eyed peas, mung beans, soya - beans,and a few others. '" The New World is responsible for the Ask for Native Trees Native Palms common green bean and the lima bean,

which are both native to tropical South Native Shrubs and more America. The common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., has hundreds of cultivars, "'ankl /Dr your lu"Orl. including navy beans, field peas, great northern beans, kidney beans, pinto ------' TREE beans, string beans, bush beans, pole

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