Broccoli is high in vitamins and minerals. One half cup of cooked broccoli contains over 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C and nearly 40 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, as well as riboflavin, calcium and iron.

The edible part of broccoli is the compact cluster of unopened flower buds and the attached portion of stem. Broccoli should be a deep green, sometimes with a bluish or purple tinge; the buds should be tightly closed and the leaves crisp. Refrigerate, in an airtight bag, for 3-5 days. Wash just before using.

Fresh, tender broccoli cooks very quickly; overcooking destroys vitamins as well as flavor. Organic broccoli is a great addition to green salads and veggie trays. Try broccoli lightly sautéed in olive oil with minced garlic and a dash of salt, steamed and topped with grated cheese, chopped and added to an omelet... with a little imagination, you'll find that broccoli is as versatile as is it is tasty and nutritious!

Sweet corn developed from a spontaneous mutation in field corn and was grown by several native American tribes. The first recorded sweet corn was given to English settlers by the Iroquois in 1779. Sweet corn contains more sugars and fewer starches than field corn, and although it is unsuitable for flour, this deficiency is more than made up for by its delicious flavor when eaten when the kernels are plump, tender and juicy. Today sweet corn is a popular vegetable eaten around the world. Fresh corn on the cob is a summer staple at backyard picnics, county fairs, and farmer’s markets throughout North America.

When buying sweet corn, look for fresh, green ears which feel plump and heavy. Sweet corn should be kept refrigerated after picking, and is best eaten within a few days of harvest. The longer the corn is off the stalk, the more sugars convert to starch, so don’t buy more at one time than you can eat within a couple of days. For boiled corn, remove the husk just before cooking. For roasting corn on a grill or a campfire, soak the unhusked ears in water for 20 minutes and then husk just before eating. Delicious!

Atocas Notre Dame, located in Quebec, Canada, is one of the largest producers of certified organic cranberries in North America. From the first flowering in the field through harvest and packing, Atocas Notre Dame carefully monitors every step of the process to ensure that only the best organic cranberries bear their “Tree Kids” label.

To insure top quality for the fresh market, Atocas Notre Dame dry-harvests their cranberries at the peak of flavor and color. To dry harvest, growers use mechanical pickers with comb-shaped conveyer belts that pick the berries and carry them to attached burlap bags. Once harvested, the cranberries are quickly transported to the on-farm packing plant where they are sorted, cleaned, and cooled. Within a few days of harvest, the freshest, tastiest organic cranberries anywhere are available in the produce department of your local store!

There are references to garlic's healthful properties in Chinese literature as early as 2000 BCE. Egyptian medical manuals from 1500 BCE list almost two dozen treatments using garlic. In 1858 Louis Pasteur noted its antiseptic properties. During World War I garlic juice was widely and effectively used as an antiseptic on the wounds of Allied soldiers. In the 1940s, Nobel Prize winning chemist Dr. Arthur Stoll discovered the key antibacterial compound allicin. Today researchers are investigating garlic's potential use in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, bacterial infections, and much more.

In the 1930s, less than 16 millions pounds of garlic were grown in the U.S. and garlic was shunned as the "stinking rose." In recent years, garlic has enjoyed a culinary comeback, with consumption of garlic more than tripling in the 1990s. According to the Fresh Garlic Association, more than 300 million pounds of garlic were consumed in the U.S. in 1999.

Garlic should never be stored in the refrigerator. In the kitchen, keep the bulbs cool and dry in a well ventilated container, until you are ready to enjoy its uniquely healthful and delicious flavor.

Fresh green beans are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. They are high in beta-carotene and iron. They are also delicious! Green beans can be sautéed, grilled, boiled, steamed, or roasted, served alone or accompanied by other vegetables, seasonings, or sauces. They can be added to soups, omelets, casseroles, salads and more.

Look for fresh, crisp, vibrant green beans which are smooth and unbroken. They should be free from brown spots, mold, or other blemishes. Fresh beans will snap when broken. Store unwashed beans in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, for no more than seven days before using.

Snow peas have flat pods which are eaten whole, when they are young and tender. Snow peas are one of the earliest known cultivated plants, with archeological evidence showing that they were grown in southeast Asia 12000 years ago. Snow peas are commonly associated with Asian cuisine and are delicious stir-fried.

Snap peas also have edible, tender pods, but unlike snow peas the pod is round instead of flat. The pods are crisp, sweet and make a satisfying ‘snap’ when bitten. They are best in salads or eaten fresh as a snack. Snap peas were developed in the 1970s and are a cross of garden peas and snow peas.

Garden peas (also called English peas) are shelled before eating. The pods are harvested when the peas inside are fully developed and plump but still tender and green. The shelled peas are commonly boiled and served with butter and salt, but they may also be used in many other ways.

When buying peas, look for fresh, bright green pods which are crisp and whole. Avoid peas which are dry, wilted, or have mold or other blemishes. Peas should be kept cool and used soon after purchase. Unwashed and unshelled, peas can be kept for several days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

0ur word "squash" comes from the Massachusetts Indian word askutasquash, meaning "eaten raw or uncooked." Although Native Americans may have eaten squash without cooking, today we generally think of squash as a versatile cooked vegetable. Squash can be fried, boiled, steamed, pickled, candied, dried, baked, made into pies and bread or, with a nod to historical accuracy, eaten raw in salads. The flowers are also edible, and are considered a delicacy by many chefs. The seeds can be roasted and seasoned for a great nutritious snack.

The terms pumpkin and squash have no precise botanical meaning and are often interchanged. Most of the varieties considered pumpkins bear orange fruit and are varieties of C. pepo. The official World Pumpkin Confederation rules state that a pumpkin must be creamy-yellow to reddish-orange, regardless of species; if it is green to gray or mottled in color it must be entered in the Annual Weigh-Off as a squash. The largest "pumpkins" grown and bragged about (weighing up to 400 lb.) are really squashes (C. maxima). Much of the "pumpkin" pie we eat is made from what is undisputedly squash.

Many varieties of squashes are known, with widely differing forms, colors and sizes. Squash may be solid red, orange, yellow, white, green, blue, black or gray, or may boast multi-colored stripes, splotches and whorls. Shapes may range from the ordinary round, cylindrical, conical, and pear shaped to ridged, horned, and just plain strange. Spaghetti, acorn, sugar loaf, sweet dumpling, delicata and buttercup squashes are familiar, popular varieties of winter squash prized for their flavorful flesh. Winter squash, if properly stored in a cool, dry place, will maintain their delicious flavor and succulent texture throughout the long winter months.