One dominant variety of ginger, Zingiber officinale, is often used to flavor our home cooked stir-fry’s, but did you know there are more than 1200 species in the Zingiberaceae family? Myoga ginger or Japanese ginger (Zingiber mioga)  has become a popular greenhouse grown CEA crop. This beautiful and unusual plant is native to Japan, China and South Korea and produces flowering buds at its base that are used in oriental cooking. In Japan, this plant is revered because it is connected to spiritual events related to a good rice harvest. Myoga translates as ‘divine protection’. My ..read more

Photo: Somewhere mysteriously in California  Grapes are an economically important commodity, supplying fresh, dried, and processed markets worldwide. Although grapes are not a crop you immediately consider a beneficiary of CEA technology, it may be possible to adapt field agriculture, putting in measures to circumvent climate change and disease.  The last few years I’ve been attempting to grow my own grapevine indoors, so when Chris Higgins shared the main photo I felt excited to learn how they were using LED lights to help fruit mature on vines in California.  Could CEA also wo ..read more

By Janet Colston The potato was first domesticated in Peru and Bolivia between 8000 and 5000BC [1]. Andean farmers found they grew well in higher altitudes around the lakes of Titicaca where the ancestors of the Inca settled [2]. Rich in starch, potatoes contain higher vitamin C than oranges, more potassium than bananas, and more fibre than apples [3]. The Spanish introduced potatoes to Europe in the 15th century having realised the food security significance [1]. Almost a century later the governor of Bermuda sent plants to Virginia in the U.S. [4]. It would take another century and a half to ..read more

Bell pepper, Leafy greens and TOMATO  By Janet Colston These are the most common salad items added to our weekly shopping basket and they supplement our food plates adding nutrients to our diets. We want to delve deeper into their additional phytonutrients and this week it’s the ubiquitous Tomato.  Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Is it a fruit or a vegetable? This is a question that often comes up when people discuss tomatoes. The answer is it’s both; the botanical definition of a fruit is a ripened flower ovary that contains seeds whereas vegetables are roots, leaves, or other seconda ..read more

By Janet Colston, PhD Bell pepper, Leafy greens and Tomato These are the most common salad items added to our weekly shopping basket and they supplement our food plates adding nutrients to our diets. We want to delve deeper into their additional phytonutrients, this week we discuss healthy leafy greens. Leafy Greens Traditionally we think about leafy greens being the lettuce common in our supermarkets, but there is a very wide range of leafy greens, all vying for unique taste, crunch and flavour.  Microgreens are all the rage but what exactly are they? Generally they are the young seedlin ..read more

By Janet Colston, PhD Bell pepper, Leafy greens & Tomato  These are the most common salad items added to our weekly shopping basket and they supplement our food plates adding nutrients to our diets. We want to delve deeper into their additional phytonutrients over the next three weeks starting with Bell Peppers. Bell Peppers (Capsicum annum) Bell Peppers belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and although technically a fruit they are considered vegetables as they are more likely to be added to savoury dishes. The capsicum family includes both sweet peppers and chilli peppers tha ..read more

By Janet Colston Emerging from the Coronavirus lock down can create fear for even the healthy, in particular with regard to the ability to fight off COVID-19. This has incentivized many to improve their personal health and wellbeing to build resilience for the future. Remember! The CDC recommends the following measures in regard to COVID-19. How to protect yourself • What to do if you are sick Disclaimer: We are not doctors and do not prescribe this blog as a medicinal alternative to bona fide medical advice should you contract seasonal flu or Coronavirus. Ginger: Zingiber offic ..read more