Fun and Games
Garden and nature related fun and games for the whole family.
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What am I?
There are over 7,000 varieties of us. An
ancient African crop, we rode the slave ship
to America around 1700 and are probably over
3,000 years old, having dined first with the
Greeks and Romans. Two hundred years later,
George Washington Carver promoted us as
excellent food for man or beast and as a
plant that enriched farm soil with nitrogen.
Only Southerners bought his excellent food
story and they traditionally start each New
Year eating us for good luck, health and
prosperity. Many folks use us just for
fodder or cover, and Nigerians make a strong
fiber from our seedpod hulls. We have a
distinct, savory flavor and light smooth
texture and we can be cooked without
pre-soaking because of our thin skins.
Chitlins, ham hocks, salt pork, collards,
and rice would still be back on the farm
without us. Full of protein and fiber and
low in fat, Neiman Marcus sold us pickled as
"Texas Caviar" into the 1970's. Available
year round, we are also grown commercially
in India and China. Head to Athens, Texas
for our annual harvest festival. By the way,
we didn't get our names by being punched or
milked. |
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Come back next week for the answer and more fun and games!
Here's last week's fun and games:
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Here's a new tic-tac-toe game
for you!
Just click
here to get started. |
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This page is updated weekly.
Revised:
February 06, 2012
