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Vegetables
The South
Louisiana kitchen always gets to see a wealth of vegetables and most of
them fresh from the garden.
Vegetables in the South are abundant because of the
climate which supports a nice growing season. There is actually enough of
a growing season to get two seasons of growing in one year for some crops. After the
first frost you'll likely see tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, cushaw and snap
beans. Then, as the summer comes okra, peas, and lima
beans. Finally the fall gives us cabbage, mustard, turnip and collard greens.
In no way are these all of the vegetables grown, there are many others.
A South Louisiana specialty is the
mirliton (pronounced
me-lay-taw if
you live in the country and mirl-uh-tahn if you live in the city).
The plant is a vine variety and the growing of that plant has absorbed
many an hour of gardeners conversation, it's not that easy. Steal a man's
mirlitons
from his vines and you just as soon shoot his huntin' dog! Read
more.
Handling vegetables is no way near as complicated as meats.
Keeping them cool and washing thoroughly is about all you have to do. Wash
them well and cut away bruised areas as they may contain bacteria that is
harmful. Wash, wash, wash! Here's more info from the FDA...
Always remember to keep vegetables that are to be eaten fresh away from
any meat juices as they can become cross contaminated with harmful
bacteria.
Enjoy....
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