It’s late fall, the farmers are working hard on harvesting. Most gardens have been put to rest, many gardeners have preserved some of their produce to use during the winter months. We will soon be enjoying a Thanksgiving meal, many vegetables along with the traditional turkey. Here is some information on some favorite vegetables or grains we all enjoy.

Beans are a member of the legume family consisting of many varieties. Snap beans are eaten as the entire pod, as in “green bean casserole.” Beans are one of the most popular, easy to grow vegetables either as bush or pole type beans. Snap beans originated in Europe and are a great source of vitamin A and C. The other type of beans that are known as shell beans originated in Mexico and South America. There are many types, some of the well-known dry bean types are pinto, garbanzo, lima, kidney, black, fava and soy. Shell beans are used in many recipes and are high in protein. 

Carrots from the umbelliferae family, they are popular root vegetables eaten both raw and cooked. We think of them as the color orange but carrots can also be white, yellow and purple. Carrots were known by the Greeks and Romans and are grown worldwide. Carrots are very nutritious containing vitamins A,B,C,D,E and K.

Broccoli and cauliflower are members of the cruciferus family. The flower part of these vegetables are enjoyed raw or cooked. These vegetables originated in Europe and are high in vitamins A,B,C calcium and iron. Corn also known and maize is actually a grain. It has been cultivated in the New world for over 4,000 years. It is one of America’s favorite foods, used as popcorn, grits, cornmeal, also used for making tortillas and one of the most favorite ways as sweet corn. It is a good source of starch and fiber in our diets.

Potatoes are from the solancae family and are the tubers that form on the roots of the plant, they originated in the Andes mountains in South America and are now grown worldwide as far north as Canada and southern Alaska and in Europe. Potatoes are eaten cooked in a variety of recipes. Potatoes are a valuable source of good carbohydrates. Sweet potatoes are from the ipomoea family — not botanically related to ordinary potatoes. Sometimes confused with yams, yams are native of Africa. Sweet potatoes originated in South America and are commonly grown in wetter tropical regions but can also be grown in our region. The foliage vine of the plant ia often grown as an ornamental outside potted plant. The tubers are usually cooked and used many ways. They are a great source of Vitamins A and C, protein, magnesium, iron and carotene. Squash and Pumpkins are from the cucurbit family. There are two types of squash, summer squash with soft skin are harvested in the summer. Some types are the zucchini and yellow summer squash. 

Winter squash is the other type which originated in South America. Winter squash take longer to mature and are harvested in the fall. There are many types; some are the butternut, acorn, hubbard and also the pumpkin. Winter squash have a firm skin that hardens as it ages and can be stored for several months. Since the skin is hard it is not eaten, the flesh is eaten cooked and enjoyed in many ways, especially at Thanksgiving as pumpkin pie. Winter squash is more nutritious than the summer varieties, it is high in Vitamins A and C and carotene.

I hope everyone enjoys at least a couple of these foods this Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. 

— Kris Winkler is a master gardener with the University of Wisconsin-Extension.