CELERY FLAKES[APIUM GRAVEOLENS]

Listing description

Celery flakes are nice added to to chicken or vegetable soup, stocks, stews, poultry stuffing, and anywhere fresh celery flakes are called for.

Detailed description

These celery flakes are dehydrated and about twice as strong as fresh celery, so when replacing fresh celery in a recipe, use half of the amount called for.

PRICE

$201.83/KG OR $91.74/IB

For more information:

mobile: +2348039721941

contact person: emeaba uche

e-mail: emeabau@yahoo.com

website: www.franchiseminerals.com

GARLIC BULB MINCED[ALLIUM SATIVUM]

Listing description

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium.

Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo.

Detailed description

With a history of human use of over 7,000 years, garlic is native tocentral Asia,^[4] and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was known to Ancient Egyptians, and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.^[5]

Description

Allium sativum is a bulbous plant. It grows up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in height. Its hardiness is USDA Zone 8. It produces hermaphrodite flowers.Pollination occurs by bees and other insects.^[6]

Origin and major types

Allium sativum grows in the wild in areas where it has become naturalized. The "wild garlic", "crow garlic", and "field garlic" of Britain are members of the species Allium ursinum, Allium vineale, and Allium oleraceum, respectively. Identification of the wild progenitor for common garlic is made difficult by the sterility of its many cultivars which may all be descended from the species, Allium longicuspis, growing wild in central and southwestern Asia.^[7][8][9]

In North America, Allium vineale (known as "wild garlic" or "crow garlic") and Allium canadense, known as "meadow garlic" or "wild garlic" and "wild onion", are common weeds in fields.^[10] One of the best-known "garlics", the so-called elephant garlic, is actually a wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum), and not a true garlic. Single clove garlic (also called pearl or solo garlic) originated in the Yunnan province of China.

European garlic

There are a number of garlics with Protected Geographical Status in Europe; these include:

·         Aglio Rosso di Nubia (Red Garlic of Nubia) from Nubia-Paceco, Provincia di Trapani, Sicily, Italy

·         Aglio Bianco Polesano from Veneto, Italy (PDO)

·         Aglio di Voghiera from Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy (PDO)

·         Ail blanc de Lomagne from Lomagne in the Gascony area of France (PGI)

·         Ail de la Drôme from Drôme in France (PGI)

·         Ail rose de Lautrec a rose/pink garlic from Lautrec in France (PGI)

·         Ajo Morado de las Pedroñeras a rose/pink garlic from Las Pedroñeras in Spain (PGI)

Subspecies and varieties

There are two subspecies of A. sativum,^[11] ten major groups of varieties, and hundreds of varieties or cultivars.

·         A. sativum var. ophioscorodon (Link) Döll, called Ophioscorodon, or hard necked garlic, includes porcelain garlics, rocambole garlic, and purple stripe garlics. It is sometimes considered to be a separate species, Allium ophioscorodon G.Don.

·         A. sativum var. sativum, or soft-necked garlic, includes artichoke garlic, silverskin garlic, and creole garlic.

Cultivation

Garlic is easy to grow and can be grown year-round in mild climates. While sexual propagation of garlic is indeed possible, nearly all of the garlic in cultivation is propagated asexually, by planting individual cloves in the ground.^[8] In cold climates, cloves are planted in the autumn, about six weeks before the soil freezes, and harvested in late spring. The cloves must be planted at sufficient depth to prevent freeze/thaw which causes mold or white rot.^[12] Garlic plants are usually very hardy, and are not attacked by many pests or diseases. Garlic plants are said to repel rabbits and moles.^[3] Two of the major pathogens that attack garlic are nematodes and white rot disease, which remain in the soil indefinitely after the ground has become infected.^[8] Garlic also can suffer from pink root, a typically nonfatal disease that stunts the roots and turns them pink or red.^[13]

Garlic plants can be grown closely together, leaving enough space for the bulbs to mature, and are easily grown in containers of sufficient depth. Garlic does well in loose, dry, well drained soils in sunny locations, and is hardy throughout USDA climate zones 4–9. When selecting garlic for planting, it is important to pick large bulbs from which to separate cloves. Large cloves, along with proper spacing in the planting bed, will also improve bulb size. Garlic plants prefer to grow in a soil with a high organic material content, but are capable of growing in a wide range of soil conditions and pH levels.^[8]

There are different varieties or subspecies of garlic, most notably hardneck garlic and softneck garlic. The latitude where the garlic is grown affects the choice of type as garlic can be day-length sensitive. Hardneck garlic is generally grown in cooler climates; softneck garlic is generally grown closer to the equator.^[14][15]

Garlic scapes are removed to focus all the garlic's energy into bulb growth. The scapes can be eaten raw or cooked.^[12][16]

Production trends

Garlic is grown globally, but China is by far the largest producer of garlic, with around 20 million tonnes (44 billion pounds) grown annually, accounting for over 81% of world output. India (4.6%) and South Korea (1.4%) follow, with Egypt (1.2%) on fourth place and the United States (where garlic is grown in every state except for Alaska) in ninth place (0.8%).^[17] This leaves 11% of global garlic production in countries that each produce less than 2% of global output. Much of the garlic production in the United States is centered in Gilroy, California, which calls itself the "garlic capital of the world".

PRICE

$1463.33/KG OR $665.15/IB

For more information:

mobile: +2348039721941

contact person: emeaba uche

e-mail: emeabau@yahoo.com

website: www.franchiseminerals.com

ONION BULB FLAKES[ALLIUM CEPA]

Listing description

The onion (Allium cepa L., from Latin cepa "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable and is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.

Detailed description

This genus also contains several other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion (Allium fistulosum), the tree onion (A. ×proliferum), and the Canada onion (Allium canadense). The name "wild onion" is applied to a number of Allium species, but A. cepa is exclusively known from cultivation. Its ancestral wild original form is not known, although escapes from cultivation have become established in some regions.^[2] The onion is most frequently a biennial or a perennial plant, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested in its first growing season.

The onion plant has a fan of hollow, bluish-green leaves and its bulb at the base of the plant begins to swell when a certain day-length is reached. In the autumn (or in spring, in the case of overwintering onions), the foliage dies down and the outer layers of the bulb become dry and brittle. The crop is harvested and dried and the onions are ready for use or storage. The crop is prone to attack by a number of pests and diseases, particularly the onion fly, the onion eelworm, and various fungi cause rotting. Some varieties of A. cepa, such as shallots and potato onions, produce multiple bulbs.

Onions are cultivated and used around the world. As a food item, they are usually served cooked, as a vegetable or part of a prepared savoury dish, but can also be eaten raw or used to make pickles or chutneys. They are pungent when chopped and contain certain chemical substances which irritate the eyes.

Description

The onion plant has been grown and selectively bred in cultivation for at least 7,000 years. It is a biennial plant, but is usually grown as an annual. Modern varieties typically grow to a height of 15 to 45 cm (6 to 18 in). The leaves are yellowish- to bluish green and grow alternately in a flattened, fan-shaped swathe. They are fleshy, hollow, and cylindrical, with one flattened side. They are at their broadest about a quarter of the way up, beyond which they taper towards a blunt tip. The base of each leaf is a flattened, usually white sheath that grows out of a basal disc. From the underside of the disc, a bundle of fibrous roots extends for a short way into the soil. As the onion matures, food reserves begin to accumulate in the leaf bases and the bulb of the onion swells.^[14]

In the autumn, the leaves die back and the outer scales of the bulb become dry and brittle, so the crop is then normally harvested. If left in the soil over winter, the growing point in the middle of the bulb begins to develop in the spring. New leaves appear and a long, stout, hollow stem expands, topped by a bract protecting a developing inflorescence. The inflorescence takes the form of a globular umbel of white flowers with parts in sixes. The seeds are glossy black and triangular in cross section.^[14]

Uses

Historical use

Bulbs from the onion family are thought to have been used as a food source for millennia. In Bronze Age settlements, traces of onion remains were found alongside date stones and fig remains that date back to 5000 BC.^[15] However, whether these were cultivated onions is not clear. Archaeological and literary evidence such as the Book of Numbers 11:5 suggests that onions were probably being cultivated around 2000 years later in ancient Egypt, at the same time that leeks and garlic were cultivated. Workers who built the Egyptian pyramids may have been fed radishes and onions.^[15]

The onion is easily propagated, transported, and stored. The ancient Egyptians revered the onion bulb, viewing its spherical shape and concentric rings as symbols of eternal life.^[16] Onions were even used in Egyptian burials, as evidenced by onion traces being found in the eye sockets of Ramesses IV.^[17]

In ancient Greece, athletes ate large quantities of onion because it was believed to lighten the balance of the blood.^[16] Roman gladiators were rubbed down with onions to firm up their muscles.^[16] In the Middle Ages, onions were such an important food that people paid their rent with onions, and even gave them as gifts.^[16] Doctors were known to prescribe onions to facilitate bowel movements and erections, and to relieve headaches, coughs, snakebite, and hair loss.^[16]

Onions were taken by the first European settlers to North America, where the Native Americans were already using wild onions in a number of ways, eating them raw or cooked in a variety of foods. They also used them to make into syrups, to form poultices, and in the preparation of dyes. According to diaries kept by the colonists, bulb onions were one of the first things planted by the Pilgrim fathers when they cleared the land for cropping.^[16]

Onions were also prescribed by doctors in the early 16th century to help with infertility in women. They were similarly used to raise fertility levels in dogs, cats, and cattle, but this was an error, as recent research has shown that onions are toxic to dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and many other animals.

Culinary uses

See also: List of onion dishes

Onions are commonly chopped and used as an ingredient in various hearty warm dishes, and may also be used as a main ingredient in their own right, for example in French onion soup or onion chutney. They are very versatile and can be baked, boiled, braised, grilled, fried, roasted, sautéed, or eaten raw in salads.^[21] Their layered nature makes them easy to hollow out once cooked, facilitating stuffing them, as in sogan-dolma. Onions are a staple in Indian cuisine, used as a thickening agent for curries and gravies. Onions pickled in vinegar are eaten as a snack. These are traditionally a side serving in pubs and fish and chip shops throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Pickled onions form part of a British pub ploughman's lunch, usually served with cheese and ale. In North America, sliced onions are battered, deep-fried, and served as onion rings.^[22]

Onion types and products

Common onions are normally available in three colour varieties. Yellow or brown onions (called red in some European countries), are full-flavoured and are the onions of choice for everyday use. Yellow onions turn a rich, dark brown when caramelized and give French onion soup its sweet flavour. The red onion (called purple in some European countries) is a good choice for fresh use when its colour livens up the dish; it is also used in grilling. White onions are the traditional onions used in classic Mexican cuisine; they have a golden colour when cooked and a particularly sweet flavour when sautéed.^[23][24]

While the large, mature onion bulb is most often eaten, onions can be eaten at immature stages. Young plants may be harvested before bulbing occurs and used whole as spring onions or scallions.^[25] When an onion is harvested after bulbing has begun, but the onion is not yet mature, the plants are sometimes referred to as "summer" onions.^[26]

Additionally, onions may be bred and grown to mature at smaller sizes. Depending on the mature size and the purpose for which the onion is used, these may be referred to as pearl, boiler, or pickler onions, but differ from true pearl onions which are a different species.^[26] Pearl and boiler onions may be cooked as a vegetable rather than as an ingredient and pickler onions are often preserved in vinegar as a long-lasting relish.^[27]

Onions are available in fresh, frozen, canned, caramelized, pickled, and chopped forms. The dehydrated product is available as kibbled, sliced, ring, minced, chopped, granulated, and powder forms.^[28]

Onion powder is a seasoning widely used when the fresh ingredient is not available. It is made from finely ground, dehydrated onions, mainly the pungent varieties of bulb onions, and has a strong odour. Being dehydrated, it has a long shelf life and is available in several varieties: yellow, red, and white.^[29]

Non-culinary uses

Onions have particularly large cells that are readily observed under low magnification. Forming a single layer of cells, the bulb epidermis is easy to separate for educational, experimental, and breeding purposes.^[30][31][32] Onions are, therefore, commonly employed in science education to teach the use of a microscope for observing cell structure.^[33]

The pungent juice of onions has been used as a moth repellent and can be rubbed on the skin to prevent insect bites. It has been used to polish glass and copperware and to prevent rust on iron. Onion skins have been used to produce a yellow-brown dye.^[34]

Historically, onions were often used for cromniomancy across Europe, Africa, and northern Asia, and they continue to be used for this practice in some rural areas.

PRICE

$230/KG OR $104.54/IB

For more information:

mobile: +2348039721941

contact person: emeaba uche

e-mail: emeabau@yahoo.com

website: www.franchiseminerals.com