Undoubtedly, among us there are those who know that peas are not "born" in tins, but grows on the fields, ripening in long green pods. And to get beets on the shelves, in the beginning you need to expend a lot of energy to pull it out of the ground.
Do you know how fragrant sesame, a source of calcium ripens? Or pineapple? And what about cashews, almonds and many other exotic products, in other words, yummy, which does not grow in our region?
1. Seeds of sesame seeds
Where it grows: sesame, as it is also called, is grown in India, North Africa, Arabia, Pakistan, the countries of Central and South-East Asia, the Caucasus.
How to grow: grows on loamy soils, heated to + 17 ° C. Planted in early June. Harvesting is September, a period when sesame leaves turn yellow and fall off.
As it ripens: the seed ripens in some boxes, which, when fully ripe, open with a slight click at the slightest touch.
2. Peanuts
Where it grows: groundnut comes from South America, today it is grown in the south of Ukraine, in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, in the Transcaucasian republics, in the Krasnodar Territory.
How to grow: an annual plant grows best at a temperature of + 27 ° C. It ripens under the earth. Seedlings appear in May, June-August and even in the middle of September. The collection process is somewhat like digging potatoes. The harvest period falls on September-October.
As it ripens: peanuts ripen in a swollen and friable pericarp, reminiscent of a capsule, which is removed when soaked.
3. Cranberries
Where grows: in Russia grows cranberries of small-fruited species (tundra, forest-tundra, northern marshes) and common (southern Volga, Caucasus, Kuban), north of Paris, North America. Large-fruited cranberries grow in the Appalachian Mountains.
How to grow: it is planted in dry sandy soil in the form of creeping vines. Seedlings appear in late July and have a greenish, light red color. Every year, from one plant to the plantation, rotary cultivators collect several hundred berries. The beginning of the collection is September, the second stage is November and the third one falls on the early spring.
As it matures: ruby beads are hiding near the soil under the greenery.
4. Cashew
Where grows: Indian nut, as it is also called, comes from sunny Brazil. To date, it is also grown in Indonesia, Western, South Africa, India, Iran, Azerbaijan.
How to grow: this evergreen tree is usually 13 m high, and in the tropics stretches to 30 m. It is unpretentious in the care, but is afraid of frost. Sprouted seeds are planted in nutritious, drained soil. Cashew is willingly growing on a sunny plot and in partial shade.
As it ripens: in appearance, the ripe fruit looks like an apple, for which it is sometimes called a cashew apple. Workers manually collect the ripe fruit (for a year - about 30 000), reminiscent of the form comma, dried in the sun, and then cleaned from the shell. By the way, between its upper shell and the core contains a toxic phenolic resin, which, getting on the skin, can trigger the appearance of burns.
5. Pistachios
Where it grows: the birthplace of this small tree is the mountainous regions of south-west and central Asia, the west of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and the north of Iran. Now they grow in the USA, Crimea, the Caucasus.
How to grow: propagate this tree with cuttings. It grows on stony, poor soils. Can withstand frosty weather up to -25 ° C, drought, and besides it is unpretentious in the care. Pistachio is also called green almond. It grows up to 10 m. The fruits appear in late July-early September.
As it ripens: as soon as the husk covering the nut is weakened, harvest begins. The tree should be shaken slightly enough for the pistachios to fall to the ground. One such green almond can give up to 24 kg of peeled peanuts.
6. Pineapple
Where grows: Paraguay and the south of Brazil. Today, most pineapples are grown in southeast Asia. Thailand is the world leader in the export of this herbaceous plant.
How to grow: on the plantations in the ground planted cuttings no more than 20 cm high. To get a good harvest, the seedlings are treated with acetylene, which provokes a plentiful flowering of pineapple. This fruit can survive the drought. By the way, he grows not on a palm tree, as many believe, but on the ground as a cabbage. The blossom begins a year and a half after planting. The fetus begins to form for 3-6 months.
As it ripens: from the top pineapple produces a spicate inflorescence, in which ripen flowers. In the latter are formed berries, which, when filled with juice, are closed and form a juicy and appetizing fruit.
7. Cocoa beans
Where it grows: a chocolate tree, the second name of cocoa beans, is grown in Central America, Africa. Now the largest producer is Cote d'Ivoire. The second place is occupied by Indonesia. Behind it goes Bali, the central and eastern part of which is perfect for growing cocoa beans. The suppliers also include the following countries: Ghana. Brazil, Nigeria, Ecuador, Malaysia, Colombia, Cameroon.
How to grow: the tree reaches a height of 15 m. It begins to bloom at the age of 5 years, and the fruit appears after 30-80 years. The greatest yield is observed in trees older than 12 years. Harvest is collected twice a year: the first - at the end of the rainy season, the second, the final - before the start of this season.
As it ripens: a large fruit up to 20 cm long, shaped like a cucumber and lemon. At first it is green. Over time, it becomes dark maroon, and completely ripened - bright yellow. Large seeds are inside the fruit with a hard skin. They are surrounded by a delicious and juicy pulp, which contains about 50 cocoa beans.
8. Brussels sprouts
Where it grows: it was in the Mediterranean, it was derived from leafy cabbage. It is cultivated in Western Europe, Canada, the USA and central regions of Russia.
How to grow: planted in loamy fertile soils, saturated with organic matter, in late May or early June. Harvesting is the end of September.
As it ripens: round cylindrical thick stems form round copepods. One such plant produces from 20-40 or more kochanchikov weighing 8-15 g.
9. Vanilla
Where grows: the largest producer is Madagascar. After it go China and Indonesia.
How to grow: vanilla refers to the lianas of the family Orchid. In order for her to grow up, she is attached to a special guardian tree, which creates for her both a shadow and a greenhouse effect. Vanilla likes high humidity and warmth. This liana grows 10-12 years. To create future vanilla pods, they are pollinated by hand. An unripened vanilla is torn off and subjected to prolonged processing.
As ripens: in mid-June on the vine pods grow to 22 cm in length. After they are collected, they are scalded with boiling water, covered with blankets and left for a day. Then they dry in the sun for about 5 hours. During this time pods "lose weight" in 7 times. Then they are sorted by size, bundled into bundles and sent to the warehouse. Now you begin to understand why vanilla pods are so expensive.
10. Almonds
Where it grows: in the Crimea, Asia, the Caucasus, the Himalayas, Tien Shan, the USA, Tajikistan, Israel.
As grown: almond grows exclusively on stony and gravelly slopes. Light-loving and prefers soils rich in calcium. Planted in late autumn or early spring. The shrub in the height of 4-6 m blooms in March-April, and the fruits appear in June-July. Fruiting begins with 4-5 years and lasts up to 50 years. Interestingly, the almond tree is up to 130 years old.
As it ripens: the fruit is a dry, velvety odnokostyanku. In early September, the shell of ripe almonds bursts. After 3 weeks, the pericarp becomes dry and detached from the edible bone. The harvest itself is harvested with sticks 4 m long and with the help of large nets that lay around the tree, and then the workers begin to shoot down on them the harvest. The collected almonds begin to sort.