Garlic, Onions & Chives

(Allium Sativum, Allium Cepa and Allium Schoenoprasum)

Although two of these plants (garlic and chives) are herbs and could have been included in the “herbs" section, onion is certainly a vegetable and these Allium genus plants are so delicious and yet healing that they deserve a section of their own. These plants are popular today and have been so for centuries.
Garlic, or rather the lack of it. caused the first strike in history. It is said that slaves building the pyramids dawned tools after the garlic ran out. Egyptian papyri list 22 prescriptions using garlic and Pliny, in 1st-century Rome, prescribed it for 61 maladies. Around the same time in India, it was thought to prevent heart disease and rheumatism. Mohammed believed it cured snakebite, and by Shakespeare’s time it had graduated to being regarded as an aphrodisiac. Much later, in World War II, it was used medicinally as an antiseptic on wounds.
Onions have been cultivated for 6000years. When the slaves building the pyramids were not eating garlic, they ate onions. Hippocrates thought onions were good for sight, and that a slice tied on a bee sting should reduce the swelling or pain. An old wives' tale is that snakes are frightened away by onions. Their main use in cooking is to add flavor and for centuries they have been favorites among the less well off because they are an accessible food that can add flavor to any dish.
Chives are perhaps the least celebrated of this trio but they are also believed to be the oldest: they grew wild across the Americas. Europe and Asia. As well as being a delightful addition to cooking and having abundant healing properties, they also add a splash of color and life to your garden with their delightful purple Rowers. These blossoms can be used to make an infused oil.

Garlic
Garlic is the best known and best researched of these three Allium plants for its healing qualities. Perhaps the best known of these qualities is its capacity as an antibiotic. It has been shown to reduce the duration of colds and also to reduce the likelihood of catching colds. Chemicals known as disulfides that give garlic its smell are known to be active against fungus and bacteria. As well as acting as an antibiotic and directly killing a variety of bugs, garlic also stimulates your own immunity. This means that it helps your body fight the infection at the same time as directly acting against the infectious agent. Chewing on a garlic bulb fresh from your garden is a great way to fight off the beginnings of a cold.
Less widely known but equally as dramatic are garlic's heart benefits. It has a beneficial effect on blood fats, blood pressure and blood clotting. Garlic lowers overall cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The added bonus is that garlic increases good HDL cholesterol levels while lowering bad LDL cholesterol. There is also evidence that garlic lowers blood pressure and keeps blood thin. Thus garlic has great potential to lower your overall cardiac risk.
Immune-boosting effects also mean that garlic may protect against cancer. Studies do suggest that cancer rates are lowest where garlic consumption is highest. A report published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives showed that garlic (along with onions and chives) has been shown to be protective against stomach and colon cancer. Although the exact mechanism of the protective effect is not clear, it appears to be related to the sulfur compounds these plants contain.

RECENT RESEARCH ON GARLIC
Garlic and arthritis
Comparison of twins showed that those who consumed high levels of garlic had significantly less evidence of early arthritis of the hip joint. The researchers found that diallyl-sulfide from garlic stops the release of enzymes that damage the cartilage in joints (BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders).

Garlic kills food bacteria
A bacterium called Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of food- related illness. Symptoms of Campylobacter infection include diarrhoea, stomach cramping, abdominal pain, and fever. A biofilm is a collection of bacteria in which the organisms adhere to each other on a surface.
When researchers tested a Campylobacter biofilm they found that it was 1000 times more resistant to antibiotics than free Floating bacterial cells. Diallyl sulphide however, was able to penetrate the biofilm and was found to be 100 times as effective as the antibiotics erythromycin and ciprofloxacin and also worked much faster {Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Garlic cuts nitrosamines
Nitrosamines are found in food and some nitrosamines are carcinogenic. They are made when you consume nitrates, commonly from processed meats, high heat processed foods, or water contaminated by industry run-off. About 20 per cent of nitrates are converted to nitrites and these can be converted into nitrosamines. Vegetables also contain nitrates but the vitamin C in vegetables lowers the risk that they will turn into something toxic.
Researchers gave subjects a dose of sodium nitrate and then garlic capsules, or vitamin C or nothing for seven days. The garlic lowered nitrosamine Formation as did vitamin C (Analytical Biochemistry).

Onions
Like all Allium plants, onions are a wonderful source of sulfur and this means that like garlic they are good For your heart and have antibiotics properties. A great healing home-made remedy is to cover chopped onions in honey (preferably Manuka) and place the mixture in the Fridge overnight. By morning you will have a throat soothing decongestant that even the kids will take.
Onions are an outstanding source of antioxidant polyphenols, including the flavonoid polyphenols. Within this Flavonoid category, onions are a standout source of quercetin. Unfortunately many of the polyphenols are Found in the outer layers of the onion and end up being in your compost So save as many of those outer layers as you can for your cooking.

Chives
Chives have been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine to promote sweating probably due to the stimulatory properties of the sulfides they contain. Chives also contain high levels of iron and calcium and antioxidants like beta- carotene and quercetin. The green shoots of chives offer a delicate flavor for almost any meal and their flowers can be made into a delicious dressing. Just start snipping blossoms as they open and pop them into a glass container keeping them covered in vinegar. If you continue to cut and remove all the blossoms, this will force the plant to keep making flowers. Once you have as many as you can muster cover and let steep in a dark cupboard for at least two weeks. The delicate taste of chive blossom vinegar will blow you away.

Grow Your Garlic, Onion and Chives

When to plant: Plant individual cloves of garlic pointy end up from autumn through to winter in cool climates. But for temperate areas plant in autumn and harvest before the wet in November or December. Most onions are difficult to grow in subtropical climates and not suited for tropical areas. Sow chive seeds directly in the patch all year in tropical regions, but from spring to autumn in other zones.

Climate: Onions are best suited to cooler climates, but there are some varieties suited to warmer areas. Garlic is also more productive in cooler, dry regions. Chives are suited to most climates.

Aspect/placement: Full sun, chives also tolerate some shade.

Specific needs: Onions and other alliums like well drained friable soil but don’t overfeed with nitrogen. Add some lime before planting. Mulch with pea straw or lucerne. Water garlic well during the growing season, but withhold before harvest so bulbs don't rot. Garlic grows well in pots as do chives

Companion planting: Carrots.

Harvesting: Onions ready to harvest once the tops start to die off. but it can take six months to produce mature bulbs. Harvest garlic after flowering and when foliage begins to yellow and die off. Hang in a warm, dark place to mature and dry. Cut chives when ready, but leave abut 5cm on the plant. Just keep snipping for better production.

Legumes Peas & Green Beans

(Pisum Sativum and Phaseolus vugaris)

Legumes are among the earliest of cultivated plants. The Fossil record suggests that even before written records human beings were deliberately growing them for food. There are around 13,000 species of legumes including popular lentils and chickpeas but here we will be concentrating on two species that you arc most likely to grow; peas and green beans. In general, legumes are a very healthy Food and one that gives back to your garden. They are a wonderful ‘'Fallow” crop to grow as they give nitrogen back to your soil. As Far as your health goes legumes lower cholesterol, improve blood glucose control, and have many heart protective properties.
 The modern garden pea is thought to have originated from the Field pea that was native to central as a and the Middle East Centuries of cultivation and selection for certain characteristics have resulted n the pea that we know and love today. Since t$ cultivation dates back thousands of years, the pea is widely regarded as one of the first food crops to be cultivated by humans Peas were apparently consumed in dry form throughout much of their early history, and did not become widely popular as a fresh food until changes in cultivation led in cues that took place in Europe in the 16th century.
Green beans and or her beans, such as kidney beans, navy beans and black beans, are a I known botanically as Phaseolus vulgaris. They are all referred to as “common Jeans' because they all derived from a common bean ancestor that originated in Peru. From there they spread throughout South and Central America and then were introduced to Europe around the 16th century by Spanish explorers returning from their voyages to the New World. In your garden if you can make them work for you, you will never regret having legumes on hand.

Your healing peas and beans
Both peas and beans contain protein. B vitamins, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and they are high insoluble fiber. Iegumes have a low glycaemic index (Gl) meaning that they are broken down more slowly so you feel Fuller for longer making them a particularly good food for preventing and managing diabetes. One study (Archives of Internal Medicine) has emphasized the benefit of legumes .n diabetes by showing that legumes have a favorable effect on a blood sugar measure known as HbA1c.
HbA1c is a molecule used to measure what has been happening will 1 your blood sugar levels over the past Few months. I n your blood are red blood cells that include the molecule haemoglobin. Glucose sticks to the haemogoblin to make a "glycosylated haemoglobin' molecule, called haemoglobin A1C or HbA1c The more glucose n the blood, the more HbA‘c will be present in the brood. Roc cells live for 8-12 weeks before they are replaced so by measuring HbAlc you can tell you how high you' blood glucose has been on average over the last 8-12 weeks. A normal non-diabetic HbA1C is less than57 percent, pre-diabetes is 5 7 per cent to6.4 percent, and diabetes is 6.5 per cent or higher.
In this new study patients with type 2 diabetes were put into one of two groups. One group were for three months. The other group was asked to eat more insduble Fiber like wholegrain wheat for three months. At the end of the three months 11bAlc values in the legume group had cropped by an average O.5 per cent and n the insoluble fiber group by an average 0.3 per cent Blood pressure aIso dropped much more in the legume group. The researchers said that these results emphasise the importance of reintroducing legumes into the Western diet.

Beans
A lot of the positive publicity these days goes to "rainbow” colored foods because we now know that the pigments that give plants their yellow, orange, red and purple colors are also very healthy antioxidants. So the humble green bean has been left in the multi-hued shade, but you make a mistake if you underestimate the green bean. Studies have confirmed the presence of lutein. beta-carotene, volaxanthin and neoxanthin in green beans. In some cases, the presence of these carotenoids in green beans is comparable to their presence in other antioxidant-rich vegetables like carrots and tomatoes.
The reason green beans are not a showy yellow or red is due to the high levels of chlorophyll they contain which gives the deep green color we love. The great news is that chlorophyll itself is a very healthy, cleansing nutrient so with beans you get antioxidant protection plus chlorophyll cleansing (if that doesn’t sound too much like a laundry powder commercial).
You would expect the antioxidant actions of beans to provide you with some direct heart benefits Animal studies do show that beans lead to improvement in levels of blood fat and better protection of these fats from oxygen damage.
It is the green bean pod (the main portion of tire green beans that you eat. which provides the covering for the beans inside) that appears to be more closely related to these cardio benefits than the young, immature beans that are found inside.
The strong carotenoid and flavonoid content of green beans also appears to yield some anti- inflammatory effects. Some research shows decreased activity of certain inflammatory enzymes after taking bean extracts. This may be partly why beans are effective n type 2 diabetes because a component of the onset of this disease is chronic inflammation.

Peas
Like beans, green peas are loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and these health-supportive nutrients are provided in a wide range of nutrient categories, in fact one of these nutrients may surprise you because peas are a good source of omega-3 Fatty acids.
Peas area reliable source of omega-3 fat in the fomofabha-linolenicacid. or ALA. One cup of green peas provides you approximately 30 milligrams of ALA. It needs to be said that ALA still needs to be converted in your bocy to the forms that your body can use (eicosapentaenoic acid—EPA, and docosliexaenoicacid—DHA). Both FPA and DHA are supplied in their finished form by fish oil which is why it is such a good source of omega-3. In plants though you most often get ALA and this requires conversion by an enzyme to yield EPA and DHA. If you are deficient in this enzyme for whatever reason conversion won’t happen, but for most people the ALA in peas will offer many of the benefits that omega-3 fats offer. That means reduced inflammation and improved blood low all good news for your heart.
 The additional good heart news is peas are a good soiree of vitamin B1. Folate. vitamin B2. vitamin B3. and vitamin B6. These B vitamins lower levels of an amino acid called homocysteine that has been shown to damage arteries end allow attachment of cholesterol plaques. Add the fact that they are a good fiber source and peas are a very good heart Food.

“Airing” concerns
If we are going to talk legumes then we just have to talk flatulence. Most humans pass gas around 14 times every day with the total amount of gas passed being around half a liter. If you are going to increase your legume intake that amount will almost certainly rise, at least initially. This is because legumes contain oligosaccharides that are broken down by bacteria in your gut and a by-product of this is gas. The thing is, the bacteria that do this are the good bacteria that you want to have in you' digestive tract. In time, as you consume legumes regularly, the gas produced by bacterial breakdown of the oligosaccharides will reduce. Given that legumes arc healthy Foods and that the bacteria that act on them to produce gas are also healthy, you've just got to love that flatulence that results.
 

Mind Your Peas and Beans
It is always best to eat your produce Freshly picked if you can. However, you might have a bumper crop and want to store some of your peas and beans For later use. IF you do the best idea is to steam them for just three minutes and then pop them into the freezer. All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria that will breakdown the nutrients and alter the flavor and texture of Food during Frozen storage. The evidence is that Freezing does a pretty good job of keeping the nutrients in beans and peas intact although the levels do decrease with time, so try to eat your produce within three months of picking.
 

Poor Man's Meat
In some places and publications, legumes have been dubbed “poor man’s meat”, this is because they are a good source of protein. It is not the complete amino acid profile that you find in meat but legume protein does contain many of the amino acids that humans need. However, for optimal utilization the amino acids in legumes need to be combined with the missing amino acids From another food (protein combining).
In the case of legumes, grains are a good companion food and the classic dish from a protein combining view is beans on whole meal toast. The availability and health benefits of legumes mean that perhaps it would be better to call them “any person’s meat" or, even better still, given the sustainability issues around meat production, maybe meat should be called “poor person's legume”.
 

Legumes As Green Manure
If you grow the same crop in a piece of your garden year after year then you increase the chances of pests becoming entrenched and of damaging the soil. You can leave the soil Fallow for a growing season but that increases chances of erosion which is where your legumes come in.
Growing your peas or beans in a patch of garden means that you are actually enhancing the nitrogen levels in that soil because that is what legumes do: give nitrogen back. You also get the bonus of a delicious legume harvest knowing that you have replenished your soil ready for your next crop into the bargain.
Many studies have shown that legumes enrich a soil however, as one article in the Agronomy Journal that reported on trials in Uganda found, if you let soil become too degraded it might be a couple of planting cycles before legumes can work their restorative powers. So make legumes a part of your organic garden crop rotation from year one.

Grow Your Peas & Beans

When to plant: Plant pea seeds in the ground when conditions are cooler, so winter and spring in cool frost-free conditions; and winter in warmer, subtropical zones. Temperatures ever 25°C reduce flowering. Plant seeds every three weeks for successive crops. Plant beans in spring, summer and autumn in cooler temperate areas, and all year except summer in warm northern areas. If it’s too hot at flowering time, it may stop pods forming.

Climate: Peas grow better in cool, frost-free regions; not the tropics. Beans grow in most climates, just time planting according to variety.

Aspect/placement: Sunny position.

Specific needs: Plant peas in well-drained soil, prepared with chook manure and some added lime. Prepare rows or trenches about 5cm deep and about 10cm apart. Leave about 45cm between each row. Usually need some support, but particularly the taller growing varieties. Protect seedlings from birds with covers of netting or black cotton. Keep well-watered once seeds have sprouted. Try growing in pots.
Peas and beans can help fix nitrogen into the soil. Use as a green manure crop.
Dwarf or bush bean varieties don't usually need supporting, but climbers will need a trellis or supporting structure. Plant directly either side about 25mm 30mm deep and at least 100mm apart. Keep well watered and add some liquid potash before flowering to ensure good pod set.

Companion planting: Potatoes.

Harvesting: Peas are ready about 11 weeks from sowing. Continue picking once pods have formed. Shoots, pods and peas are edible. Once crop is finished, cut stems at the base for the compost heap or dig back into the soil. Bean crops are ready to harvest in about 8-10 weeks from sowing. Young, tender beans that snap easily when bent are the yummiest. Keep picking once pods form or they stop producing.