VOA慢速英语2009-Agriculture Report - Putting Your Head to Growin

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

We have talked about growing carrots and beets¹. This week, we move from root vegetables to a leafy vegetable. Cabbage is related to mustard, turnips², kale and collards. The leaves that form a head of cabbage can be purple, red or green. "White" cabbage is really a light green.

Cabbage is a good source of vitamin C and other nutrients³. Cato the Elder, an influential⁴ Roman thinker two thousand years ago, praised its medical value. If you eat it raw, he suggested dipping it in vinegar.

Think about growing cabbage if you live where the weather is cool and the soil is moist and fertile. Spring and fall are good times to begin. Experts say cabbage does not need full sun and grows easily if you water it regularly and protect against insects and disease.

The University of Illinois Extension says cabbage is easily transplanted from bare-root plants or cell packs. Bare-root plants have no soil on their roots. Cell packs are containers in which seeds are started.

Susan Trice from the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service says cabbage takes about sixty to ninety days to grow. She says the amount of space needed between the plants depends on how big you expect the heads to be. Cabbage can be picked any time after the heads have formed.

Always keep the plants moist. Watch for yellowing or black spots on the stems. Yellow or brown areas shaped like the letter V on leaves may be a sign of black rot infection.

Insects, transplants and seeds can spread infections. If you suspect that seeds may be diseased, place them in water at fifty degrees Celsius⁵ for twenty minutes. The Cooperative Extension Service at Oklahoma State University says buying high-quality seeds can help.

On March seventeenth, many Irish Americans will eat a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.

Cabbage leaves can be steamed or cooked in a small amount of boiling water until they soften⁶. Cabbage smells terrible if you cook it too long. Uncooked cabbage, cut thinly, is used in cole slaw and other salads.

Sauerkraut is cabbage fermented⁷ in its own juice. It means "sour cabbage" in German. Salt is traditionally used to pull water out of the cabbage.

And Chinese cabbage is popular not just in China. It is commonly used, for example, in kimchee, a spicy⁸ Korean food made with fermented cabbage.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. Our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Bob Doughty⁹.

1 beets   

甜菜( beet的名词复数 )； 甜菜根； （因愤怒、难堪或觉得热而）脸红

参考例句：

• Beets are Hank's favorite vegetable. 甜菜根是汉克最爱吃的蔬菜。
• In this enlargement, barley, alfalfa, and sugar beets can be differentiated. 在这张放大的照片上，大麦，苜蓿和甜菜都能被区分开。

2 turnips   

芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表

参考例句：

• Well, I like turnips, tomatoes, eggplants, cauliflowers, onions and carrots. 噢，我喜欢大萝卜、西红柿、茄子、菜花、洋葱和胡萝卜。 来自魔法英语-口语突破（高中）
• This is turnip soup, made from real turnips. 这是大头菜汤，用真正的大头菜做的。

3 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

5 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

6 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

7 fermented   

v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰

参考例句：

• When wine is fermented, it gives off gas. 酒发酵时发出气泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His speeches fermented trouble among the workers. 他的演讲在工人中引起骚动。 来自辞典例句

8 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

9 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。