Japan develops new breed of nutritious vegetablesAsia Pacific News / 27 October 2004 1107 hrs / channelnewsasia.com
JAPAN
....experts in Japan have come up with new varieties of vegetables, said to be richer in minerals and vitamins than conventional ones.
Petit Vert, a new breed of vegetable is the result of crossing brussels sprouts with kale, a type of cabbage. Developed by a seedlings firm in Japan's Shizuoka prefecture, its developer claims it contains five times as much iron and ten times as much calcium as brussels sprouts.
You can eat Petit Vert raw or boiled.
...Over at Ibaraki prefecture, a new type of sweet potato with purple-coloured flesh was developed. A cross between two kinds of sweet potatoes, its growers say it's rich in anthocyanin, an element which can help reduce blood pressure and ensure a healthy liver.
The new sweet potato may be more expensive than conventional ones...
"We hope this new kind of sweet potato will stimulate local development," said Takao Sato from the Katori Agricultural Cooperative.
---Petit Vert Japanese site----
