Greens

Basil is a spicy medicinal annual plant. In the wild, it grows in Iran, India, China, Africa, and the tropical area of America, Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Basil originates from South Asia. Basil was introduced into Europe by soldiers of Alexander the Great returning from the Asian campaigns. In Russia, it appeared in the 18th century and was used primarily as a medicinal plant.

The radish is annual or biennial plant, genus Raphanus in the Brassicaceae family. Its name derives from the Latin word radix - root. Radishes are grown and consumed in many countries throughout the world. There are European, Japanese and Chinese groups of varieties distinguished by origin.

Spinach (lat. Spinacia oleracea) is an annual herb, genus spinach in the family Amaranthaceae. It is one of the most common kinds of nutrimental vegetable greens. In Asia spinach is to be found growing wild. Its cultivation began since Persian times. Via the Great Silk Road it was introduced into China, where in the middle 7th century it was called a “Persian vegetable”.

Sorrel is a perennial herb, genus of annual grasses and suffrutices in the family Polygonaceae. Sorrel as a green crop was first mentioned in the 12th century. In Russia, it was long considered a weed, and wasn’t usead as food. Only within the last centuries, it became a widely cultivated crop.

Parsley is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, from where it started to spread, and where it is still to be found growing wild. The ancient Greeks were first to cultivate parsley. Gradually, the culture spreaded, and close to the Middle Ages it was used throughout Western Europe.

Dill is a well-known annual herb with a strong spicy flavor. Dill is widely cultivated, sometimes growing wild. Wild dill can be found in the Himalayas, Iran, Central and Southwest Asia, which is its homeland.