VOA · Health & Lifestyle
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed7:232025-02-21public domain
Health & Lifestyle covers medicine, fitness, food, and daily living. Health topics appear constantly in IELTS and TOEFL listening sections, so the vocabulary you pick up here transfers directly to exam day.
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01If you are a gardener, you probably have some favorite plants that you grow year after year.
02But you might also like to try new plants sometimes.
03Gardening expert Jessica Demiano recently reported for the Associated Press about one way to find new plants that might appeal to growers.
04Each year, the independent nonprofit organization All America Selections, or AAS, enlists more than 80 horticultural professionals from around the United States and Canada to serve as plant trial judges.
05Their job is to grow the new plants side by side with currently available varieties.
06The group then compares plant performance, time to reach full growth, flower or fruit size, disease resistance, and other qualities important to home gardeners.
07When the results are gathered, the best plants are named AAS winners for the following year, in time for their launch on the market.
08For 2025, 20 plants have been named national or local winners.
09Seven of them are edible plants, meaning they can be eaten.
10Here are the new kinds of edible plants that some gardeners might be interested in.
11Two of the winners received the honor under the regional or local identification.
12The basal piedmont of the Great Lakes and Heartland regions was noted for its strong resistance to disease, especially that of the fungus called downy mildew.
13The experts also favored its strong smell, classic flavor, and refined habit.
14Harvested plants keep for a long period, the judges said.
15The dense, bushy plant also was honored for strong growth and health, even in difficult growing conditions.
16Garden genetics and seeds by design produced the new plant.
17Tomato Tonateco F1 of the Mountain Southwest and Northeast regions also was a winner.
18Judges praised the taste, texture, yield, disease resistance, and reduced fruit cracking and splitting of this cherry tomato.
19Tonateco also was noted for its strongly attached, uniform fruit clusters that were easy to remove at harvest time.
20The fruit was created, or bred, by Bijou USA.
21The cauliflower Murasaki Fioretto 70 F1 is among the five winners in the national class.
22Murasaki translates to purple in Japanese.
23This cauliflower has bright purple flowers, as well as long, soft stems.
24The experts said the plant matures or reaches full growth early and is easy to harvest.
25It does not have a strong flavor and would make a beautiful purple food to serve raw or uncooked.
26It will turn to a fuchsia color in vinegar and golden brown when lightly cooked.
27Tokita Seed America bred the plant.
28Winner Kohlrabi Constance F1 is also a purple plant.
29Judges said it grew well in both spring and fall.
30It produced crack-resistant, long-lasting bulbs with smooth, bright skin.
31It also offers a longer harvest period than other varieties and tasty leaves.
32Bijou Seeds is the breeder.
33The winning pepper pick-and-pop yellow F1 was noted for outstanding resistance to bacterial leaf spot disease.
34Judges also found that the plant produced sweet yellow small peppers throughout the growing season.
35The company Seminus Home Garden was the breeder.
36Squash Green Lightning F1 was praised for its small seed cavity.
37This results in more edible flesh from each fruit.
38Green Lightning lived up to its name in the trials, judges said.
39They noted how quickly it reached maturity.
40One judge said, This entry not only looked better, but also tasted better than the comparison, adding it looked good enough to use as a decoration.
41The judge said the squash's flavor, when cooked, stood up to added seasonings.
42Green Lightning was bred by Joseph Stern and marketed by Pan American Seed.
43Another winner, Squash Thriller F1, was noted for its unusual color-changing quality.
44Judges also said it was easy to grow.
45The plants produce 1-2 pound fruits with bright orange, green, and white ridged lines that change color as they mature.
46Cicada America bred the squash thriller.
47I'm Katie Weaver.
48I'm Katie Weaver.
49I'm Katie Weaver.
50I'm Katie Weaver.
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52I'm Katie Weaver.
53I'm Katie Weaver.
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