I don't remember what inspired this, but I was thinking about how ancient some of our garden plants are, and how cool that is. Then I wondered what the most ancient vegetables we grow are. Then, because I'm a very nerdy gardener, I started researching it and I came up with some answers. So here's a list of the top 5 most ancient vegetables we still grow in our gardens today!

Let me know in the comments which of these vegetables you plan to grow this year!

0:31 Number 5 (4000 years old)
2:04 Number 4 (4500 years old)
3:15 Number 3 (5000 years old)
4:13 Number 2 (8,00010,000 years old)
4:38 Number 1 (11,300 years old)
5:43 The problem with this list
6:35 The New World Contenders
7:40 The Revised, Inclusive List

Attributions for all the creative commons media I used:

Domesticated animals on a Sumerian cylinder seal
Wolfgang Sauber, CC BYSA 3.0

Wild cabbage
CC BY 2.5 DEED
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Kale
CC BYSA 3.0 DEED
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Kohlrabi
CC BYSA 4.0 DEED
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Broccoli
CC BYSA 3.0 DEED
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Cauliflower
CC BYSA 4.0 DEED
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Cabbage
CC BYSA 3.0 DEED
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Brussels sprouts
CC BY 2.0 DEED
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Colourpainted pottery pot from the Lower Xiajiadian culture, 20001500 BCE. Excavated from Dadianzi, Aohanqi, Inner Mongolia. Capital Museum, Beijing
CC BYSA 4.0 DEED
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Early Athenian coin, depicting the head of Athena on the obverse and her owl on the reverse – 5th century BC.
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Goblet and cup, Iran, Susa I style, 4th millennium BC – Ubaid period; goblet height c. 12 cm; Sèvres – Cité de la céramique, France
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Green peas in a pod
Rasbak Own work
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360° Panorama of Caral
Mfdutra Own work
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En Gev Epipaleolithic period Basalt Israel Antiquities Authority H: 29 cm; Diam: 2528 cm; Weight: 11 kg Prehistoric Periods The Israel Museum, Jerusalem Archaeology. Stone Age Stone Mortar & Pestle, Kebaran culture, 2200018000 BP Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel. Complete indexed photo collection at WorldHistoryPics.com
CC0 1.0 DEED

The Ain Sakhri lovers, Ain Sakhri near Bethleem, Israel. Kebaran culture, Late Epipaleolithic Near East
Geni Photo by User:geni
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Templo de los Guerreros (Temple of the Warriors) at Chichén Itzá
Keith Pomakis
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Ancient Mesoamerican relief sculpture of maize, National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico
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Colocasia esculenta from the Japanese agricultural encyclopedia Seikei Zusetsu
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Bean pods on a plant
Jamain Own work
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Split red lentil seeds (size 6 mm)
Sanjay Acharya Own work
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Crookneck squash
Rei at en.wikipedia
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Field pea plant in bloom
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#gardening #ancienthistory