Archive for Healthy Recipes
Tomato Growing Special: Q & A
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1.Q. Tomato growing is very satisfying especially when you see tomatoes ripen and turn red. But I lose at least half my crop to bird damage. What can prevent this?
A. Bird damage is common in all areas. One control method which works quite well is to take old nylon stockings and cut them into pieces 10 to 12 inches long. Tie a knot in one end of the stocking and slip the open end over the entire cluster of tomatoes.
Secure the end above the tomato cluster with a rubber band or twist-tie. Birds will not be able to peck through the nylon. Slip the stocking off the cluster and harvest the ripe fruit and replace it to protect later-ripening fruit. Also, birds damage fully mature fruit more readily than breaker or pink fruit.
Harvest in breaker or green-wrap stage. Gardeners have tried many ways to reduce bird damage. Scarecrows, aluminum strips, tin foil plates and noisemakers will work until the local birds become accustomed to seeing or hearing them. Fabric covering materials such as Grow-Web and Reemay can also be used as a barrier mechanism.
2.Q. What causes tomato leaves to curl?
A. The exact cause of tomato leaf roll is not fully known. Tomato leaf roll appears about the time of fruit setting. The leaflets of the older leaves on the lower half of the tomato plant roll upward. This gives the leaflets a cupped appearance with sometimes even the margins touching or overlapping.
The overall growth of the tomato plant does not seem to be greatly affected and yields are normal. This condition appears to be most common on staked and pruned plants.
It occurs when excessive rainfall or overwatering keeps the soil too wet for too long. It is also related to intensive sunlight which causes carbohydrates to accumulate in the leaves. Some varieties of tomatoes are characteristically curled.
3.Q. My tomatoes were healthy during the spring and early summer, yet after a recent rain, they wilted and died very rapidly. That put all my tomato growing efforts to zero. Besides, I found a white fungal growth at the base of the plant.
New Potatoes: The New Delicious Treat!
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The earliest or new potatoes of the season are a treat not to be missed. They’re small, round, smooth and delicious. These new potatoes can be harvested now and are absolutely delicious roasted in the oven or on the grill.
They are sweeter and lower in starch than their full grown counterparts, giving them a mild flavor and creamy texture that is a real treat.These potatoes are immature and far from fully developed. Their surface skin is thin and tender. If peeled, this is normally done most easily after boiling.
New potatoes do not store well, and should be harvested close to the time when they will be used. New young potatoes are harvested when peas are ripe or as the potato plants begin to flower.Their thin skin loses moisture faster than that of mature potatoes.
The formation of tubers in potatoes normally begins when plants are six to eight inches tall. Potatoes are a cool weather crop, and best tuber development occurs before weather becomes continuously hot.
New potatoes don’t store, so eat them right away. If you tried the idea of growing potatoes in a garbage can, it’s easy to harvest. Simply reach in for the best-sized spuds and ease them out.
You can harvest a few of your potatoes all summer after they flower.The trick is to make sure the soil is wet, then gently dig under and around your plant.( I use my hands as my soil is very loose when wet.) Read More→
Strawberries: Your Teeth Just Got Whiter
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Strawberries are too tasty and sweet to be any good for your teeth.Yes. It does seem counter intuitive, but strawberries contain a whole lot of malic acid, a tooth-whitening agent. It may sound strange, but really strawberry and backing powder can make your teeth whiter.
We all seem to want whiter teeth. Some people are born with teeth that are more yellow than others. But often we can whiten teeth and our bright smile can change whole appearance.There is a great, big market out there for whitening strips and dental procedures which promise a more alabaster smile. Walk into any grocery or drug store, and you’ll see a myriad of tooth whitening products on the toothpaste aisle.
There are whitening toothpastes, whitening strips, and entire tooth whitening systems. Some of the toothpastes use natural ingredients such as baking soda, but most products use harsh chemicals that many of us would think twice about putting into our bodies.
Whitening strips are not regulated by the FDA and do not undergo the rigorous testing that drugs and medicines do. Some worry that the strips strip enamel from teeth, although they seem relatively safe if used correctly.
If you’ve never been keen on commercial teeth-whitening products and you love strawberries, today is your lucky day: Web site Health.com says that one ripe strawberry plus half a teaspoon of baking powder equals a natural teeth whitener. Read More→
Ginger reduces muscle pain caused by exercise, a recent study at the University of Georgia has found.
Approximately 40 volunteers in the study consumed 2-gram ginger capsules or a placebo to test the impact. That’s the equivalent of grating about a teaspoon of ginger on a salad.
On the eighth day of the study the participants lifted weights to induce minor muscle injury. According to the study, muscle pain was reduced by 25 percent among participants who were consuming the ginger capsules.
There was no difference in pain reduction between the raw and heat-treated ginger capsules.
Lead researcher from the University of Georgia, Professor Patrick O’Connor said the ginger as something that really can eliminate muscle pain that can be accepted by many people who experience it.
For someone who’s working out regularly, who might be breaking down muscle on a regular basis, incorporating ginger into daily diet might be helpful. Ginger is also known to contain a chemical that works almost the same anti-inflammatory drugs non-steroidal such as ibuprofen and aspirin.
For people suffering with arthritis pain, it is advisable that crushed root ginger is applied on the skin in and around the knee joint where pain is experienced. It has been discovered that repeated application of root ginger on the skin will considerably reduce or ease the pain caused due to arthritis.
In the past decade, researchers have also discovered that ginger may benefit your cardiovascular health, including: Read More→
Peas: Help Your Heart, Bones & Blood Pressure
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The taste of fresh peas: a trace of sweetness, a nip of acidity, a dust of earthiness and the crunchy, green treasures inside. Their intensity of flavor is remarkable for the first few hours after harvesting.The best part of growing peas is snapping them right off the vine, with their fresh, sweet crunch as music in the mouth. Oh the joy of eating fresh pea pods!
Green peas are bursting with nutrients. They provide good to very good amounts of 8 vitamins, 7 minerals, dietary fiber and protein. Their supercharged nutritional profile can supercharge your health. Peas are filling and low calorie. 100 grams of green peas have only 84 calories of energy.
Men and women who eat peas at least four times a week have a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease over 19 years than those who consume peas once weekly. The most enthusiastic peas eaters also have lower blood pressure and total cholesterol, and are less likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes.
Researchers have found that proteins in common garden peas can help fight high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease (NutraIngredients.com March 24, 2009)
The folic acid and vitamin B6 in green peas are supportive of your cardiovascular health. The vitamin K featured in green peas is instrumental to the body’s healthy blood clotting ability.
Green peas provide nutrients that are important for maintaining bone health. They are a very good source of vitamin K, some of which our bodies convert into K2, the major non-collagen protein in bone. Read More→
