Time to Plant Onions

I love the taste of fresh home grown onions and I grow them often. And I can’t tell you how many onions I’ve eaten from Dad’s garden. When they are that fresh, I enjoy eating them raw or adding them to a bowl of cucumbers from the garden along with tomatoes and making a quick little brine to eat at the dinner table. In Texas, onions can be planted as early as January and can withstand the cold temperatures.

They typically come in a bunch of about 60 small transplant plants an each one can be planted separately so you end up with a lot of onions. This year I bought both red and white bulbs. If you don’t have time to plant them immediately, do what my dad recommends. Put the entire bunch into the ground or a pot and keep them moist until you are ready to plant them individually. You’ll see me placing mine in my container until ready to plant at which time I’ll separate them.onion collage

Onions 101 – What you should know

  • The onion is a rugged plant and can withstand some weather at below- freezing temperatures.
  • Onions should be in the garden four to six weeks prior to the last frost date. Without some cool days, you will not get good top growth.
  • The warmer temperatures will generate a larger bulb. As a matter of fact, the trigger to activate a large bulb is warmer temperatures and longer days.
  • So the sooner you get them into the ground, the better they will grow.
  • Onions need full sun. They prefer a sandy loam but will grow reasonably well in clay soil.
  • Prepare the soil well before planting, removing all weeds and fertilizing with a high phosphorus (10-20-10) fertilizer (my dad’s favorite)
  • Onions need plenty of water during their early rapid growth.
  • You should plan the site near a water supply if possible so you can control the moisture if the rains do not come at the needed time.
  • Once the bulbs form, they can stand a much drier climate.
  • Make it easy on yourself and buy transplants, called slips, or sets from your seed store. I got mine from Calloway Nursery, but have also found them at Home Depot and Walmart.
  • If you choose sets, try to buy sets that are about one-half inch in diameter. Larger ones will likely go to seed early, and smaller ones will not make a good-sized bulb.
  • They can be planted on a wide bed about four inches apart, with just the tip showing above the ground. If you prefer transplants, they too can be set out about three or four inches apart; or if you plan on using some as scallions, you may want to place them every two inches and removing every other one to eat as green onions, therefore leaving room for the remaining bulbs to reach full size.
  • Slips have usually been pulled at least three weeks before you take them home and may appear dry. This is all right; and if you like, you can freshen them up by letting them stay in a shallow pan of water with a handful of compost added for a couple of hours or overnight.
  • You should give your onions a side dressing of nitrogen after they have been growing for about three weeks and continue to side dress them every two weeks until the neck of the bulb begins to soften.
  • Always keep the soil pulled away from the plant when working around them, and never cover them too deeply.
  • They should be ready to harvest by the last of May or the first of June.
  • The green tops will become soft and topple over. That is the time to pull them and leave them to dry for two or three days.
  • The roots should then be snipped and the tops cut, leaving them a couple inches long. Store them in a cool, dry place where they are not touching each other and are receiving good air circulation. Some people place them in discarded panty hose, tying a knot between each onion and hanging the entire batch in a dry place.
  • Onions do not have many insect problems, but thrips (a very small yellow or black insect) may be found on the inner leaves.
  • Use insecticidal soap or other labeled insecticides for control (follow label directions, especially for last application prior to harvest).
  • Onion harvest should occur in May and June or when the onions have matured to the desired size. Pull the onions, leave laying in the row for 1-3 days for drying, clip the tops and roots and store in a cool dry place until needed.

http://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/tips/veggie/janonion.html

The Green Juice Craze – What’s it all about?

You don’t have to look very far to notice the green juice craze that has swept the nation in the past year or so. It’s everywhere. “The Green Juice Generation” – ages 18-40 take green juicing very serious and it has become a normal part of many lives, along with healthy eating and exercising.   All good stuff!

And I know you’ve noticed the surge of healthy cafes and organic markets that have also sprouted up everywhere. You can even find green juice popsicles and believe it or not, cocktails that include their version of green juice.   Starbuck’s has gotten into the trend and offer their opinion on the benefits of drinking cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices.

http://news.starbucks.com/news/are-you-green-to-the-green-juices-trend-a-starbucks-nutritionist-answers-yo

There are some important things you should consider if you are thinking about starting a juicing regiment.  Be sure and consult with your doctor before starting a juicing regiment if you have any medical issues.

Vegetable Juice is Not a Complete Meal

It is important to note that vegetable juice has very little protein and virtually no fat, so by itself, it is not really a complete food. It really should be used in addition to your regular meals not in place of it.  You will get the vitamins and minerals your body needs by juicing, but you won’t get the fiber that you also need.  And the soluble fiber in vegetables is really good for your cholesterol and blood pressure.

So unless you are undergoing some special fasting or detoxification program, it is probably unwise to use juicing as a meal replacement. Ideally, it can be consumed with your meal or as a between meal snack.

Listen to Your Body

This is partly because you should only start by juicing vegetables that you enjoy eating non-juiced. The juice should taste pleasant — not make you feel nauseous.

It is very important to listen to your body when juicing. Your stomach should feel good all morning long. If it is churning or growling or generally making its presence known, you probably juiced something you should not be eating. Cabbage, for example may be one of the vegetables you might want to use in small amounts until you are sure it doesn’t upset your stomach

Here are a few simple lessons to get you up and help you enjoy the benefits of juicing quickly:

Use Pesticide Free Vegetables

It is wise to choose organic whenever possible. However, some vegetables are worse than others. Below are the vegetables that are the most pesticide-loaded ones according to the Environmental Working Group.

So it would be wise to only purchase these vegetables if they are organically grown. The worst ones are listed first.

1.     Celery

2.     Spinach

3.     Kale

4.     Collard Greens

5.     Lettuce

6.     Carrots

7.     Cucumber (not as bad if you peel the skin)

Get ready to juice!

Please note that the order listed below is only intended for those that are new to juicing so you do have a pleasant experience with it. However, if you use ¼ to ½ lemon or lime, you can start experimenting with the more bitter greens early on as the lemon and lime effectively counter their bitterness.

Please note that it would be FAR better to use lemon or limes than carrots, beets or apples, which have far more fructose than lemons or limes.

Here are a few simple lessons to get you up and help you enjoy the benefits of juicing quickly:

If you are new to juicing, I recommend starting out with vegetables like these as they are the easiest to digest and tolerate.  One of our favorite combinations in my home is actually celery and pineapple!  Both have amazing health benefits.

·       Celery

·       Cucumbers

These three aren’t as nutrient dense as the dark green leafy vegetables In the few days to weeks it takes you to adjust to the 3 vegetables listed above, you can start adding the more nutritionally valuable but less palatable vegetables into your juice.

When you’ve adjusted yourself to juicing, start adding other vegetables.  We juice a lot of dark green vegetables like kale and collards but these vegetables are bitter so start with smaller leaves at a time and be sure to balance it out with lime or lemon.  And we also like adding ginger and an apple for balance.

When you’re ready, move on to adding herbs to your juicing. Herbs also make wonderful combinations, and parsley and cilantro work exceptionally well.  I would start with a small amount of herbs as some people just don’t tolerate herbs like cilantro.  We also add lemons, ginger, apple.  Get creative.  All of these below are good for starters.

·       Red leaf lettuce

·       Green leaf lettuce

·       Romaine lettuce

·       Endive

·       Escarole

·       Spinach

The greens below are bitter so you really need to balance these greens listed below are bitter, so start with smaller leaves at a time and be sure and balance it out with lime or lemon.

·       Kale

·       Collard Greens

·       Dandelion Greens

·       Mustard Greens (bitter)

When purchasing collard greens, find a store that sells the leaves still attached to the main stalk. If they are cut off, the vegetable rapidly loses many of its valuable nutrients.

Make your juice taste great.

If you would like to make your juice taste a bit more palatable, especially in the beginning, you can add these elements:

  • Lemons and Limes: You can also add one half to a whole lime or lemon for every quart of juice. You can actually juice the skin if you want to avoid the hassle of peeling them
  • Cranberries: You can also add some cranberries if you enjoy them. Researchers have discovered that cranberries have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli, which means they may protect against cancer, stroke and heart disease. In addition, they are chock-full of phytonutrients, and can help women avoid urinary tract infections. Limit the cranberries to about 4 ounces per pint of juice.
  • Fresh ginger: This is an excellent addition if you enjoy the taste. It gives your juice a little “kick”! And, as an added boon, researchers have found that ginger can have dramatic effects on cardiovascular health, including preventing atherosclerosis, lowering cholesterol levels, and preventing the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL).

http://www.livestrong.com/article/265352-what-are-the-benefits-of-drinking-green-juice/

Drink your vegetable juice right away, or store it very carefully.

Juicing is a time-consuming process, so you’ll probably be thinking to yourself, “I wonder if I can juice first thing in the morning, and then drink it later?” This is not a good idea. Vegetable juice is HIGHLY perishable so it’s best to drink all of your juice immediately. However, if you’re careful, you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline. This is really helpful if you are bringing your juice to work with you so you can consume it during the day. How to store your juice:

  1. Put your juice in a glass jar with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. There should be a minimum amount of air in the jar as the oxygen in air (air is about 20 percent oxygen) will “oxidize” and damage the juice.
  2. Purchase a food vacuum pump like Food Saver with a Ball jar attachment. You can pour your juice into a pint jar and put the lid on and use the Food Saver to suck out the air in the jar to vacuum pack it. This will remove most of the oxygen that will damage the juice.
  3. Immediately store it in the fridge and consume it when you are ready. It is best to drink it as soon as possible and in any case within 24 hours of juicing.

Most people juice in the morning, but if that does not work out well for your schedule, please feel free to choose whatever meal works best for your lifestyle.

Clean your juicer properly

We all know that if a juicer takes longer than a few minutes to clean, we’ll find excuses not to juice at all. Most juicers come with a brush to clean the metal grater, but an old toothbrush works well to clean any metal grater. If you buy a high-quality juicer, the whole process should only take about 5 minutes.  Whatever you do, you need to clean your juicer immediately after you juice to prevent any remnants from contaminating the juicer with mold growth.

Blender vs. Juicer – Does it matter?

There are different ways to prepare your juice, which typically includes vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables such as celery, spinach, cucumber, lemon, ginger, parsley and sprouts. The version favored by Dr. Oz, host of the Dr. Oz show, is prepared in a blender. Others utilize a juicer to make the drink.

I personally use a juicer for making my green juice and that is primarily because of some health issues that my daughter Adrienne has experienced.  She is not able to consume a great deal of fiber so we can control the amount of fiber by using a blender.You should consult with your doctor if you have any digestive concerns.

Benefits of Juicing

There are many reasons why you should consider incorporating vegetable juicing into your optimal health program. Here are a few.

1.     Juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. This limits your body’s ability to absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing will help to “pre-digest” them for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition, rather than having it go down the toilet.

2.     Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. If you are a carb type, you should eat one pound of raw vegetables per 50 pounds of body weight per day. Some people may find eating that many vegetables difficult, but it can be easily accomplished with a quick glass of vegetable juice.

3.     You can add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. Many people eat the same vegetable salads every day. This violates the principle of regular food rotation and increases your chance of developing an allergy to a certain food. But with juicing, you can juice a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally enjoy eating whole.

Fiber

The blended green juice recipe favored by Dr. Oz, is chock full of fiber. Fiber aids digestion, prevents constipation, and helps you control your weight because it adds bulk to your diet to make you feel full. Oz’s drink blends the juices of lemon, lime, apple, parsley, ginger root, cucumber, celery and spinach. Drinks made in a juicer do not have the benefit of fiber.

If you do not have any known digestive or other health issues, you should consume 38 grams of fiber if you are a man aged 19 to 50 and 25 grams of fiber if you are a woman of the same age. After age 50, men need 30 grams of fiber and women need 21 grams according to U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes guidelines.  Your doctor can confirm what is best for you.

Chlorophyll

Green juice is rich in chlorophyll, which gives greens their color. Chlorophyll helps your body detoxify. For example, it may inhibit absorption of environmental pollutants like dioxin and also help your body excrete them quicker, says K. Morita, lead author for a study published in “Environmental Health Perspectives.”

Chlorophyll also enhances oxygen transport in your body and is a top nutrient for balancing your body’s pH by helping to reduce acidity. Low-grade acidosis may contribute to fatigue as well as other health concerns, including kidney stones and lower growth hormone levels, which lead to more body fat and loss of lean muscle mass. Author Gillian McKeith includes carrot, celery, cucumber, spinach, fennel, ginger root, parsley and alfalfa sprouts in her version of the drink. Both McKeith’s and Oz’s versions of the green juice have the benefit of chlorophyll.

What about juicing Fruit?

Virtually every health authority recommends that we get 6-8 servings of vegetables and fruits per day and very few of us actually get that. Juicing is an easy way to virtually guarantee that you will reach your daily target for vegetables.

While you can certainly juice fruits, if you are overweight, have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol, it is best to limit using fruits until you normalize these conditions.

The exception would be lemons and limes which have virtually none of the offending sugar, fructose, that causes most of the metabolic complications. Additionally lemons or limes are amazing at eliminating the bitter taste of the dark, deep green leafy vegetables that provide most of the benefits of juicing.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/13/benefits-of-juicing.aspx

What type of juicier should you purchase?

Do your research before investing a lot of money in a juicer.  If you are new to juicing, I recommend a mid-priced juicer.

The two links below take into consideration many factors to consider when purchasing a juicer.  One is a consumer comparison and the other one offers some great considerations as well like:

  •        Ease of use
  •       Price
  •        Noise Level
  •        Size
  •        Warranty
  •        Power

http://www.juicerfanatics.com/

http://www.intellireview.com/Top-Juicers/?aid=155&top=11&track=Juicers&kw=comparisons%252520of%252520juicers&ad=1&campaign=electronicsBphrasesearch&src=yahoo&expandable=0

As you can see, there are many things to consider before starting a juicing regiment.

Some juicing proponents say that juicing is better for you than is eating whole fruits and vegetables because your body can absorb the nutrients better and it gives your digestive system a rest from working on fiber. They say that juicing can reduce your risk of cancer, boost your immune system, help you remove toxins from your body, aid digestion and help you lose weight.

However, there’s no sound scientific evidence that extracted juices are healthier than the juice you get by eating the fruit or vegetable itself.

On the other hand, if you don’t enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, juicing may be a fun way to add them to your diet or to try fruits and vegetables you normally wouldn’t eat. You can find many juicing recipes online or mix up your own combinations of fruits and vegetables to suit your taste.

If you do try juicing, make only as much juice as you can drink at one time because fresh squeezed juice can quickly develop harmful bacteria.

If you buy commercially produced fresh juice from a juicing stand or store, select a pasteurized product. Also keep in mind that juices may contain more sugar than you realize, and if you aren’t careful, these extra calories can lead to weight gain.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/juicing-health-risks-and-benefits

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/the-risks-and-benefits-of-juicing.html

The Bottom Line

Freshly-prepared juice can certainly be incorporated into a healthy diet, but it’s not a miracle food that’s going to make you instantly skinny or cure whatever ails you.

Additionally, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting juicing in order to prevent potential drug and nutrient interactions. This is because a lot of people use dark, leafy greens such as kale and spinach in their juice concoctions, and these greens are high in vitamin K, which could interfere with how certain blood thinners work.

Juicing Recipes

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8155/3-yummy-green-juice-recipes-to-convert-skeptics.html

Note: Try to use organic produce when possible. If not possible, simply clean produce well. Remove rind, core and peel. Juice produce, pour over ice and enjoy.

Happy Green Juice

·       1 cucumber

·       2 celery stalks

·       2 pears

·       1/3 cantaloupe

·       6-8 kale leaves

·       1/2 lemon

·       1 inch of ginger

Drink Your Produce Green Juice

·       4 carrots

·       1 cucumber

·       1-2 cups of spinach

·       1 lemon

·       1 gala or pink lady apple

·       1 pear

Green Lemonade

·       3 cups of spinach

·       1 lemon

·       1 cucumber

·       1 pear

·       1 gala apple

Once you get acclimated to the taste, I highly encourage an 80/20 ratio for green juice (80% vegetables, 20% fruit).

Tip: Never juice bananas or avocado, and follow your juicer’s manual, especially as it pertains to leafy greens.

Simply Green Juice

– 1 cup of spinach
– 2 cups of kale
– 2 cups of parsley
– 1 cucumber
– 3 celery stalks

Add a little garlic and/or ginger if you like. Wash thoroughly and juice.

Apple and Cucumber Zipper

-2 1/2 apples
– 1/2 cucumber
– 1″ of ginger

Remove apple stems and juice everything together. A favorite of ours!

Ginger has potent anti-inflammatory properties that can help some people reduce arthritis based joint pain. Evidence points to one of the antioxidants in ginger called gingerol. It helps to combat oxidative damage to joint cells.

Alkaline Juicer Recipes Heaven

– 1 cup of spinach
– 1/2 cucumber
– 2 stalks of celery including leaves
– 3 carrots
– 1/2 apple

Wash all vegetables thoroughly, top the carrots, remove apple stem but don’t peel apple (the peel is full of flavonoid antioxidants), enjoy.

Victoria Boutenko reintroduces long neglected fruits, vegetables, and greens in the most persuasive style for our busy lives: with fast prep and delicious results. Featuring 200 recipes, Green Smoothie Revolution offers both simplicity and enough variety to keep taste buds happy and nutrients coming from a wealth of options.

http://www.greensmoothierevolution.com/

“In more than thirty-five years of practice as a psychiatrist affiliated with the Harvard Medical School, I have learned one thing very well: Human behavior is very hard to change. Now Victoria Boutenko is persuading me otherwise.… Thirty days of green smoothies will change how you feel, and how you feel about yourself. That’s no small achievement for one small book.”
—A. William Menzin, MD, Harvard Medical School

HAPPY JUICING!!

 

You Can’t Beat a Good Beet!

Beets have some insane health benefits, so before you say “yuk” I hope you will think twice about giving beets a try. Beets take on different flavors depending on how they are prepared. I’ve had a lot of people tell me they just don’t like beets, until they’ve tried them roasted or steamed and added to salad, or pickled. I’ve canned tons of pickled beets over the years and I am always looking for new ways to try them.

Serve peeled roasted beets as-is, with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Or slice and use them in salads. Roasted beets are particularly tasty with highly flavorful white cheeses – feta and goat cheese are excellent choices. They also pair well with roasted nuts like walnuts or hazelnuts, as well as fresh herbs like dill and parsley.

The healthiest preparation for beets (due to the short cook time) is to steam them which can be done in about 15 minutes. The tops are also very healthy so don’t throw them away.

Beets 1How to Select and Store Beets

Choose small or medium-sized beets whose roots are firm, smooth-skinned and deep in color. Smaller, younger beets may be so tender that peeling won’t be needed after they are cooked.

Avoid beets that have spots, bruises or soft, wet areas, all of which indicate spoilage. Shriveled or flabby should also be avoided as these are signs that the roots are aged, tough and fibrous.

While the quality of the greens does not reflect that of the roots, if you are going to consume this very nutritious part of the plant, look for greens that appear fresh, tender, and have a lively green color.

Cut the majority of the greens and their stems from the beet roots, so they do not pull away moisture away from the root. Leave about two inches of the stem attached to prevent the roots from “bleeding.” Do not wash beets before storing. Place in a plastic bag and wrap the bag tightly around the beets, squeezing out as much of the air from the bag as possible, and place in refrigerator where they will keep for up to 3 weeks.

Store the unwashed greens in a separate plastic bag squeezing out as much of the air as possible. Place in refrigerator where they will keep fresh for about four days.

Raw beets do not freeze well since they tend to become soft upon thawing. Freezing cooked beets is fine; they’ll retain their flavor and texture.

Tips for Preparing Beets

Rinse gently under cold running water, taking care not to tear the skin, which helps keep the health-promoting pigments inside.

Since beet juice can stain your skin, wearing kitchen gloves is a good idea when handling beets. If your hands become stained during the cleaning and cooking process, simply rub some lemon juice on them to remove the stain.

How to Roast Beets

Roasting beets is very easy and takes little effort.

Preheat oven to 375.

Start with Fresh Firm Beets. Gently rinse any dirt or debris from the beets; cut beets leaving 2 inches of tap root and 1 inch of stem on the beets. Place beets on a large piece of aluminum foil and generously drizzle beets with olive oil, grapeseed oil or canola oil if you don’t have the other oils. The extra beet-infused oil can be used in salad dressings

Fold the fold over beets and crimp the sides closed to keep the moisture in and also to help with clean-up later. The juice from roasted beets can really stain so be careful.

Roast beets until tender. The amount of time this will take can vary greatly depending on the size of the beets, how many there are, if other things are in the oven, and how fresh the beets are (fresher beets cook up faster). For smaller beets, start checking them for tenderness at about 25 minutes. Larger and older beets can take up to an hour.

Remove the beets from oven when tender (you should be able to easily pierce them with a fork). Open up the foil packet and let them sit until cool enough to handle.

When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip their peels off with just a rub of your fingers (wear gloves if you have them). You can use a pairing knife.

Note: Beets are fairly flexible veggies, if you have something else in the oven at anywhere between 325°F and 425°F, beets will happily roast up at that temperature alongside what you’re already cooking, it just will take a bit longer at lower temperatures.

How to Steam Beets

The beautiful color of beets also reflects their rich concentration of health-promoting antioxidants, which add free-radical protection to your Healthiest Way of Eating. They are also rich in folate and manganese.

Prep and Cook Time: 5 minute prep; 15 minute cookingIngredients:3 medium beets, about 3″ in diameter1 medium clove garlic, pressed or chopped2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Optional:

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 TBS chopped dill

1 TBS chopped chives

2 TBS Feta cheese

Directions:

Fill the bottom of a steamer with 2 inches of water.

While the water is coming to a boil, wash beets, leaving 2 inches of tap root and 1 inch of the stem on the beets. Cut beets into quarters. Do not peel.

Steam covered for 15 minutes. Beets are cooked when you can easily insert a fork on the tip of a knife into the beet. Although some of their colorful phytonutrients are lost to the steaming water, there is plenty of color and nutrients left in the beets.

Press or chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties.

Peel beets using a paper towel.

Transfer beets to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients while they are still hot.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas

Simply grate raw beets for a delicious and colorful addition to salads or decorative garnish for soups.

Healthy Boil beet greens for 1 minute for a great tasting side dish, which is very similar to Swiss chard.

Marinate steamed beets in fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh herbs.

Beet Recipes

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/salad/vegetable-salads/beet-salad/

Bay Area Foodie: Baked Beet Ravioli
What’s Gaby Cooking: Farro Beet and Herb Salad
My Angel’s Allergies: Roasted Beet and Potato Vinaigrette Salad
Cooking Channel: Garlicky Beet Salad With Walnuts and Dates
The Sensitive Epicure: Simply Sauteed Beets
And Love It Too: Raw, Vegan and Sugar-Free Red Velvet Fudge

Nutritional Benefits

Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. The greens have a higher content of iron compared to spinach. They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.

While the sweet beetroot has some of the minerals in its greens to a lesser degree, it is also a remarkable source of choline, folate, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates in the form of natural digestible sugars.

Its iron content, though not high, is of the highest and finest quality that makes excellent food that is blood building. This renders it highly effective in treating many ailments caused by our toxic environment and surrounding.

Health Benefits of Beets and Nutrition Facts

Beets are highly nutritious and “cardiovascular health” friendly root vegetables. Certain unique pigment antioxidants in this root as well as in its top-greens have found to offer protection against coronary artery disease and stroke; lower cholesterol levels within the body, and have anti-aging effects.

Beets belong to the same family as chard and spinach. Beet leaves have a bitter taste like chard, but is rich in chlorophyll. Although bitter, the greens have a higher nutritional value than its roots.

Both beetroot and beet greens are very powerful cleansers and builders of the blood. Betacyanin is the phytochemical in beet that gives it its rich ‘amethyst’ color that significantly reduces homocysteine levels.

Here are some health benefits of eating beets that should make you think twice about eating beets. The first reason might just change your mind! Bet you didn’t know this…

May 10, 2012 by Kiley Dumas in Healthy Eating
beets, Health facts

  1. Beets are nature’s Viagra

Seriously. One of the first known uses of beets was by the ancient Romans, who used them medicinally as an aphrodisiac. And that’s not just urban legend – science backs it up. Beets contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones.

  1. Beets are high in many vitamins and minerals

Potassium, magnesium, fiber, phosphorus, iron; vitamins A, B & C; beta-carotene, beta-cyanine; folic acid. These are but a few of the many nutrients, vitamins and minerals that can be found in beets and beet greens. Beets are particularly beneficial to women whom are pregnant, as the vitamin B and iron are very beneficial to new growth cells during pregnancy and replenishing iron in the woman’s body.

  1. Beets cleanse the body

They are a wonderful tonic for the liver, works as a purifier for the blood, and can prevent various forms of cancer. Nuff said, right? Tastes good and prevents cancer?

  1. Beets help your mental health

Beets contain betaine, the same substance that is used in certain treatments of depression. It also contains trytophan, which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being, similar to chocolate. Beets can also lower your blood pressure. So if you’re already steamed about not eating beets, you can get a two-fer by diving into them right away.

  1. Beets are used as a stomach acid tester

How in the world does that work? If you are eating a lot of beets or beet juice, and your pee turns pink, guess what? You have low stomach acid. Pee still clear? Ratchet it up and get juicing (use the greens too)! Nutritionists use beets and beet juice to test stomach acid levels, so stay ahead of the curve by adding beets to your diet now.

  1. Beets are a high source of energy

At the same time they are low in calories and high in sugar (although the sugar is released into your system gradually, as opposed to chocolate). Very few foods found in the natural world are as beneficial as beets in this regard.

Beets are a wonderful addition to any dietary need. With their high volume of nutrients, delicious taste, and multitude of uses, anyone can jump right into beets without missing a beat.

Bet you didn’t know:

Beets were served in space when the astronauts of Apollo 18 met up with their brethren in Soyuz 19. They served borscht.

To-do:

If you are juicing, but haven’t gotten to veggies yet, give beets a try. Use a small amount at first to supplement your already yummy fruit smoothies. Work your way up to more as you see fit.

Juicing Beets

Beets have long been known for its amazing health benefits for almost every part of the body. And yet, it is something that very few people eat, much less juice.

Start adding beets to your juicing diet to enjoy all its heavenly goodness:

Acidosis:  Its alkalinity is essential and effective in combating acidosis.

Anemia:  The high content of iron in beets regenerates and reactivates the red blood cells and supplies fresh oxygen to the body. The copper content in beets help make the iron more available to the body. A great blood builder.

Atherosclerosis:  This wonderful crimson juice is a powerful solvent for inorganic calcium deposits that cause the arteries to harden.

Blood pressure:  All its healing and medicinal values effectively normalizes blood pressure, lowering high blood pressure or elevating low blood pressure.

Cancer:  Betaine, an amino acid in beetroot, has significant anti-cancer properties. Studies show that beets juice inhibits formation of cancer-causing compounds and is protective against colon or stomach cancer.

Constipation:  The cellulose content helps to ease bowel movements. Drinking beets juice regularly will help relieve chronic constipation.

Dandruff:  Mix a little vinegar to a small cup of beets juice. Massage it into the scalp with your fingertips and leave on for about an hour, then rinse. Do this daily till dandruff clears up. Warning: you will smell awful during this hour!

Detoxification:  The choline from this wonderful juice detoxifies not only the liver, but also the entire system of excessive alcohol abuse, provided consumption of alcohol is ceased.

Gastric ulcer:  Mix honey with your beets juice and drink two or three times a week on an empty stomach (more frequently if your body is familiar with beets juice). It helps speed up the healing process.

Gall bladder and kidney ailments:  Coupled with carrot juice, the superb cleansing virtues are exceptional for curing ailments relating to these two organs.

Gout:  Another ailment that can be greatly helped by the cleansing that beets have to offer.

Liver or bile:  The cleansing virtues in beets juice is very healing for liver toxicity or bile ailments, like jaundice, hepatitis, food poisoning, diarrhea or vomiting. A squeeze of lime with beets juice heightens the efficacy in treating these ailments.

Varicose veins:  In similar ways that it helps to keep the elasticity of arteries, regular consumption of beets juice also helps prevent varicose veins.

Resources:

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/beets.html

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49

http://juicing-for-health.com/basic-nutrition/healing-vegetables/health-benefits-of-beets.html

http://www.fullcircle.com/goodfoodlife/2012/05/10/6-health-benefits-of-eating-beets/

Freezing 101

Freezing Bell Peppers and Onions

Freezing chopped peppers and onions is a great way to enjoy garden produce when summer days are long gone. Store frozen green peppers and onions in re-sealable freezer bags. Green peppers can be frozen for up to 6 months, and onions can be frozen up to 1 year.

Just picked bell peppers from my garden and from my sister Agnes’ garden (in the pic below). We both had bell peppers in our summer and fall gardens. I still have several peppers growing, and they are so easy to grow. Check out the small pot that Agnes and I are picking from. No yard – no worry! Plan to freeze what I don’t eat, but might not be much left. So delicious!

Bell Peppers 7

What doesn’t freeze well?

The quality and texture of certain items just don’t hold up after they are defrosted. I bet you’ve had this happen from time to time.

Casseroles – made with mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt or cream cheese will separate after thawing and might have an unappetizing, watery texture or curdled look.

Raw Produce – with high water content, such as cabbage, celery, lettuce, other leafy greens, cucumbers, radishes, watermelon, tomatoes and citrus fruits, become limp and waterlogged after thawing.

Cooked Potatoes – used in dishes like salads, soups or stews become soft, mealy and waterlogged after thawing. But mashed and twice-baked potatoes freeze well.

Cooked Pasta – used in soups or added to sauces before freezing may be soft and mushy after defrosting. For best results, undercook pasta before cooling and freezing.

Freezing Okra

Wash it, blanch it, cool it quickly and drain it on a paper towel. I like to slice mine, arrange it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the freezer until it’s frozen. Then once frozen, I just place it in a heavy duty re-sealable plastic bag and return it to the freezer. And then pull out the amount I need for my recipe. When frozen this way, the okra is not all clumped together and you can remove individual pieces.

Where to Place Items in Your Freezer

I finally invested in a small deep freezer and it has become invaluable. But if you don’t have a deep freezer and are using the freezer attached to your refrigerator, here are a couple of good tips I’ve either learned on my own, or picked up from Taste of Home.

Keep Them Cold

Store meats and berries near the bottom or back of the freezer, where it is the coldest. If there is a power outage and food begins to thaw, the drips of water won’t leak onto the other food.

The Door

Because the door is opened so often, it’s warmer than other areas and best suited for freezing things like nuts, flour, juice and dairy products.

What Goes in the Far Back of the Freezer?

Here’s where you should put new unfrozen items because that’s where the freezer is the coldest. The low temps will help your food freeze quickly, preventing those dreaded ice crystals from forming on your food.