A CUP OF BROCCOLI A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

Hello everyone,  it's Alex here again providing you with the down-low on vegetables.  Feel free to comment and let me know what you grown in your backyard, what you'd like to grow, your favorite vegetables to eat, as well as your favorite recipes!

It's green, sometimes mushy, depending on how it's cooked, smelly, and many might think yucky.  What vegetable am I talking about? BROCCOLI!  Now, I love cooked broccoli and always have.  Fresh broccoli on the other hand, is a bit too "nature-tasting" for me.  You or your children may think this as well, or you might not like broccoli prepared in any form.  Once I tell you all the amazing health benefits of this lean, green, cancer-fighting machine, you'll be eating it everyday.

ALL THE GOOD STUFF

Even though broccoli can be a little scary looking with it's green color, it is known as one of the most nutrient dense vegetables in the produce section. 

When you think of vitamin C, an orange probably pops into your head.  Well guess what, broccoli has MORE vitamin C per ounce than an orange.  When you think of calcium, you probably start to crave a cold glass of milk.  Think again.  Broccoli actually has just as much calcium as milk per ounce.  Crazy, right?!  Incorporating broccoli into you or your child's diet is an easy way to help increase the immune system with vitamin C if you our your child isn't fond of oranges or citrus fruits.  If you or your child are one of those "people" who has never liked milk, or maybe are lactose intolerant, try eating more broccoli to compensate for the lack of calcium in your diet.

Broccoli isn't just a great source of vitamin C and calcium, this cruciferous vegetable is loaded with beta carotene, folate, protein, iron, potassium, tons of fiber, and best of all, cancer-fighting agents called glucosinolates.

CANCER-FIGHTING MACHINE

If your kids don't like broccoli tell them that broccoli has magical powers that help keep you from getting sick!  I know, a little scary, but it could work.  Broccoli really does lower the risk of cancers.  The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that "Evidence suggests foods high in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients can protect against some cancers."  Broccoli fits right in with this description.  How broccoli helps is by preventing the action of hormones that help stimulate the growth of tumors.  Broccoli is also high in the bioflavonoid quercetin which helps to decrease cell damage and mutation.  So start eating more broccoli so you can help yourself and your children stay healthy.
HOLY FIBER!

Vegetables, particularly green vegetables, are known for their high amounts of fiber.  Broccoli contains 3.5 gm of fiber in 1 cup of cooked broccoli.  Not only is it high in fiber, but broccoli also contains a natural laxative that will help ease constipation and get things moving along in the G.I. tract (gastrointestinal tract).

COOKING BROCCOLI

As I said before, I love broccoli, but only when cooked.  One thing to watch out for when preparing broccoli is avoiding over cooking it.  If over cooked, smelly sulfur compounds will definitely prevent your children from wanting to finish all their broccoli on their plate.  If boiling broccoli, try to avoid using a lot of water.  This will destroy the magical cancer-fighting compounds as well as vitamin C and other nutrients.  When boiled or steamed, broccoli should be bright green, making it much more appealing to consume. 

I encourage you to grow broccoli in your own backyard garden so you can have the freshest, most nutrient dense broccoli there is.  When purchasing produce from your local grocery store, the produce has lost some of it's freshness just through travel and shelf time.  If you can't grow your own broccoli, I recommend buying fresh if you know you are going to cook or eat it soon, but if you don't know when you will have time to prepare it, go ahead and buy frozen steamers.  I'm a big fan of frozen vegetables, specifically steamers, because the vegetables are frozen at their peak freshness, ensuring a nutrient dense and fresh-tasting product, where as everyday that passes from harvesting, the produce item looses nutrients and freshness.  Buying frozen not only gives you freshness as if it were picked that day, but also convenience. 

RECIPE

Here's a link to a yummy (RAW) broccoli slaw.

SOURCES
Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal. Pleasantville, NY.: Reader's Digest, 2004. Print.

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442472299

Adapting to ground animals when gardening...Cabbage

Here in Minnesota we continue the "ups and downs" of mother earth and the weather.  Such a long and cold winter and spring has been quite late, or at least it seems that way.  Then a few days of 80-90 degree F weather and now we are back to the 40's where I live.  I have the fireplace on to get some heat in this house and I am still cold.  And this cold weather will pass and then we will be concerned about the hot weather and the effect on our gardens.

Just as we have to adapt to the weather, we also when gardening need to be alert to the adaptations we need to make in many areas.  One that is a big one for me is adapting to the ground animals, rabbits, moles, voles and gophers.  We have a lot of these in our area, especially the gophers and moles.  The rabbits are a few but growing.  About three years ago, while I was taking my daily walk in the gardens with my cup of tea in hand, I noticed that the cabbage was looking pretty limp and wilted.  As I examined it I realized that the roots had been eaten.  Sure enough there were these underground tracks under the soil and under my cabbage.  The gophers love the roots of these vegetables.  Each day one or two more cabbage plants "hit the dust".  So it was adaptation time or lose them all. 

From that day on I started growing my cabbage plants in ten gallon containers and they have done beautifully.  I outsmarted the gophers and even the moles/voles and I grow cabbage successfully and have lots of sauerkraut in the fall.

A little about cabbage.  For me, cabbage is pretty easy to grow.  I just need to watch for the white moths that fly around in my garden in early to mid spring.  These moth lay their eggs on the underside of the cabbage leaves and become those effervescent colored cabbage loopers which chew on the leaves. I spray Bt on the leaves and when the cabbage loopers chew on the leaves with the Bt they die but it takes a few days.  If I miss the eggs/larvae stage, I need to hand pick the cabbage loopers and throw them in soapy water.  This seems to be pretty effective in controlling them and the effects on the leaves.

Cabbage is a "cool weather" plant and I usually plant them just before or after the last frost date.  They can tolerate frost and light freezes.  They are heavy feeders, especially in nitrogen and potassium and need a rich well-drained soil to grow in.  Because I grow them in containers, I use an organic potting mixture.   About every two weeks I will "side dress" the cabbage.  This means that I add compost along side the cabbage and gently dig it into the soil in the container, avoiding the "root zone'.  Their root depth is anywhere from 12 inches to 5 feet so you can see why the gophers love this vegetable.  The roots  are a great "fill me up" meal for them.

Water as you would for most vegetables, however water heavily early in their growth.  When planting in containers, you will need to check daily for the moisture level and then water if it is dry.  It is really important to keep container plants moist daily.  Mulching helps keep the moisture in the soil and the weeds down.  I use straw as it is organic and inexpensive to use.

Have fun growing this beautiful and tasty vegetable.

 

TURKEY SPINACH BURGERS AND BROILED ONIONS

I posted a blog last week on both spinach and onions.  I wanted to make a meal that incorporated both ingredients!  I decided to make turkey burgers, but not just any turkey burger.  I added both onion and spinach to add even more nutrients to my meal!

What's great about using ground turkey vs ground beef, is that it is much more lean; meaning it has less fat.  This would be a great way to sneak in some spinach and healthy protein for your kids and yourself!

When I cook, I don't usually like to go directly off a recipe.  I will use a recipe as a guideline, but I almost never measure ingredients out.  (CAUTION: Do not do this when baking.  Baking is a science and exact measurements are necessary for a successful product). 

Turkey Spinach Burgers - makes 4-6 burgers depending on the size

• 1.5 lbs ground turkey
• 1-3 cups fresh spinach (You can use frozen as well!)
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4-6 Whole wheat buns
• Any other fresh ingredients you'd like to garnish your burger with
• I used tomato, MORE spinach, and avocado

RECIPE

1. Heat a small pan on medium with onion and olive oil.  Once onions start to turn translucent, toss in your spinach. (Spinach wilts very quickly!)

 

2. Mix together spinach and onions to your ground turkey, as well as salt and pepper if you'd like  

3.  Add egg to ground turkey spinach mixture

4. Form turkey patties. (Keep in mind turkey burgers do not shrink as much as beef burgers)

5. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs on the outside of the turkey patties to help keep them together (Turkey burgers also tend to fall apart easier than beef patties)

6. Place turkey patties in a preheated pan and flip when golden brown on each side. (It's important to make sure the turkey burgers are cooked all the way through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit) 

Broiled Onions

• 1 red onion, sliced into rings
• 1 white or yellow onion, sliced into rings
• Olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• Salt & pepper to taste

RECIPE

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Slice onions into rings
3. Toss in bowl or on pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, or any other spices or condiments you'd like

 4. Roast onions for roughly 15-20 minutes depending on the crunch you'd like

 5. Turn Broiler on high and place onions on top rack for five-10 minutes.       

 (WATCH  CLOSELY!!) I like to put the roasted onions on top of my turkey spinach burger!

I thought these burgers we one of the yummiest I've ever made!  I encourage you to not only try these recipes out, but also to grown both onions and spinach in your very own backyard garden!

THE FILL-YOU-UP FAVA BEAN

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit.  The more you eat, the more you toot The more you toot, the better you feel.  So we have beans at every meal!^"

If you have children, you've probably heard them sing this harmonious little tune before.  As hair-tearing-out and annoying this song may be, if it gets your kids to eat beans, let them sing it all day long. 

Fava beans, also know as broad beans, faba beans, field beans, bell beans, or tic beans, are loaded with tons of nutrients that are great for your health!  These delicious beans are cholesterol free, low fat, and are low calorie at around 47 calories per 1/4 cup.

FILL YOU UP

Beans, specifically fava beans, are known for their high amounts of fiber.  Anything that has high fiber is great for your digestive health and makes you feel full.  Consuming beans, such as fava beans, in your diet consistently will fill you up faster, helping you resist that high calorie, high fat brownie you crave after dinner.  Not only do beans fill you up, they also have been shown to decrease cholesterol levels.

LOSE POUNDS WITH FAVA BEANS

If you or any of your children are struggling to lose weight, fava beans would be a great addition to your diet to help with weight loss. Not only do they make you feel full without consuming as many calories, fava beans increase your dopamine levels.  Dopamine is an amino acid that is a neurotransmitter in the brain that helps communicate with the body. Yeah, okay, try explaining that to children right?  Try taking a different approach and explain to your children that beans have magical powers that help tell your brain your tummy is full.  (Or try the song if you must).

POTASSIUM, PHOSPHORUS, VITAMIN A, OH MY!

Fava beans are a great source of potassium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin K, and iron!  There are plenty of reasons why to convince your kids that fava beans, or any kind of beans, are great for you!  Potassium can help yourself and your kids maintain blood pressure.  Phosphorus found in fava beans helps promote healthy bones and teeth so your kids can grow tall and strong.  It's important to eat beans to get vitamin A to help your skin, vision, and bones grow as well!  Along with these wonderful nutrients, protein is also something found in high amounts in fava beans.  As your kids are growing older and constantly running around, it's important that they receive enough protein.  Fava beans can help with as they contain 7g per 1/2 cup.     

How do you get your kids to eat beans at all, let along fava beans?  I know, this one is tricky because it's not as easy to stick them into a dish as other ingredients.  Now, I do not have children and have always been pretty open to trying different foods, even with I was young.  Hopefully, your children already love beans and are open to trying fava beans if you start to grown them in your backyard garden.  This probably isn't the case though.  My suggestion is to toss them into a summer salad, or maybe even a hot dish, and if they pick out some, that's okay because maybe they will eat a few and that's what's important; trying new things. 

Truth be told, I've never eaten a fava bean, or at least I don't think I have?  Good news is that I do love beans and love trying new things.  I plan to try this mouth watering fava been recipe out that I found on Pinterest sometime soon.


         

FOR ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE

Good news concerning the consumption of fava beans: research shows that the phyto-nutrient, isoflavone, is sure to help prevent breast cancer!  So not only should you encourage your children to eat fava beans, you should set a good example and help yourself as well by eating them too!

Fava beans are also a great source of folate, crucial for cell division during pregnancy in order to prevent neural tube defects in newborns. 

CAUTION

There are some people out there who should NOT consume fava beans.  Favism, an allergic reaction to raw fava beans, can occur in those who lack an enzyme necessary to help protect damage of red blood cells by vicine.  Vicine is a toxic substance found in fava beans.

SOURCES

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/health-benefits-of-fava-bean-6866.html
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/fava-beans.html
Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal. Pleasantville, NY.: Reader's Digest, 2004. Print.

Beets...one of my most favorite vegetables

Beets...one of my most favorite vegetables

Beets, I have tried to grow them for years and I always get scanty produce and just don't seem to have the knack to grow them in abundance.  Has any one else had the same problem?  They love sandy soil because their "tap roots" are over a foot long or longer and the light sandy soil is easier for the beet to burrow into the soil and find moisture and nutrients deep in the soil. 

The beet is a relative of swiss chard and spinach...interesting combination I would say.   They love to be planted in full sun if you are growing for the traditional vegetable.  If you only want the leafy greens, then they do pretty well in the shade.  And the beet loves the cool weather for planting and germination.  So, be sure to plant your first crop about four weeks before the last frost.  You can continue to plant a new crop every 2-3 weeks till mid summer if the weather isn't too hot.  Remember they like cool.  Try planting  a fall crop about two months before the first expected frost date. 

When planting to encourage good growth you can put a one inch layer of compost on the soil you will be planting them in, then plant them about 1/4 inch deep.  Beets also need to be "fed" or fertilized with a balanced fertilizer about every two weeks.  If the roots are skinny and you have lots of greens, then you have too much nitrogen in the fertilizer you are using.  Beets prefer higher levels of phosphorus or P. You can use a foliar spray on plant leaves every 2-3 weeks instead of other fertilizers.   I plant the seeds heavier than recommended and then thin them out went they are about 2 inches high.   Here is a suggestion for thinning that is presented by Rodale's book
Find-It-Fast Answers for your Vegetable Garden

1. When the first "true" leaves emerge, use a small scissors and snip off the strongest seedlings in each cluster at the soil level.  Don't PULL them out at this stage.
2. Two weeks later, thin them again so the small plants are about two inches apart.
3. Wait another two weeks and you should be able to harvest your baby beets which are usually by then about one inch in diameter.
4. After doing this last thinning, your plants should be about four inches apart and they are the ones that will mature and provide you with your main harvest.

Hope this help with the thinning and success in growing.  Remember to mulch around the beets and keep them watered well.  They like water and don't at all like weeds.

Then it is time to sit back and watch them grow and dream of the steamed beets that get fried in a little butter before they hit my plate.  Or  pickled beets.  My mom used to make these all the times and the jars of canned pickled beets disappeared so quickly, she swore we gave them to friends.  Would never share my pickled beets with friends.

Enjoy!
www.bing.com/images

Lettuce greens

Garden greens

Lettuces, lettuces, lettuces!!!!  I love them and there is nothing better than a fresh salad from the garden with a base of a variety of fresh cut lettuces and greens from my garden.  I have always liked Romaine and it has been my stalwart friend for my salads.  Spinach is my second choice.  But this year, I am growing some "lettuce mixes", Grandpa Admire's lettuce, Yugoslavian Red lettuce.  I am even growing kale.  Though kale is not my favorite green, I thought I would expand my experiences and add it to my garden list of healthy greens, along with my rainbow swiss chard.  And believe it or not, the greens are popping up through the soil already.



So, what greens to do like to grow and eat?  What grows well for you?

   www.bing.com/images

Parsnips...another of my favorite root vegetables

When I was a kid growing up my mother was a great gardener.  And I remember eating most all of those fresh vegetables.  One vegetable I especially loved to eat was "parsnips", not a vegetable that everyone likes.  Mom used to steam it a bit, then cut it up and throw it in the frying pan with butter.  My, my, what great flavor.



 I have started growing this root vegetable myself, starting last year.  I sometimes cook it like mom did but mainly I make a great "root soup" with carrots, rutabagas, turnips, and parsnips  with a little onion and garlic, vegetable broth.  Cook it till the vegetables are soft in the broth, then blend them and then add a little salt and a cup or so of cream or other milk like product.  Sometimes I use almond milk, rice milk or even sunflower milk if I am not wanting the heavy cream.  It is absolutely delicious if you like "root" vegetables.  I make a big pot of this soup and separate it into smaller portions and freeze the soup using my food saver.  The soup tastes as fresh as if it were made that day when you take it out of the freezer months later.

I love root vegetables and for some it is an "acquired" taste or "no taste" at all...in other words, "not for me".  That just means more root vegetables for me in our family.

Parsnips are relatives of the carrot, celery, cilantro, dill and parsley.  They develop long deep roots sometimes up to 48 inches and so the soil needs to be loosened at least twelve inches deep to encourage good root growth.  Best to remove all stones from your seed bed.   You can plant radishes next to the parsnips and they help keep the soil loosened.  When you plant the seeds in early May, don't expect to see any seedlings popping through the service of the soil for about 3-4 weeks as germination takes a long time.  You don't need overly fertile soil for parsnips as if they get too much nitrogen then you will get all of that "forking" of the roots that you sometimes see.

 

You can add compost to the soil in the fall where you will be planting the parsnips or a little in the spring.  But parsnips will not need extra fertilizer in general.  Keep the seedbed moist at all times until the seedlings can be seen coming through the soil then see that they get one inch of water a week.  When they get about 3 inches tall, thin them out to four inches apart by snipping the seedlings at the soil line that you are removing.  Use a small scissors rather than pulling them out.

IF you can keep the parsnips in the ground till after the first frost, you will have a much sweeter flavor in your parsnips.  Parsnips can also be planted in the fall and grown through the winter and harvested in the spring.

Parsnip seeds do not store well so it is best to buy new seeds each year.  Have fun growing.

References used:  Taunton's Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables & Herbs
                             Rodale's Find-It-Fast Answers for your Vegetable Garden
www.bing.com/images

  

 

Growing FAVA BEANS

Each year I try to plant something new in my garden.  Last year I planted Aduki black beans, dried them and placed them in tight containers.  It's wonderful to pull out the container and use the dried black beans in soups, chili, egg dishes, burritos and many other recipes.  As I live in the middle of the woods at leaset 10 miles from a grocery store it is great to have dried beans on hand.  I can't always make the trip to the store and I try to save on money spent on gas.

This year I planted a row of FAVA BEANs, Vicia faba, next to my pole green beans behind the rabbit fence.  We have frequent visits from our friendly rabbits.  They ate my green beans and lettuces last year so this year I put up a rabbit fence around all those delicious greens that they love to eat.  The FAVA BEAN, originating from central asia is a cool weather crop and prefers to be planted when temperatures are around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and can grow in temperatures as high as the 70's F.  I planted them several days ago when the temperatures were in the 40's F and now today we are expected to have temperatures in the 90's.  Oh well, gardening is always about letting go and trusting after you apply the scientific methods of gardening.



A little about the FAVA BEAN, often called the BROAD BEAN.  It is a busy plant that grows beautiful white flowers and can grow to heights of  3 to 4 1/2 feet so make sure you give it enough room in your garden to expand out and up.  You may have to trellis if they get really tall.  They have a creamy nutty flavor with pods growing six to eight inches long that contain seeds that can be white, green, yellow and even a pinkish red color.  They prefer slightly acid well-drained organic rich soil (6.0-6.8 pH) and really don't need extra fertilizer throughout the growing season as they produce nitrogen at the roots just as regular green beans do.  These nodules feed nitrogen to the soil...a self fertilizer in a sense.  Plant them an inch or two deep and four to six inches apart.  Be sure to water at planting time.  Don't  overwater during the growing season but just water when the soil is dry.  Mulching with straw or other organic materials is great to help keep weeds down and keep the moisture in the soil.




FAVA BEANS love growing near potatoes, cucumbers, corn, strawberries, celery but keep away from onions and garlic.

Harvest these beans when they are about the size of the pea for fresh eating or let them totally mature in the pod to dry them.  Once they are dry in the pod then you can harvest them.  Keep dried beans in a cool dry place.  I keep mine in tightly sealed containers and they last for a long time.  You can also can or freeze these beans.  A really versatile bean with high fiber and lots of nutrition.  Eat fresh or preserve for future meals.


Let us know how your FABA BEANS have done in your garden.  Any gardening tips are appreciated.  Any recipes that these great beans bring their nutty flavor to the dish, please share.

bing.com/images
http//harvesttotable.com/2009 /03/how_to_grow_broad_beans/

A beautiful breakfast

A delicious spinach, tomato, avocado, egg and whole wheat English muffin sandwich for breakfast! Ohhhhh the nutrients!

TEARS OF JOY

If there is one vegetable that I do not get along with, it’s definitely the onion.  Don’t get me wrong, I love onions, but every time I attempt to cut, slice, or chop one, tears stream down my face like Niagara Falls.  Although I struggle getting along with onions, they are definitely worth the tears.  Onions are an extremely versatile vegetable to cook with and can be added to almost any dish, providing an immense amount of flavor along with few calories, high amounts of fiber, folate, and vitamin C, and no sodium, fat or cholesterol what-so-ever! 

HEALTH BENEFITS

Although onions are not as nutrient dense as other vegetables, there are several health benefits linked to the tear-jerking vegetable.  Research has found that a substance found in onions called adenosine helps to prevent blood clotting.  Not only do onions help slow down blood clotting, they also help raise high-density lipoproteins (HDL’s).  What the heck is that?  HDL’s are the “healthy” cholesterols.  Yes, believe it or not, there is such a thing as healthy cholesterol.  Low-density lipoproteins are the bad guys and are found in high fat and high protein foods.  Because onions are sodium, fat, and cholesterol free and contain adenosine, onions are a great heart-healthy ingredient to add to your meals for extra flavor.

DIABETES

Do you or your any of your children have diabetes?  Chromium, a trace mineral found in onions may help control glucose levels that diabetetics struggle with everyday.  Even if you or your children do not have diabetes, consuming onions consistently may help prevent insulin resistance in the future. 

WHICH ONION?

Small yellow onion, banana shallot, yellow field onion, yellow onion, red onion, white onion, large sweet onion, scallions, the list goes on and on of the all the different variations.  What you are probably used to are the standard red, yellow, white and green onions, each great in it’s own unique way.

NO SOIL - GREEN ONIONS

To add a little more vitamin C and potassium to your child’s diet, try sneaking thinly sliced green onions into a salad where they will blend in without your kids knowing.  A trick I learned from Pinterest was to take your green onions once you’ve chopped off the tops for your delicious recipe and place the left over bulb into a small glass or dish with a little water.  After a few days you will have your very own green onions growing on your counter instead of your backyard.

RED ONIONS

These red-ish, purple vegetables are great in salads, salsas, or any dish you wish to add more color too.   Not only are red onions pretty in color, they also contain the bioflavonoid quercetin.  I know this is a funny sounding word and trying to tell your kids to eat onions because they have quercetin in them is just ridiculous.  You can simply explain to your children that onions have little superheroes protecting them that help fight cancer, fungus, bacteria, and inflammation; a much more interesting story to trick your kids into eating onions if they are not a fan of them.  Or you can simple dice up the onions so finely that they'll have no clue they even at them in that yummy spaghetti sauce!

NOT GETTING ALONG WITH ONIONS?

The key is to get ride of the sulfur fumes that come from the onion once cut open.  There are several ways you can minimize these fumes.  Here is a link to learn how to chop and dice your onions perfectly

1. Refridgerate onions before use
2. Light a candle
3. Turn on stove vent
4. Cut under running water
5. Turn on a fan to blow away from you
6. Purchase a fancy pair of onion goggles...

I encourage you to grow onions in your backyard to enhance the flavor of your dishes!  Stay tuned for some recipes I will eventually be trying out that focus on onions!

SOURCES:

http://www.healwithfood.org/health-benefits/eating-red-onions.php

http://www.thekitchn.com/five-tips-on-how-to-cut-onions-1-44517

Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal. Pleasantville, NY.: Reader's Digest, 2004. Print.

A CUP OF SPINACH

When deciding which vegetables to grow in you backyard garden, a must-have is Spinach.  This dark, leafy green vegetable is very versatile and has numerous health benefits.  Jam-packed with nutrients, one cup of fresh spinach contains 200% of your daily value of vitamin K, 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, 337% of the RDA of vitamin A, and 10% RDA of folate.  Spinach has been found to help contribute to increased immunity, decreased blood pressure, a healthy nervous and cardiovascular system.

VITAMINS

Vitamin K helps mediate both coagulation and anticoagulation.  English please?  This means that vitamin K helps your blood adjust by thickening or thinning, allowing easier flow throughout your veins.  With that said, consuming spinach can help decrease blood pressure, ultimately increasing cardiovascular health.

Both vitamin K and vitamin A help promote healthy skin.  Spinach also contains a carotenoid, lutein, with helps promote healthy eyes and skin. If your teenager is going through puberty and possibly dealing with embarrassing acne, try sneaking spinach into their meals to help their skin and their confidence. 

TIPS FOR INCORPORATING SPINACH INTO YOUR MEALS

Pasta fanatic?

Add some fresh spinach to your pasta or lasagna dishes.

http://what2cook.net/2013/02/23/lasagna-with-spinach/

Are your salads not dark enough ? 

Start with your usual lettuce blend and slowly incorporate more and more dark leafy spinach to your blends each time you make salad.

Smoothie lover?

     Throw some spinach into a delicious fruit-filled smoothie.

    http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/blueberry_spinach_smoothie.htm
Lacking iron or calcium?

     Spinach is a great source of both iron and calcium, two important nutrients, but oxalic acid can hinder their absorption.  Try pairing spinach with foods high in vitamin C to help increase their absorption.

    

       Kill two birds with one stone

      Add spinach to your omelets and enjoy your breakfast with a delicious glass of orange juice.

CANCER FIGHTING

Not only can spinach contribute to decreasing acne and breakouts, but this yummy leafy green has 13 flavanoids; phytonutrients that help slow cell division that occur in stomach and skin cancer cells. 

FOLATE

Spinach, and many other dark leafy vegetables, is a great source of folate, also known as folic acid.  Folate is very important in the development of cells and is crucial for women during pregnancy and helps prevent birth defects.  

I encourage you to plant spinach in your backyard garden so you can have fresh spinach, cooked or raw, whenever you want without going to the grocery store. 

sources:

https://us.readersdigest.com/offer/foods-that-harm/index.jsp?trkid=FTHH2013_SEM_Google&9gtype=search&9gkw=%252Bfood%2520%252Bharm%2520%252Bheal&9gad=18092922083.1&9gpla=&9gag=4717101083

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43

May Gardening

Greetings to all you gardeners who have toughed out this six month long winter.  Each time I thought I would begin to garden, I was reminded that mother nature is truly in charge.  So, each time I put a smile on my face and patiently waited for those moments of planting or seeding my cool weather vegetables.  My spinach is finally up about an inch and a half and looking pretty healthy.  Just now going out and have planted my lettuces, peas and today planting my cool weather cabbage, broccoli and a try at the cauliflower and hoping it doesn't get to hot to soon as cauliflower does not like the heat.  My first crop of beets were planted yesterday also.

We have a lot of issues with tunneling rodents (gopher, moles an voles) here in my area of central Minnesota.  In fact, I think I have an underground city of rodents.  So, each year I plant my cabbage in containers and they grow beautifully.  The gophers seem to love the cabbage and don't seem to bother with my broccoli and cauliflower.  Go figure!

Well, while it was cold, rainy and snowing this last week, I was down in St. Louis Missouri at my nephew's house putting in a raised garden bed and jute based vertical gardens for his wife.  And of course the older kids of the eight kid family were very helpful.  You would have found me out in the rain and cold loosening the CLAY soil of St. Louis.  I didn't know it was clay but knew it wasn't the easiest soil to grow in.  It was like digging in heavy heavy slippery mud and I looked like someone who had been playing in the mud.  But we got the job done and Jen can have fun and enjoyment with her first vegetable gardens.  And the kids will love it.   So, though I missed the snow and cold of Minnesota, I was in the middle of cold, rain and clay at the same time.

Now it is time for my gardens!  

More on the joys of gardening with my next Blog!  And be sure to read Alex Crapser's nutrition blogs.  Her blogs are packed with great information on the nutritional benefits of each vegetable.  So, enjoy!

About Alex

Hello curious future gardeners,

My name is Alexandra Crapser, you can call me Alex, and I will be contributing to the Gardener's Gardener by adding the nutritional information and health benefits that go along with all the wonderful and delicious fruits and vegetables that you may be growing in your backyard or may be just simply curious about.

A little about myself - I am a graduate of St. Catherine University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics and I aspire to someday become a Registered Dietitian.  What's that you say?  Well, a Registered Dietitian (RD) is someone who works with others to educate them on developing a healthy relationship with food, whether because of an illness or disease, weight control, or curiosity. 

Where did my passion for nutrition come from?  I have ALWAYS loved food and when deciding what to pursue as a career, I chose to educate myself on how to have a healthy relationship with food through a major in Dietetics.  I wanted to learn how to enjoy the foods I love in a healthy way, because let's face it, pasta, ice cream, and burgers are some of my guilty pleasures.  Lately, I have been spending my free time trying out new recipes that include healthy ingredients I am not familiar with.

I am also an avid runner, not fast, but I enjoy the alone time and personal competitiveness of the sport.  I am training for the Twin Cities Marathon this fall and cannot wait to start eating all the delicious fruits and vegetables from the Minneapolis Farmer's Market as well as from my parent's backyard to help me get all the vitamins and minerals I'll need to keep my energy up!

I hope you enjoy all the nutritional information and health benefits I will be providing for you about potential fruits and vegetables you may want to include in your backyard garden.  If any of you are like me, you look forward to eating food throughout the day.  What I like to say is - I don't eat to live, nor do I live to eat, but I sure do love to eat to live.