Tag Archives: Vegetables

Tips on Successful Veggie Growing

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How to Grow The Top 10 Most Nutritious Vegetables in Your Garden

By Colleen Vanderlinden

Treehugger

A perfectly ripe, juicy tomato, still warm from the sun. Sweet carrots, pulled from the garden minutes (or even seconds!) before they’re eaten. Growing your own vegetables is one of those activities that balances practicality and indulgence. In addition to the convenience of having the fixings for a salad or light supper right outside your door (or on your windowsill), when you grow your own vegetables, you’re getting the most nutritional bang for your buck as well. Vegetables start losing nutrients as soon as they’re harvested, and quality diminishes as sugars are turned into starches. For the tastiest veggies with the best nutrition, try growing a few of these nutrient-dense foods in your own garden.

And don’t let the lack of a yard stop you – all of them can be grown in containers as well.

1. Broccoli

Broccoli is high in calcium, iron, and magnesium, as well as Vitamin A, B6, and C. In fact, one cup of raw broccoli florets provides 130% of your daily Vitamin C requirement.

  • How to Grow Broccoli
  • Grow Broccoli in Containers: One broccoli plant per pot, pots should be 12 to 16 inches deep.
  • What to Watch Out For: Cabbage worm. If you start seeing pretty white butterflies fluttering around your broccoli, you’re guaranteed to start seeing little green worms all over your broccoli plants. To avoid this, cover your broccoli plants with floating row cover or lightweight bed sheets. If you start seeing cabbage worms, simply pick them off by hand.

2. Peas

There is nothing like peas grown right in your own garden – the tender sweetness of a snap pea just plucked from the vine is unlike anything you can buy in at a store. Aside from being absolutely delicious, peas are high in fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin A, B6, and C.

  • How to Grow Peas
  • Grow Peas in Containers: Sow peas approximately 2 inches apart in a pot that is at least 10 inches deep. Provide support for peas to climb up.
  • What to Watch Out For: Hot weather. Once the weather turns hot, pea production will pretty much shut down. Grow peas in early spring and late summer/autumn, or any time of year when temperatures are consistently between 40 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Beans (especially navy beans, great northern beans, kidney beans)

While snap beans (green beans/wax beans) are a great addition to any garden, it’s the beans we grow as dried beans that are real nutritional powerhouses. Dry beans, in general, are high in iron, fiber, manganese, and phosphorous.

  • How to Grow Beans
  • Grow Beans in Containers: Bush beans are your best option for growing in containers. Plant beans four inches apart in a container that is at least 12 inches deep.
  • What to Watch Out For: Harvest at the right time. Harvest dry beans when the pods have completely dried on the vine. The pods should be light brown, and you should be able to feel the hard beans inside. Shell the beans, and let them sit out a few days to ensure that they’re completely dry before storing them in jars in a cool, dark, dry place.

4. Brussels Sprouts

The bane of many a childhood, Brussels sprouts get a bad wrap mostly due to overcooking. When prepared right, Brussels sprouts are sweet, tender, and delicious. They also provide tons of fiber, magnesium, potassium, and riboflavin, as well as high levels of Vitamins A, B6, and C.

  • How to Grow Brussels Sprouts
  • Grow Brussels Sprouts in Containers: Grow one plant per 16-inch deep container.
  • What to Watch Out For: Cabbage worms (see “Broccoli, above.)

5. Tomatoes

Fresh, homegrown tomatoes are the reason many gardeners get into vegetable gardening in the first place. There’s just nothing that compares to eating a perfectly ripe tomato, still warm from the sun. Tomatoes are also incredibly good for us, packing plenty of fiber, iron, magnesium, niacin, potassium, and Vitamin A, B6, and C. They’re also a great source of the antioxidant lycopene.

  • How to Grow Tomatoes
  • Grow Tomatoes in Containers: Container sizes will vary depending on the variety you’re growing. If you’re growing an indeterminate variety, your container will need to be at least 18 inches deep. For determinate varieties, 12 inches is a good depth, and for dwarf or “patio” type tomatoes, 8 inches is perfect. One tomato plant per pot.
  • What to Watch Out For: Tomato horn worm can be a problem in many areas – these large caterpillars should be removed by hand whenever you see them. Also watch out for signs of blight, which is a real problem in many parts of the U.S.

6. Red Bell Peppers

Red bell peppers are high in potassium, riboflavin, and Vitamins A, B6, and C – in fact, one cup of red bell pepper packs an amazing 317% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C and 93% of the recommended Vitamin A.

7. Beets

Beets are a great “two-fer” crop – you can harvest the beet roots, of course, but you can also harvest and eat the greens. Young beet greens are delicious when added raw to a salad, and larger beet greens can be sauteed as a quick side dish or used the way you’d use other greens such as spinach. Beet roots are very high in iron, potassium, and vitamin C. Beet greens are even better, as they are high in iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and Vitamins A, B6, and C.

  • How to Grow Beets
  • Grow Beets in Containers: Plant beet seeds three inches apart in a container that is twelve inches deep. Because each beet seed is actually a cluster of seeds, be sure to thin the seedlings to one per cluster. Thinnings can be added to salads or sandwiches.
  • What to Watch Out For: Knowing when to harvest. Beet roots are at their best when they are harvested small – between one and two inches across. At this size, they are sweet and tender. Larger beets tend to be kind of woody and less flavorful.

8. Leaf Amaranth

Leaf amaranth is a less-common vegetable that is well worth a try in your own garden. The leaves have a sweet and slightly tangy flavor that works well in a variety of dishes, from stir-fries and soups to simply steaming it all by itself. As a bonus, leaf amaranth is one of the few heat-tolerant greens. It won’t bolt in the heat of summer the way spinach and kale are prone to. Nutritionally, leaf amaranth is very high in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, riboflavin, zinc, and Vitamins A, B6, and C. Everyone should be growing this!

  • How to Grow Leaf Amaranth
  • Growing Leaf Amaranth in Containers: Scatter the tiny seeds over the soil’s surface in a pot that is at least 8 inches deep. Harvest the leaves when they are two to four inches tall. You will be able to get at least two or three harvest before you’ll have to sow more seeds.
  • What to Watch Out For: Leaf amaranth is fairly easy to grow, and relatively problem-free. Rarely, leaf miners can become a problem.

9. Carrots

Carrots are at their sweetest, crunchiest best when freshly harvested from the garden. These icons of healthy eating deserve their “good-for-you” rep – they’re very high in fiber, manganese, niacin, potassium, and Vitamins A, B6, and C. Their only drawback is that they do tend to be high in sugar, so if you’re watching your carb intake, you’ll want to limit the amount of carrots you eat.

  • How to Grow Carrots
  • Grow Carrots in Containers: Sow carrot seeds two to three inches apart in a pot that is at least twelve inches deep. Look for shorter varieties, such as ‘Thumbelina,’ or ‘Danver’s Half Long.’
  • What to Watch Out For: Harvesting at the perfect size. Carrots are at their tastiest when harvested small. Leaving them in the ground too long can result in overly large, woody carrots. You’ll also want to make sure to keep your carrots evenly moist, as letting the soil dry out too often can also result in somewhat bitter, fibrous carrots.

10. Leafy Greens

OK, I cheated here. I can’t recommend just ONE leafy green, because they are all incredibly good for us, as well as delicious — kale, collards, spinach, turnip or dandelion greens — how can you possibly choose just one? In general, the “green leafies” contain high amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, and Vitamins A, B6, and C.

  • How to Grow Kale and Other Leafy Greens
  • Grow Greens in Containers: Grow one kale or collard plant per ten inch deep pot. Other greens can be grown a few plants to a pot — they should be planted at least 4 inches apart and harvested small.
  • What to Watch Out For: Heat and cabbage worms. Most leafy greens are cool-weather crops, so they’re best grown in spring and fall in most areas – hot weather will cause them to bolt. In addition, many of these greens are members of the Brassicas family, which means they are prone to cabbage worm infestations. Control them with the same methods outlined in the “Broccoli” section, above.

Try growing one or two (or all!) of these nutrient-dense, delicious vegetables in your own garden, and you’ll get double the health benefits: healthy food and time spent outdoors, nurturing your plants

from:    http://wakeup-world.com/2011/06/17/how-to-grow-the-top-10-most-nutritious-vegetables-in-your-garden/

Keeping Veggies Viable

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Increase The Shelf Life of Your Fruit & Veg..Without Using Toxic Plastic Products

Eating more fruits and vegetables is a requirement for every healthy eater.

But when you buy more fresh produce, do you end up throwing away more than you eat?

Would you like to increase the shelf life of your fruits and veggies without having to use toxic plastic products that harm both the environment and you?

In today’s economy you can’t waste money on food that will rot the day after you bring it home.

Plastic food wraps and their negative effects on the environment and human health.
  • PVC: Some food cling wraps (especiallyused at the deli counter) are polyvinylchloride (PVC), which is not only very environmentally toxic, it’s also laced with phthalates. Source
  • BPA and phthalates: BPA and phthalates have been found in several types of plastic food containers and storage bags, increasing the possibility that you absorb them by storing food in plastics.Source
  • Wildlife hazard: Film plastics like bags and cling wraps pollute landscapes and oceans where they pose choking, suffocating, intestinal blockage threats to wildlife. They also add to the great Pacific Ocean plastic island where they wrap around coral, killing these vital organisms.Source
  • Non–renewable: Whether it’s made from #3 PVC or #4 LDPE or low-density polyethylene (another common material used to make plastic wrap products), these plastics are derived from petroleum, making them inherently non-renewable.
  • Non-recyclable: Although it is technically possible to recycle these plastics, most curbside recycling programs will not accept plastic wraps. Learn more about recycling soft plastics.
HOW TO STORE VEGETABLES WITHOUT PLASTIC

These tips are from the Berkley Farmer’s Market which is a Zero Waste market! Here is a printable PDF of their original tip sheet.

Always remove any tight bands from your vegetables or at least loosen them to allow them to breathe.

Artichokes – Place in an airtight container sealed, with light moisture.
Asparagus – Place them loosely in a glass or bowl upright with water at room temperature. (Will keep for a week outside the fridge)
Avocados – Place in a paper bag at room temp. To speed up their ripening, place an apple in the bag with them.
Arugula – Like lettuce, should not stay wet! Dunk in cold water and spin or lay flat to dry. Place dry arugula in an open container, wrapped with a dry towel to absorb any extra moisture.
Basil – Is difficult to store well. Basil does not like the cold, or to be wet for that matter. The best method here is an airtight container/jar loosely packed with a small damp piece of paper inside, left out on a cool counter.
Beans – Shelling open container in the fridge, eat ASAP. Some recommend freezing them if not going to eat right away
Beets – Cut the tops off to keep beets firm, (be sure to keep the greens!)by leaving any top on root vegetables draws moisture from the root, making them loose flavor and firmness. Beets should be washed and kept in and open container with a wet towel on top.
Beet greens – Place in an airtight container with a little moisture.
Broccoli – Place in an open container in the fridge or wrap in a damp towel before placing in the fridge.
Broccoli Rabe – Left in an open container in the crisper, but best used as soon as possible.
Brussels Sprouts – If bought on the stalk leave them on that stalk. Put the stalk in the fridge or leave it on a cold place. If they’re bought loose store them in an open container with a damp towel on top.
Cabbage – Left out on a cool counter is fine up to a week, in the crisper otherwise. Peel off outer leaves if they start to wilt. Cabbage might begin to loose its moisture after a week , so, best used as soon as possible.
Carrots – Cut the tops off to keep them fresh longer. Place them in closed container with plenty of moisture, either wrapped in a damp towel or dunk them in cold water every couple of days if they’re stored that long.
Cauliflower – Will last a while in a closed container in the fridge, but they say cauliflower has the best flavor the day it’s bought.
Celery – Does best when simply places in a cup or bowl of shallow water on the counter.
Celery root/Celeriac – Wrap the root in a damp towel and place in the crisper.
Corn – Leave unhusked in an open container if you must, but corn really is best eaten sooner then later for maximum flavor.
Cucumber – Wrapped in a moist towel in the fridge. If you’re planning on eating them within a day or two after buying them they should be fine left out in a cool room.

Eggplant – Does fine left out in a cool room. Don’t wash it, eggplant doesn’t like any extra moisture around its leaves. For longer storage, place loose, in the crisper.

Fava beans – Place in an air tight container.
Fennel – If used within a couple days after it’s bought fennel can be left out on the counter, upright in a cup or bowl of water (like celery). If wanting to keep longer than a few days place in the fridge in a closed container with a little water.
Garlic – Store in a cool, dark, place.
Green garlic – An airtight container in the fridge or left out for a day or two is fine, best before dried out.
Greens – Remove any bands, twist ties, etc. most greens must be kept in an air-tight container with a damp cloth, to keep them from drying out. Kale, collards, and chard even do well in a cup of water on the counter or fridge.
Green beans – They like humidity, but not wetness. A damp cloth draped over an open or loosely closed container.
Green Tomatoes – Store in a cool room away from the sun to keep them green and use quickly or they will begin to color.
Herbs– A closed container in the fridge to kept up to a week. Any longer might encourage mold.
Lettuce – Keep damp in an airtight container in the fridge.
Leeks – Leave in an open container in the crisper wrapped in a damp cloth or in a shallow cup of water on the counter (just so the very bottom of the stem has water).
Okra – Doesn’t like humidity. So a dry towel in an airtight container. Doesn’t store that well, best eaten quickly after purchase
Onion – Store in a cool, dark and dry place, good air circulation is best, so don’t stack them.
Parsnips – An open container in the crisper, or, like a carrot, wrapped in a damp cloth in the fridge.
Potatoes – Like garlic and onions, store in cool, dark and dry place, such as, a box in a dark corner of the pantry; a paper bag also works well.
Radicchio – Place in the fridge in an open container with a damp cloth on top.
Radishes – Remove the greens (store separately) so they don’t draw out excess moisture from the roots and place them in a open container in the fridge with a wet towel placed on top.
Rhubarb – Wrap in a damp towel and place in an open container in the refrigerator.
Rutabagas – In an ideal situation a cool, dark, humid root cellar or a closed container in the crisper to keep their moisture in.
Snap peas – Refrigerate in an open container
Spinach – Store loose in an open container in the crisper, cool as soon as possible. Spinach loves to stay cold.
Spring onions – Remove any band or tie and place in the crisper.
Summer Squash – does fine for a few days if left out on a cool counter, even after cut.
Sweet peppers – Only wash them right before you plan on eating them as wetness decreases storage time. Store in a cool room to use in a couple a days, place in the crisper if longer storage needed.
Sweet Potatoes – Store in a cool, dark, well ventilated place. Never refrigerate sweet potatoes they don’t like the cold.
Tomatoes – Never refrigerate. Depending on ripeness, tomatoes can stay for up to two weeks on the counter. To hasten ripeness place in a paper bag with an apple.
Turnips – Remove the greens (store separately) same as radishes and beets, store them in an open container with a moist cloth.
Winter squash – Store in a cool, dark, well ventilated place. Many growers say winter squashes get sweeter if they’re stored for a week or so before eaten.
Zucchini – Does fine for a few days if left out on a cool counter, even after cut. Wrap in a cloth and refrigerate for longer storage.

HOW TO STORE FRUIT WITHOUT PLASTIC

Apples – Store on a cool counter or shelf for up to two weeks. For longer storage in a cardboard box in the fridge.
Citrus – Store in a cool place, with good airflow, never in an air?tight container.
Apricots – On a cool counter to room temperature or fridge if fully ripe
Cherries – Store in an airtight container. Don’t wash cherries until ready to eat, any added moisture encourages mold.
Berries – Don’t forget, they’re fragile. When storing be careful not to stack too many high, a single layer if possible. A paper bag works well, only wash before you plan on eating them.
Dates – Dryer dates (like Deglet Noor) are fine stored out on the counter in a bowl or the paper bag they were bought in. Moist dates (like Medjool) need a bit of refrigeration if they’re going to be stored over a week, either in cloth or a paper bag? as long as it’s porous to keeping the moisture away from the skin of the dates.
Figs – Don’t like humidity, so, no closed containers. A paper bag works to absorb excess moisture, but a plate works best in the fridge up to a week un?stacked.
Melons – Uncut in a cool dry place, out of the sun up to a couple weeks. Cut melons should be in the fridge, an open container is fine.
Nectarines – Similar to apricots, store in the fridge is okay if ripe, but best taken out a day or two before you plan on eating them so they soften to room temperature.
Peaches – And most stone fruit, refrigerate only when fully ripe. More firm fruit will ripen on the counter.
Pears – Will keep for a few weeks on a cool counter, but fine in a paper bag. To hasten the ripening put an apple in with them.
Persimmon –Fuyu (shorter/pumpkin shaped): store at room temperature. Hachiya (longer/pointed end): room temperature until completely mushy. The astringentness of them only subsides when they are completely ripe. To hasten the ripening process place in a paper bag with a few apples for a week, check now and then, but don’t stack?they get very fragile when really ripe.
Pomegranates – Keep up to a month stored on a cool counter.
Strawberries – Don’t like to be wet. Do best in a paper bag in the fridge for up to a week. Check the bag for moisture every other day.

from:    http://wakeup-world.com/2011/09/08/increase-the-shelf-life-of-your-fruit-veg-without-using-toxic-plastic-products/

Chemistry of Cooking

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Chemistry Of Cooking
A Biochemist Explains The Chemistry Of Cooking

January 1, 2009 — A biochemist and cook explains that cooking is all about chemistry and knowing some facts can help chefs understand why recipes go wrong. Because cooking is essentially a series of chemical reactions, it is helpful to know some basics. For example, plunging asparagus into boiling water causes the cells to pop and result in a brighter green. Longer cooking, however, causes the plant’s cell walls to shrink and releases an acid. This turns the asparagus an unappetizing shade of grey.

You love to cook, but have you whipped up some disasters? Even the best recipes can sometimes go terribly wrong. A nationally recognized scientist and chef says knowing a little chemistry could help.

Long before she was a cook, Shirley Corriher was a biochemist. She says science is the key to understanding what goes right and wrong in the kitchen.

“Cooking is chemistry,” said Corriher. “It’s essentially chemical reactions.”

This kind of chemistry happens when you put chopped red cabbage into a hot pan. Heat breaks down the red anthocyanine pigment, changing it from an acid to alkaline and causing the color change. Add some vinegar to increase the acidity, and the cabbage is red again. Baking soda will change it back to blue.

Cooking vegetables like asparagus causes a different kind of reaction when tiny air cells on the surface hit boiling water.

“If we plunge them into boiling water, we pop these cells, and they suddenly become much brighter green,” Corriher said.

Longer cooking is not so good. It causes the plant’s cell walls to shrink and release acid.

“So as it starts gushing out of the cells, and with acid in the water, it turns cooked green vegetables into [a] yucky army drab,” Corriher said.

And that pretty fruit bowl on your counter? “Literally, overnight you can go from [a] nice green banana to an overripe banana,” Corriher said.

The culprit here is ethylene gas. Given off by apples and even the bananas themselves, it can ruin your perfect fruit bowl — but put an apple in a paper bag with an unripe avocado, and ethylene gas will work for you overnight.

to read more, go to:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2009/0112-chemistry_of_cooking.htm