Eat Those Dandelions!

You may notice that the template for this Blog has dandelions. Dandelions are the bane of every gardener and many have seen me uprooting dandelions and planting grass or other seeds in the resultant holes. Dandelions are my enemy that I wish to destroy. In the Spring, my favorite way to kill dandelions IS TO EAT THEM!! You may not realize it but dandelions were imported from Europe by the early settlers on purpose! Dandelions were quite literally a life-saver in pioneer days containing the first Vitamin C after a long winter. Dandelions are one of the most nourishing foods. 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces)of dandelion greens contain 45 calories, they contain 4.5 grams of fiber (9% of your daily requirements), 7% of folate, 5% of niacin, 8% of calcium, 9% of magnesium, 15% of manganese, 19% of vitamin B-6,20% of Riboflavin, 23% of Vitamin E, 58% of your daily requirement of VITAMIN C, 338% of your VITAMIN A and a whopping 649% of your daily requirement of VITAMIN K!!! Dandelion greens are the richest plant source of Vitamin A and by far the richest source of Vitamin K! Dandelion greens are a rich source of carotene and lutein. And only 45 calories per 100 grams! In Summer dandelion greens are bitter and we have so much better tasting produce. In Spring dandelion greens are so sweet you can eat them raw in salads and sandwiches. They are delicious steamed or sautéed and served with a little olive oil or butter. Dandelion greens go well in soups, even now they add a taste and add nutrition to hearty minestrone or vegetable soups. (All cited nutrition information plus recipes can be found through Google.) Eat those dandelions!

Eat 14 ounces of produce daily!

To ease confusion concerning portion sizes international nutritionists are now urging 400 grams (roughly 14 ounces) of mixed produce per day. Fourteen ounces may seem like a lot of produce but actually is quite easy to attain over the course of a day. I start each day with an oatmeal with banana, grapes, and frozen strawberries or cranberries. I nibble on 15 grapes during preparation. At this time we have an abundance of ripe mulberries and raspberries ready for our enjoyment. We are also starting to get our first ripe tomatoes. We have an abundance of fresh herbs: garlic and common chive, basil, oregano, dill, tarragon and thyme add taste and nutrients to our diet. Add a few other fruits and vegetables and you easily far exceed 14 ounces of produce. (Delicious mangoes are 49 cents at Aldi.) We are waiting for the cucumber, zucchini, and winter squash to begin producing. It is almost time to plant the late season beet greens, turnip greens and spinach for September harvesting. Add the low price of many seasonal vegetables, sales of canned and frozen produce, and the delicious sweet corn currently available and it is so easy to get far more than 14 ounces of tasty and nutritious produce each day.

Eat Mulberries

Mulberries, for those who have access to a mulberry tree, are a wonderful, tasty and NUTRITIOUS snack! At only 43 calories per 100 grams (roughly 3.5 ounces)mulberries provide 43% of your required Vitamin C, 1.44% of your protein, 4.5% fiber (1.7 grams), 8% of riboflavin, 6.5% Vitamin K, 6% Vitamin E, 4% Potassium, 6% Copper, 4% Calcium, a whopping 23% of your daily iron plus magnesium, manganese, selenium, folate, Vitamin A, zinc and a host of phyto-nutrients such as ALTHOCYANINS which may help prevent cancer, aging, diabetes, inflammation, and bacterial infection. Mulberries also contain RESVERATROL which is believed to help protect against stroke and retina damage. All this for just 43 calories per 100 grams! We all probably knew that mulberry trees produce pretty white flowers in the Spring and learned from stains on our sidewalks (and sometimes our cars) that birds eat mulberries, but many of us have never personally eaten a mulberry. Mulberries are delicious eaten right off the tree. Mulberries can be used in smoothies, oatmeal, jams, syrups, pies or just about anyplace you would use any berry. Mulberries can be frozen or dried. While mulberries are in season, eat a handful! A delicious, and nutritious, snack. AND ITS FREE!!

Kill Japanese Beetles

I squished my first Japanese Beetle of the season. Japanese Beetles are voracious eaters that will chew the leaves of just about every desirable plant in your garden. Supposedly 2014 will be a light year for those nasty critters due to the dry summer and extremely cold winter last year, the frost line was much deeper this year so fewer survived into this year. You should kill those beetles every chance you can! Those you kill this year won't give you their children next year. I have had great results walking around my garden with a container of soapy water in the morning, the beetles are inactive and you can easily knock them off their branches into the water. There are differing opinions on using Japanese Beetle traps, they do kill a lot of the critters but some say they also attract more beetles to your property. Personally, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that those Japanese Beetles are dead, dead, dead. Since this post the Japanese Beetles have increased in number. They now are chewing away at my wonderful raspberry plants. As Bugs Bunny would say "OF COURSE YOU REALIZE THAT THIS MEANS WAR!"