You've probably already heard about the health benefits of broccoli, partially due to the sulforaphane content of the plant. A new study from Johns Hopkins discovered that the level of sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts is 20 to 50 times higher than the full sized … [Read more...]
5 Garlic Growing Tips You Don’t Want to Miss
Garlic is a good choice for organic gardens throughout North America. Like onions, garlic is a cool weather crop; it requires cold in order for the bulb to split into cloves and, in some cultivars, to trigger cell division. That being the case, it's best to plant it in the late … [Read more...]
Forget sunscreen! Did you know you can use broccoli to fight sunburn?
Is broccoli being overlooked as THE summer vegetable? Broccoli sprout extract, sulforaphane, has been researched for sun protection and skin cancer prevention. Could broccoli extract become your next sun protection focus? Here’s more information on a study by Johns Hopkins … [Read more...]
Branch out from Broccoli: How to Grow Broccoflower and Romanesco
Two similar vegetables are sometimes called broccoflower. One is a trade-marked hybrid between broccoli and cauliflower, richer in vitamin A than either of its parents and also well endowed with vitamin C. Its cauliflower-shaped yellow-green heads have a sweet cauliflower-like … [Read more...]
27 Weird Ways to Use Cucumbers
On a salad or as a snack, cucumbers are refreshing and healthy. In fact, they contain a lot of the nutrients you need, like vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and C; also zinc, potassium, iron, calcium, folic and more. They are very easy to grow in your home garden, or … [Read more...]
How to Grow Cabbage: An Introduction
Many common vegetables are cabbages or genus brassica. Head and leafed cabbage, of course, but also broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and kohlrabi are members of the cabbage family. They are some of the most popular and traditional garden vegetables grown. Because … [Read more...]
Is This Mushroom Edible? 10 Identification Resources
A few generations ago, spring and summer meant mushroom foraging for many families. As centralized food sources became more common, people relied less and less on home gardens and wild foraging for food. In recent years, though, mushroom foraging has seen a resurgence in … [Read more...]
How to Cultivate Oyster Mushrooms
By Julie Christensen Oyster mushrooms, with their overlapping layers of flesh, are sometimes hard to find in the grocery store, but they can be grown at home without too much trouble. These fungi have a meaty texture and mild flavor that is best used in cooked dishes, such as … [Read more...]
What is mushroom tea? An overview.
You’ve heard of the benefits of green tea, but mushroom tea? Herbalists and Chinese medicine practitioners have prescribed mushroom teas for many years. These teas contain powerful antioxidants and can even slow or prevent cancer growth. You probably won’t sip a cup of mushroom … [Read more...]
Nutritional and Weight Loss Benefits of Mushrooms
By Julie Christensen Most of us use mushrooms, those little brown or white fungi, primarily as an accent in cooking. They might appear in salads or sautéed dishes, but they rarely take a starring role. Too bad, since mushrooms are loaded with health benefits. Researchers … [Read more...]
Grow Romaine Lettuce
Romaine (also called cos) lettuce is a tasty, popular type of lettuce. Romaine grows in tall heads of sturdy leaves and is very heat tolerant. It gets its name from the Romans, who likely imported it from either Greece or (more likely) Arabia. It is the primary lettuce used in … [Read more...]
How to Grow Cucumbers
Whether you call them cucumbers, cukes or gherkins, cucumbers are one of the most popular home garden vegetables. A few years ago, cucumbers weren’t so easy to grow. Older varieties were prone to disease and insect pests and often failed to set fruit. The fruit was often bitter, … [Read more...]
Cucumbers: Calories and Nutritional Information
Looking for a cool, low-calorie summer snack? Why not munch on cucumber rounds? At just 16 calories per cup, cucumbers are a dieter’s dream food. Although fairly low in fiber (0.9 grams), they’re also low in carbohydrates (2.9 grams), fat (0.2 grams) and sugars (1.8 grams). … [Read more...]
List of Green Leafy Vegetables
If you think of a green salad when you hear the term leafy vegetables, you’re right. But what about all the other leafy greens you see at the grocery store, but seldom buy? Leafy greens, including kale, spinach, turnip greens and others, are power houses of nutrition. They … [Read more...]
Healthy Cucumber Salads
Summer heat got you down? Restore your appetite and your spirits with a crunchy cucumber salad. Cucumbers belong to the melon family and are more than 60 percent water, so they’re perfect for hot summer days. They’re also naturally low in calories. In fact, one cup of sliced … [Read more...]
How to Dry Basil
Most people are familiar with basil in its dried, crushed form. Some are familiar with it in its fresh form as well. So how do you get it from fresh to dried? It's not hard at all and requires no special tools or equipment. There are two options for drying basil: air drying … [Read more...]
Preventing Bolted Lettuce
The term “bolting” is a confusing one for new gardeners. Most have heard the term “gone to seed,” but few have heard “bolting.” Simply put, bolting is when plants begin to go to seed – they start putting all their energy into growing reproductive organs (seeds, flowers, … [Read more...]
Bean Pests: How to Identify and Control
Green beans are one of the simplest garden vegetables to grow, producing a bountiful crop with very little care. Most bean pests are easily controlled through natural means and rarely require the use of pesticides. Watch for the following pests in your bean patch: Aphids Aphids … [Read more...]
Corn Earworms: How to Prevent and Control
Corn earworms are a bane to both home gardeners and commercial farmers alike. In fact, they cause more damage to corn crops than any other insect and are found throughout the continental U.S. In addition to corn, corn earworms eat at least 16 other cultivated crops and over 100 … [Read more...]
Corn Diseases: How to Identify and Control
Fresh-picked corn is one of the true pleasures of summer, but for many gardeners, bringing a crop of corn to harvest is a challenge. Corn takes up a lot of space in the garden and must be planted in a block so wind can pollinate it. It is a heavy feeder, requiring frequent … [Read more...]
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