Your new year goals & health news and recipes
For 2023, my garden goals are: 1) dig deep for drainage, then dump a 2 gallon bucket of water to ensure fast drainage. 2) Top roses with dense & alkaline clay with trace elements plus calcium to offset high acidic rain
My health goals for the new year at 61-year-old: 1) 15-min. walk per day, plus 1/2 hour in garden or 1/2 hr. cleaning house. 2) Eat more fiber and less meat & sugar.
Lots of neighbors and friends got cancer .. below Harvard Health news is worth reading:
"The first diet contained about 14 ounces of red meat a day, always prepared to minimize HCA formation. The second diet was strictly vegetarian, and the third contained large amounts of both red meat and dietary fiber.
Stool specimens from the 21 volunteers who consumed the high-meat diet contained high levels of N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), which are potentially cancer-causing chemicals. The 12 volunteers who ate vegetarian food excreted low levels of NOCs, and the 13 who ate meat and high-fiber diets produced intermediate amounts."
Petal-count goes down when there's less calcium. Petal-count also goes down with high temp. and lack of water. The solution is DENSE & moisture retentive soil on top plus yearly topping with calcium and trace elements (as in manure). Both calcium and potassium leach down to below.
Below bouquets have adequate calcium (topped with horse manure) plus gypsum breaking up my hard clay months prior to planting. I work calcium into soil in the winter. Note the many petals on Lagerfeld (light lavender on left). Middle is Lavender Crush, and right is Aloha:
Left light pink is James Galway. Middle apricot is Carding Mill, lowest purplish are Young Lycidas, and Duchess de Rohan are dark pinks on right. Yellow is Crown Princess Mag:
Below is ruffles on Pink Peace with adequate calcium in planting hole:
Comments (237)
strawchicago z5
last yearlast modified: last yearTulips have to be buried very deep in my zone 5a so voles don't eat them.
Daffodils are invasive here, I have to kill them. Peonies like my alkaline clay soil, but I'm NOT crazy about their scents.
The best thing I learned from people who lost over 100 lbs: they keep track of everything, like how many grams of carbs consumed.
My neighbor who lost 150 lbs. weighs all his foods on a scale. It's too tedious for me to keep track of every bite, but I do keep track of the grams of carbs I consume to keep my blood sugar normal. A food diary and weighing myself daily is a must for me to stay under 120 lb. at 61-year-old.
Like one slice of Eziekiel bread has 15 g. of carbs, compared to 30 g. of carb. for French Bread. A cup of sugared Chobani Greek yogurt has 15 g. of carbs.
Another thing I learn from people who lost a lot of weight is: ONE STEP AT A TIME, and one change to the better per day. Now my food diary consists of one TASK per day that I need to do. One diary entry was: cut out French bread and cheese.
Another diary entry was to put less cranberries in my bran cereal. I always use reduced sugar cranberries, but I need to put less than 1 TBS. in my bran cereal.
Another diary entry was to work in garden for 1/2 hour per day, no matter how cold it is. Below is my peony bush to hide the ugly water meter. It's supposed to smell like Cinnamon, but it's NOT a pleasant smell.
Related Discussions
New house with NO gardens - reasonable goals for this year?
Comments (10)In a nutshell, double digging involves digging all the topsoil out of a section and setting it aside, then sticking your fork as far as it will go into the hard clay and wiggle it around to break it up. Around here it's very obvious where the topsoil ends and the subsoil begins. About 8-12" down, the dark gray-brown topsoil gives way to bright red clay, often with a white chalky crust on top. Anyway, after breaking the subsoil you fill it back in with topsoil from the next section, adding manure, compost, and/or other amendments as you fill, then breaking up the next section of subsoil, filling from the next, and so on. When you get to the last section you fill it with the topsoil from the first section. By the time you're done you've raised the level a good 2-3" not counting amendments. The topsoil trickles down into the spaces in the broken subsoil, and roots can penetrate much deeper to get water and minerals. I suspect our clay, being river deposits, is quite rich in plant nutrients, and double digging helps make them more accessible. It must be done when the soil is moist but not soggy, or you'll do more harm than good. I don't imagine a tiller would be much help except to break up the turf on top. And I'm trying to avoid noisy power tools in the garden. I've even started using a push mower, which BTW does a very nice job if I haven't let the grass grow too high. Of course the more gardens I build the less grass I'll have to mow......See MoreHappy New Year! How was your New Year's Eve?
Comments (25)Ours was utterly quiet, although not unpleasant :). Both kids were off doing their own NYE celebration so the house was nice and calm. We ate dinner, chatted, then he went to sleep early and I read for awhile. Boring? Maybe but also a moment to cherish being secure in our lives and with so much for which to be grateful. Actually, our New Year's reminds me of the lyrics to one of my favorite Carly Simon songs, Misfit: There are plenty of late nights If you want to stay up for them You'll just want to find yourself a friend And tie a couple on in a night spot Draw pictures of your soul, win the jackpot Pour tears in your beer It's hip to be miserable when you're young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit Come on home with me We'll turn on the TV About 10 o'clock we'll turn off the light Not every man was born to stay up late at night There are plenty of boats to catch If you notice all the sails in the wind But you better look hard my friend In case you catch a ride on the wrong one In the distance is the one you belong on Oh the water is wide It's hip to be miserable when you're young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit Come on home with me We'll sit under a tree And if you get the itch I'll supply the scratch Not every man was born with a boat to catch It's hip to be miserable when you are young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit A misfit...See MoreLet's Talk: Healthful Eating, Recipes, New Products, Etc.
Comments (71)I made this today and loved it! I'm not sure it still qualifies as "healthy" when you return to the pan for multiple servings though:). Recipe found on "Damn Declicious" blog. PS...I only had about 1/2 cup of quinoa on hand so used orzo for the other half and it was still delish. ONE PAN MEXICAN QUINOA Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 35 minutes Yield 4 servings Wonderfully light, healthy and nutritious. And it's so easy to make - even the quinoa is cooked right in the pan! INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapenos, minced 1 cup quinoa 1 cup vegetable broth 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 cup corn kernels 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced Juice of 1 lime 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves INSTRUCTIONS Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro. Serve immediately. This post was edited by funnygirl on Fri, Apr 11, 14 at 16:24...See MoreMarch 3/16: Favorite links, wise quotes, your garden & health goals?
Comments (106)Jess: Yes, those people did that in 20 weeks (5 months), with lots of running & weight lifting, boxing, plus a high-fiber diet: lots of RAW veggies & fruits, lean fish & poultry, and low-fat. The dietician who designed Biggest Loser diet recommended at least 7 RAW fruits & veggies per day and 3 proteins. Always good to try new foods: I tried RAW Brussel sprouts (sliced thin) in salad and I'm addicted to it now. I tried FRESH turmeric yesterday (so yummy with chicken) and it was great in suppressing my appetite, didn't feel hungry for hours afterwards. I researched on turmeric since my Mom has diabetes, and even my skinny sisters are pre-diabetic. My blood-sugar is fine, but I need to bring down my triglycerides & cholesterol levels .. will have that tested end of this year. See excerpt from below link: "The published Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry confirmed that Turmeric could benefit diabetes. Turmeric, an ancient spice, can alter the pathological states of type 2 diabetes linked to heart disease, a dangerous complication of diabetes. In a new study on the reduction of formation of fatty deposits in the arteries, which is a risk for patients with type 2 diabetes it was found that curcuminoid extract can prevent this. Over a series of six months the study revealed the involvement of turmeric extract, curcumin does stop the fatty deposits forming on the inner surfaces of the arteries obstructing the blood flow." Avery July 31, 2015 at 9:15 pm I’ve bee using Turmeric powder for 8+ years. I keep it in a salt shaker and whenever, whatever I cook, from oatmeal to fish, vegetable, I put in about 3-4 shakes of Tumeric along w/a shake or two of Black or White Pepper, except of course in sweet foods, like Oatmeal, cookies, etc. Another great herb is “Fenugreek,” also from India and great for stabilizing blood sugar. Check w/your Doctors. RG February 18, 2015 at 8:42 am I was paying close to $500 per month on Diabetic Medicans. Since starting a Turmeric, I have stopped doctor prescribed Diabetic meds. What a savings! Dr Sheldon March 8, 2014 at 3:01 pm Transmax-resveratrol, an extract of purple grape skins, is a much more effective dietary alternatives to treat Type 2 Diabetes than Tumeric (curcumin). It, like Tumeric, can be used with drugs such as Metformin. In two recently published human clinical trials done by respected medical schools it was shown that transmax had the effect of reducing blood glucose, improving insulin sensitivity, lowering blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and even lowering body weight." *** From Straw: the 2 studies of resveratrol & diabetes are found in the below link. My grand-mother drank wine daily, she lived up to 98 year old. But I'm allergic to the sulfites in wine, and any purple-figment produce would do: be it red cabbage, red onion, red beets, or blueberries. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9794089.htm...See Morestrawchicago z5
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last yearlast modified: last yearSoCalGardenNut Agree on eating fish to lose weight. My lowest weight was 97 lb. at 44-year-old, and 109 lb. at 57-year-old. Back then I ate canned fish daily for lunch, plus a salad.
Now I'm so sick of canned fish that I have left-over dinner for lunch the next day. Weight shot up to 120 lb. as of 1/13/23 at 61-year-old and 4'11". I'm at normal weight, but I want to lose 5 lb. to fit into my old clothes.
@rosecanadian I need to find ways to cook beef liver (highest in vitamin A) for my daughter's Asperger's. Her lips were super dry when she had her meltdowns in 2022 mid-Dec.
I cannot convert plants' beta-carotene to vitamin A, so I need to get that from liver or seafood.
I made a recent purchase of BlueBonnet Vitamin A (from cod-liver oil) at 10,000 IU to supplement the 3,125 IU of vitamin A in Norwegian Cod Liver oil.
The daily requirement of vitamin A in men is 900 mcg or 36,000 IU, and the daily requirement of vitamin A for women is 700 mcg or 28,000 IU.
I need to take 2 BlueBonnet capsules (20,000 IU), plus 1 capsule of Norwegian cod liver oil (3,125 IU) for a total of 23,125. I still need 4,875 IU of vitamin A from my food.
Many studies showed that vitamin A improves Autism and Asperger's, along with vitamin B6 and magnesium. See below link:
Vitamin A improves the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders and decreases 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT): A pilot study - PubMed (nih.gov)
"Many studies have demonstrated that children with autism have multiple nutritional deficiencies and increased serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels. In our previous study, 77.9% of autistic children were found to have vitamin A deficiency. After Vitamin A supplementation, the children with ASD exhibited significant improvement in autism symptoms. Serum retinol concentrations of children with ASD were significantly increased, and serum 5-HT levels were decreased."
strawchicago z5
last yearlast modified: last yearThe genetic INABILITY to convert beta-carotene in plants into vitamin A caused macular degeneration in many of my 8 older sisters.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in older people. My 81-year-old sister is blind in one eye despite a life-long consumption of beta-carotene in plants.
See excerpt from below link:
BCO1 Gene: Converting Beta-Carotene to Vitamin A - Genetic Lifehacks
"Genetic variants in the BCO1 gene cause varying amounts of the enzyme to be produced and cause a large difference in the amount of vitamin A produced from dietary beta-carotene.
About 80-90% of the retinoids in the body are stored in the liver. Retinol is important for:
- Stem cells & Photoreceptors in the eye
- Epithelial cells & Embryonic cells Various & immune cells & Red blood cells
- Circadian rhythm
Deficiency: A deficiency in vitamin A can cause poor night vision, worsen infectious diseases, and, when severe, cause blindness.
Skin problems: Low levels of vitamin A may cause skin problems such as acne and keratosis pilaris (bumps on the back of the arms)."
strawchicago z5
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SoCalGardenNut
last yearlast modified: last year@strawchicago z5, canned sardines in tomato sauce is great, i like to eat that with very crunchy baguette, like the one below.
https://www.amazon.com/Iberia-Oval-Sardines-Tomato-Sauce/dp/B004TOQJYO
When our favorite and cheap Korean restaurant was still in business, my husband liked to ordered grilled mackarel there,unfortunately they converted to an All you can eat Buffet type, we cant eat that much meat anymore.
i found this from my instagram, i dont like cilantro and i cant grow them easily here, but this confirms that cilantro does remove heavy metals.
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Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
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last yearlast modified: last yearThere are several varieties of Lemon Balm. The tall variety can take full sun with deeper root, more invasive, harsh scent, see below the INVASIVE VARIETY of lemon balm with more slender leaves, THICKER & STRONGER STEMS, and deeper root. I had such variety back in 2000, it was UPRIGHT GROWTH, and it was a pain to kill them. The leaves were very harsh, so I never make tea:
Below is THE NON-INVASIVE variety of Lemon Balm, the leaves smell very good (fresh lemon), and I can eat the succulent leaves fresh from the plant. This variety WILT IF PLANTED in full-sun, and has to be in partial shade. It does not spread unless it's week-long rain (over 40 inch per year). Note the leaves ARE SHINY, rounder, and the plant is shorter (less than 1 foot). The roots are very shallow. The leaves are thin and wilt easily in full sun, but cooked tea is delicious and sweet.
strawchicago z5
last yearlast modified: last yearI have 6 different types of mint: apple mint (wimpy small plant, nice flavor), chocolate mint (need water, much harder to spread, very tasty), peppermint (spreads, but shallow root can be killed easily), spearmint (extremely invasive, very deep root), curly mint (very invasive, tall plant, harsh flavor). The apple mint died in through the 1st winter. The peppermint died after 5 years. The spearmint and curly mint live forever and I spent hours killing them.
There are different types of lemon balm with different flavors (some are wimpy water-hogs, and some can take dry & hot and very invasive):
6 Different Types of Lemon Balm (homestratosphere.com)
"Citronella Lemon Balm - This cultivar needs full sun to grow. it acts as an effective mosquito repellant.
Quedlinburger Lemon Balm - This cultivar has a higher amount of essential oil. It has a beautiful lemon scent and medicinal value. Height is 30 cm (11 inch). Regular watering is required. Upright growth.
Lemonella Lemon Balm This variety is the most fragrant of all the variations of lemon balm.
Lime Lemon Balm This variety has bright green colored leaves that have a very strong lime scent. It is drought tolerant and easy to grow."
*** From Straw: From above link with pictures, the variety I have is Lemonella Lemon Balm which attains a height of under 1 foot, and does best in a wet and shady place. Below is one plant in my garden, it stays short and never get taller than 12 inch. Leaves are thin and wilt easily if in full sun. STEMS ARE THIN and bush is floppy, or crawl on the ground.
They don't spread since the ones I planted in full sun died due to shallow root which can't survive a dry winter. The ones that survive my zone 5a winter are next to the rainspout, partial shade and wet clay (covered with wet leaves).
From rareseeds.com, it describes Lemonella Lemon balm as "The crawling habit makes this an enthralling container plant as it “spills” from hanging baskets and pots. It also makes a delightful, scented ground cover and is a delicious tea plant to add citrusy notes to your blends. Small white blooms appear in summer. Height 6-12 inches, 20-24 inches wide."The reviews on Lemonella Lemon Balm stated: "They don't particularly like the dry heat and dry out quickly and get wilted. Kept in the shade and keeping them moist they seem to do well and bounce back. "
Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
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last yearlast modified: last yearDoes your variety look like mine below with VERY THIN STEMS, wonderful lemon scent released when I crush the leaves. My daughter likes to eat the leaves since they are THINNER than spinach leaves, but smooth, round and shiny. Leaves are so thin that it wilts easily in full-sun. They grow best in less than 4 hrs. of morning sun, or complete shade. This variety is a waterhog. Click on below pic. to enlarge:
Mischievous Magpie (CO 5b)
last yearThis is the only photo I can find. To my nose it didn't smell like a lemon, but had the more almost artificial smell of lemon Pledge. Mine is in all day sun at the top of a slope, very hot and dry spot. I did not enjoy the flavor at all but my guinea pigs seemed to love eating it. Here it is on both sides of a small lavender:
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last yearlast modified: last yearMischievous Magpie (CO 5b) From your pic, the branching, more narrow & thicker leaves and upright & thicker stems, yours might be Quedlinburger Lemon Balm (needs watering).
or very drought-tolerant & need full-sun and more veiny leaves: Citronella Lemon Balm. See below pic:
I bought such drought-tolerant plant back in 2000 and it spreaded fast with a thick-mat of deep roots WITHIN 1 YEAR. I hated the scent of that leaves, so harsh. So I killed all of them.Fast forward to 2014, I bought Lemonella lemon balm from Walmart. It died after its 1st winter, so a friend in Texas gave me 6 more plants. They were ultra-small and wimpy, 5 of them died, and I had only 1. I love its lemon scent, so I had to buy 2 more plants from Walmart. One died after the winter. It took SIX YEARS before they can grow enough leaves to make tea daily. Below is Lemonella Lemon Balm in my garden, note the shorter growth & thinner stems and very thin leaves & wimpy like a groundcover. It's a waterhog and doesn't grow unless it's day-long rain.
sharon2079 I read customers' reviews of Mandarin lemon balm and folks state that it doesn't even smell like orange, but it smelled like sage. So I didn't order it.The Lemonella Lemon Balm (like the plant I mailed to you and it died) ... Customer reviews said it's hard to grow Lemonella from seeds, and I agree. It took 8 years before the Lemonella variety could grow from seeds in my garden, thanks to over 40 inch. of rain per short summer. And I pampered them like putting rich & wet clay soil on the seeds.
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
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last yearlast modified: last yearSharon I bet Lemon Balm would do just fine in the Aerogarden. I have two small ones that I have grown mint and other herbs in before. Right now I am putting my mini peat pod greenhouses on them, just for the lights, they fit perfectly lol. Lazy, I know. I disconnected the water pump wire inside so it won't continually run. It easily reconnects when needed.
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Diane Brakefield
last yearI grew kale, but I confess, I don't eat it. The deer do at times. I hope it gives them a good case of gas. Kimberly, if you had a couple hundred wild quail parading around your garden, you wouldn't be able to grow cosmo or nasturtiums in the ground. Mine eat all the seeds, and I grow nasturtiums in pots only, and even had a pot of dwarf yellow cosmos last year. I've learned that if I want a flower garden, I have go grow plants the quail don't want to eat, or the seeds that are their favorites. Then there are the deer and gophers, which are the very worst. I lost two rose bushes to gophers a couple of months ago. Diane
Dward Cosmos, pretty basic, and tiny. I've only found them at Hazzard Seeds.
Kale, one of several kinds I have grown.
strawchicago z5 thanked Diane BrakefieldDiane Brakefield
last yearGood grief, Kimberly, are you trying to depress us northerners? Your harvest has me salivating all over the keyboard--gross. That's odd that aphids attacked your dill. I hope you have better luck next year. I often forget to photograph things like kale, too. Mine is the ornamental type, and I don't think you eat it, but what do I know? I won't eat any of it. Diane
Kale, kale, the gang's all here....
strawchicago z5 thanked Diane Brakefieldsultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
last yearlast modified: last yearSharon, I use the soft floral foam (light green and it comes in rectangular blocks from the craft store/dept). I cut a piece to fit a tupperware dish. Make it a tight fit! Then I cut it into 2 inch cubes (doesn't have to be perfect..just run your knife through the foam that was inserted into the tupperware.) Poke a little hole, with a bamboo skewer, into the center of each cube. Fill the container about 3/4 way with water. I have well water but I used to do this with city water, doesn't seem to matter.
Make your passiflora cuttings about 5 inches. You dont want the super soft ends but not so far down the stem that the nodes are really far apart. Take your cutting with a leaf node at the bottom. Cut off most of the leaves.
Dampen the bottoms of the cuttings in water then dip them into dry rooting hormone like Rootone. Then poke one into each hole. Put them in a warm bright place. I've done them on a windowsill in Spring or under grow lights. Keep the water level up. You will be able to see the roots growing out through the clear tupperware. You can then take it and plant it in a cup or pot with potting soil etc. This actually works well with most vines and some semi hardwood plants.
Some passies I did a few yrs ago. Sorry for typos Im on my phone lol.
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berrypiez6b
last yearlast modified: last yearYou're an amazing farmer Sultry.
My recipe today was a squeezed blood orange added to some old store bought orange juice my son didn't like, it was great.
It's a little late to announce ; this is copied from my email from Baker Creek's RARESEEDS about their effort to help after the tragedies in Turkey and Syria.
ALL SEED SALES BENEFIT Earthquake Relief
Starting at 12 AM CST 02/09/23
Ending at 11:59 PM CST 02/09/23
( photo is from their website )
I finally bought a few packs I've wanted; the frosted salmon poppies, Bunny Ears viola, and Apricot Zebra tomato.
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strawchicago z5Original Author