Aug
07
How cool is this?
Beetroot juice ‘boosts stamina’
Nitrates seem to be the key ingredient in beetroot
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Drinking beetroot juice boosts stamina and could help people exercise for up to 16% longer, a UK study suggests.
A University of Exeter team found nitrate contained in the vegetable leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake – making exercise less tiring.
The small Journal of Applied Physiology study suggests the effect is greater than that which can be achieved by regular training.
Beetroot juice has previously been shown to reduce blood pressure.
We eat a lot of beets. We grow them. In fact, I should have a few more ready to harvest very soon!
Aug
01
It’s time for fall planting and I have laid out the plan. Of course, being sick for the past week has already put me behind, but planting is not all that labor intensive and it’s still possible to catch up. It’s pulling up all the old stuff and figuring out where to put everything that’s the hard part. So here is the fall planting schedule.
JULY 28
Time to clean out and make room.
- Snap Pole Beans
- Lima Pole Beans
- Melons
- Okra
- Peppers
- Potatoes
AUGUST 1
AUGUST 11
- Pumpkins
- Winter Squash
- Tomato
AUGUST 15
- Lima Bush Beans
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Chard
- Onion Sets
- Parsley
- Southern Peas
AUGUST 25
SEPTEMBER 1
SEPTEMBER 15
- English Peas
- Sugar Peas
- Spinach
SEPTEMBER 22
Now, if I can just beat this summer flu and stay well I will be all set.
-- Weather When Posted --
- Temperature: 77°F;
- Humidity: 78%;
- Heat Index: 79°F;
- Wind Chill: 77°F;
- Pressure: 29.99 in.;
Jul
10
Okra
It’s almost ready!
I have no idea what kind this is. I think I remember it being Clemson Spineless, but I bought it so long ago that I could be wrong. I bought a Burgundy Okra one time too, but I know that is not what it is. I save a pod every year and that is what I plant in the spring. I always seem to have one or two that I miss harvesting and it seems a waste to throw them out.
Okra is a kind of hibiscus, Hibiscus esculentus, and it actually has a very pretty flower. I must have missed this one flowering while I was on my mini-vacation. It seems like the hotter it gets, the better okra likes it. That makes one of us. But at least there is something in my yard that doesn’t look totally exhausted from the heat.
I will have to be careful to check the pods daily now because they grow so fast, it’s easy to miss that perfect okra moment – when it is about 3 or 4 inches long. And I really don’t want to leave them on the plant too long because that shuts down production.
Fried Okra! I can’t wait. We are gluten sensitive (well, at least three out of five of us are) but I have found that it tastes just as good fried in olive oil with salt and pepper (and maybe some Cajun seasonings) as it does breaded and fried.
Yum!
