By John Chappell •
August 21, 2009
How great would it be if there were want ads in your local newspaper or on Craigslist for organic fruits and vegetables, grown in your town, by your neighbors? A new website - Veggie Trader has sprung up that offers exactly such a service, a purchasing and bartering clearinghouse for locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Veggie Trader describes itself as the “place to trade, buy or sell local homegrown produce”. The idea is simple, you register on the website and then offer to purchase, to sell, or trade any manner of surplus fruits or vegetables. If you have too many tomatoes and want to see if anyone nearby has a surplus of peaches or peppers, you can log on, run a search, and find out who in the neighborhood may be willing to exchange with you.
By Andrew Williams •
April 23, 2009
A team of British designers have created a new racing car made entirely of vegetables and powered by … chocolate.
The car, named the ecoF3, has a steering wheel made of carrots, a body made of potatoes and a seat made of soybeans. The team, from World First Racing, hope that environmentally-friendly technology used in their car will be adopted by Formula 1 teams such as McLaren and world champions Ferrari.
By Amy Bell •
March 15, 2009
According to research published in The Journal of HortScience, produce now lacks not only the taste, but also the amount of nutrients it had just 50 years ago.
Vegetables today are larger, but contain more “dry matter” which dilutes the concentrations of minerals. This results in 5% to 40% less magnesium, iron, calcium, and zinc.
Selective breeding to increase crop yields has let to genetic dilution, which has also in turn caused declines in protein and amino acid levels in produce.
Because of the increased use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, crops are now harvested so quickly that the plant has less time to absorb nutrients either from synthesis or the soil.
By Rhonda Winter •
March 3, 2009
Hammy the hamster repeatedly demonstrates her preference for organic fruits and vegetables. For five out of the six food types, Hammy preferred organic; she did, however, seem to have a preference for conventional walnuts over organic. Please visit http://www.cooksden.com/hamster/ for more information.
By Cate Nelson •
February 2, 2009
Kids who eat bacon and other meats containing nitrites more than once a week have a 74 percent increased risk of leukemia than children who did not eat these foods.
Conversely, children whose ate veggies and soy regularly have more protection against cancer.
By Amy Bell •
February 1, 2009
Parents have a tremendous influence over how their children eat.
To emphasize this, researchers at Saint Louis University have determined that families who eat out often are more likely to skimp on fresh fruits and vegetables compared to those who eat more meals at home.
After focusing their study on young families in southeastern Missouri, it was found that close to 73% of parents don’t consume the minimum recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day.
Researchers also discovered that families who eat out frequently are less likely to have fresh produce on hand at home.
By Amy Bell •
January 28, 2009
Stress… it’s something we deal with on a daily basis. Some of us take it all in stride, others let it build up to the breaking point.
When we experience stress too often, our autonomic nervous system rarely has a chance to activate the relaxation response. This can eventually lead to physical or emotional illnesses such as high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, and depression to name just a few.
Making simple diet changes can help reduce stress, here are a few tips to get you started:
(Remember to always use organically grown foods when possible, it’s healthier for you and for the planet.)
By Lisa Kivirist •
November 5, 2008
Hard to believe with this balmy weather we’ve been experiencing out here in the Midwest, but really, truly, Thanksgiving is around the corner. But even though there’s a chill somewhere heading our way, don’t pack up the grill. Break out of the traditional root vegetable recipe box and break out the grill one last time this season with some unique kabobs as a Thanksgiving side dish.
I confess: I’m on a personal quest to generate a little respect for root vegetables. Easy to grow and store and with a decent serving of nutients, sometimes root crops need a little spiffying up with a dash of flavor and presentation value to earn some appeal.
Kabobs make a particularly easy dish as all the marinating and prep work can be done beforehand. All you need is to quickly roast them on the grill before serving. Make a hearty batch as this flavorful tak approach to root crops adds up to tasty leftovers. Grilled beets, turnips and rutabagas taste surprisingly good cold and also work great on an open-faced sandwich with grilled cheese on top.
By Lisa Kivirist •
October 29, 2008
The first year we grew beets on our farm, it was on a serendipitous whim because neither me nor my husband had ever cooked with beets. As serendipitous gardening fate would have it, we pulled out a bumper beet crop that fall — quickly necessitating research in what to do with them.
Which led us to developing this Beet Burger recipe, a new twist on the veggie burger. It’s a very adaptable, forgiving recipe—feel free to modify and experiment with ingredients, like substituting carrots for some of the beets. The burgers freeze well (freeze them on a tray before placing in a freezer bag so they don’t stick together) and taste surprisingly good cold. The recipe is a bit complex, so I usually make a triple batch in a jumbo bowl and stock up for a while.
Recipe after the jump.
