Blueberries and Health: Now Weight Reduction

Blueberries are ripening. The season is just getting underway, so peak will likely be in another week or so. It's a good time to get them. The price is a lot lower than trying to purchase them at other times of the year.

Blueberries are tasty food. The berries are packed full of a lot of good vitamins. Some of the latest research from the University of Michigan also claims they might pack a good punch for weight loss. Eat blueberries and say goodbye to belly fat.

Tests with rats indicate that blueberry consumption reduces abdominal fat and reduces cholesterol and “improved glucose control and insulin sensitivity”. Researches said more information and studies are being conducted but so far it looks like weight reduction can be added to the healthy benefits of eating North America's native blueberries.

Blueberries are very high in antioxidants. They are good for overall health and well being, particularly for the heart and certain cancers. Some research also indicates that a cup of blueberries every day is good for different motor skills.

As noted in the previous post, late blight may be a real problem for home gardeners this year. The time to take action is now. Stake the plants, add mulch and get on a spraying program. There is compost tea, and a spray which can be made from baking soda. To a gallon of water add 1 tablespoon of baking soda, a few drops of liquid dish detergent and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. (Don't even think of using motor oil.). Plants need to be sprayed several times a week with either spray. Commercial sprays are also available but be sure to read and follow the directions.

Late blight is deadly and highly contagious. Monitor the tomatoes every day if possible. If you see blackened leaves, lesions, trash the plant. Burn it, never compost it; the spores can and will spread. The plant is a goner one way or the other. The late blight will kill the plant within a couple of days.

Blogs I like to read, check them out too:

On Your Way to the Top

New York's Southern TierUrban Veggie Garden

Save Money: Think the Veggie Garden

A frequent comment I've heard over the last few months is this is the year to have a vegetable garden. Food prices have risen, jobs are being lost, and there has been more than one serious health scare about food products during the last year.
The mailbox, to give added impetus to turning over the ground, is filled with glamorous seed catalogs filled with glossy pictures and glowing advertisements.
But a good rule of thumb remains, “Buyer Beware”. It is possible to save a lot of money by growing your own food; it is equally possible to spend more than the effort is worth.
Think about your needs and plan from there. Stay away from exotic claims and varieties which take 90 days or more to mature. Chances are in northwestern Pennsylvania, or anywhere in an agricultural zone 5 Jack Frost will strike that those exotic and tasty peppers or tomatoes dead in their tracks.
Think heirlooms, the seeds can be saved from year to year. And seeds are a much better value and easy to start. Plants are expensive. One exception will be the sale held in Meadville later this year by the Master Gardeners, more on that soon.
It is easy to save money by having a vegetable garden using a tad of common sense.
Just for some unrelated fun reading on local history.
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