Caring properly for your Fruit Tree
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If you have just recently planted a new fruit tree, I think it’s safe to assume that you are not yet an expert on the subject. More fruit trees die in their beginning years due to the poor habits of caring than any other disease or pest. Therefore, it is vital that you understand how to care for trees in a manner that ensures its immediate success and future good health.
During the early stages of the tree, life years, the roots, trunk and branches have not yet fully developed a self-supporting strength. Therefore, if the tree is growing fruits, occasionally the combined weight is enough to complement an entire branch. If this is the case, you should provide external support to its branches, support them with boards, or tie them to something that at higher altitudes. To the extent, you can provide your tree the support it needs in these early years, should grow to be independent in no time at all.
Proper nutrition is not only necessary for the production of healthy fruits, but also necessary for the tree to survive more than a season. The exact specifications vary with the area, climate and type of tree, but I dove found no better source than a nursery employee. Maybe, they are just willing to sell the type of fertilizer, but in my experience, almost never wrong. Just inform them about the conditions of your tree is healthy living, and what you are looking for, and be able to help you find something to improve the status of your tree.
Many people think that the only way to ensure a tree, health OSA is to provide it insane amounts of water. This is not the case at all. As a matter of fact, giving too much water a tree can be more harmful than go thirsty. In the best case have a negative effect on the taste of the fruit. However, at worst, the whole tree could die and prevent you from growing fruit in the future. So do not ever try to solve their problems, giving lots of water! Solve your tree health problems in the following years, so to speak. Go to where the problem originates from, and fixes that.
If it is too late, and you are already starting to see unhealthy branches that look into either diseased or damaged, you should always remove them. If the tree is losing nutrients by sending them to the branch that cannot be saved, it is practically throwing away food that could use the other, healthier branches. As soon as you start to see a branch that is deteriorating to chop it off immediately. At least cut the unhealthy part but leave all the segments that still looked like it could keep growing.
Once the tree has begun to enter the picking stage, never leave any of the fruits, because it is destined to fall. Also, be careful to get every piece of the tree. Even if it is an unpleasant aspect of fruit that you do not, want to keep, yet to pick up and throw away. Once these fruits begin to rot, providing a perfect home for unwanted insects or diseases that can be transferred to the tree itself. So remember to bring up these fallen fruits always, and prevent yourself a lot of future pain.
Get a fruit tree and care of her throughout her life can be a daunting task. It may even seem impossible at times to keep track of all the factors that make a healthy tree. However, if you only pay attention to the nutrients the tree needs, you should be in a good way. In addition to nutrients, to ascertain the exact amount of water you should do to keep your tree’s thirst quenched without drowning her years. Just do all these things, and you have a great tree that produces delicious fruit.
Best-tasting peanut butters
Best-tasting peanut butters
There are six listed as the best tasting peanut butter in the market. Creamy, crunchy and even a bit quirky, these peanut butters from the store are jelly’s best friends.
BEST CREAMY: Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter
Velvety smooth, this classic won over tasters with a “rich, buttery” consistency and “slight sweetness.” No wonder Skippy sells almost 90 million jars of the stuff each year. More »
Free healthy recipes - Weight Watchers Recipes
Weight Watchers Recipes - Vegetables
Broccoli Salad
1 head broccoli
1 small red onion
3/4 cup nonfat mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
6 slices turkey bacon — cooked and chopped
1/4 cup pecans
Cut broccoli (including stem) into small pieces and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water and let drain. Finely chop red onion. Mix first 3 ingredients in bowl until well combined. Add broccoli and onions. Refrigerate 2 hours. Before serving add bacon and pecans.
6 servings, 2 POINT each
Sweet Potatoes
3/4 cup orange juice
1 very large or 2 medium sweet potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), cut in half, then lengthwise into 8 wedges
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries (optional)
Toss potato wedges with orange juice, olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, honey and salt. Spread in a shallow baking dish and bake, covered, in a 400-degree oven until fork-tender but not mushy (about 45 minutes), basting once or twice during baking.
Uncover for the last 15 minutes and sprinkle with cranberries or cherries if desired. Serves 6.
Per serving: 104 calories, 1.5g protein, 1g fat (0.2g saturated), 23g carbohydrates, 2.3g fiber, 10mg sodium.
Weight Watchers Points Per Serving: 2
Health plus: Sweet potatoes are a rich source of the antioxidants beta and alpha carotene. Cinnamon and other spices raise insulin activity, needed to process sugar.
Broccoli Casserole
1 1/2 cups shredded nonfat or reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
1 3/4 cups dry curd or nonfat cottage cheese
1/3 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
2 Tbsp unbleached flour
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
3 Tbsp finely ground fat-free whole-wheat cracker crumbs
Set aside 1/2 cup of the grated Cheddar cheese. Combine the rest of the cheese and all of the remaining ingredients except for the cracker crumbs in a large bowl, and stir to mix well.
Coat a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the broccoli mixture in the dish, sprinkle with the cracker crumbs, and spread the reserved cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
12 servings , 1.5 POINTS each, Serving size: 2/3 cup
Healthy cooking recipes - Cornmeal Gives Golden Goodness
Cornmeal Gives Golden Goodness
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Corn gets my vote as the most varied and versatile whole grain. It comes in more colors – from white, yellow and red to blackish blue – and more forms than any other whole grain I can think of.
Popcorn, if you didn’t know it, is a whole grain, as are other forms of whole corn, from ears of steamed or grilled fresh corn to frozen or canned kernels. But ground corn is what really fascinates me.
Ground corn comes in many textures, from one fine enough to use in baking to coarsely- cracked grits. Although these can have different names and produce distinctly different results depending on how they are cooked, corn is always delicious.
My mother insisted that school mornings start with hot cereal. Her stone-ground cornmeal, served with maple syrup and cold milk, was one of my favorites. A neighbor, transplanted from Mobile, Alabama, called this cornmeal mush. My Romanian grandfather, who lived with us, refrigerated the leftovers; he later sliced and reheated them until crisp and golden brown, at which point he dubbed the dish mamaliga.
Our Mobile neighbor also introduced me to grits, which can be fine or coarse. Coarse grits are best served baked with cheese and chiles. Stone-ground cornmeal retains the vitamin-rich germ and fiber-rich bran. Always choose yellow cornmeal over white, which lacks the vitamin A in the carotenoids that give it its bright color.
Italian polenta is cornmeal too, but the corn is harder, so it seems more gritty, whether coarse or fine, regular or quick-cooking. Hominy, hominy grits, Mexican masa and masa harina are in a different category because the corn is treated with lye, a process that makes its protein and niacin more available and adds a distinctive taste.
These moist muffins combine two types of whole-grain corn with chiles and cheese.
Whole Corn and Green Chile Muffins (adapted from The New American Plate Cookbook) - Makes 12 servings.
Canola oil spray (optional)
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, preferably stone-ground
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste (optional)
1/2 cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. fat-free or low-fat (2%) milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 can (8 oz.) salt-free whole kernel corn, well drained
1 can (4.5 oz) diced green chiles, well-drained
cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with canola oil spray or line with paper liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, cayenne and cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg with the milk and oil. Mix in the corn and chiles. Add this mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fill each muffin cup with even amounts of batter.
Bake muffins 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin close to the center of the pan comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to the rack and cool completely.
Per serving: 168 calories, 8 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 20 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 275 mg. sodium.
AUTHOR:
“Something Different” is written by Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.
A Penchant for Pizza
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KING Ferdinand I (1751–1825) is said to have disguised himself as a commoner and, in clandestine fashion, visited a poor neighborhood in Naples. Why the secrecy? One story has it that he wanted to sink his teeth into a food that the queen had banned from the royal court—pizza.
If Ferdinand were alive today, he would have no trouble indulging his appetite. Currently, there are some 30,000 pizzerias in Italy, and each year they produce enough pizzas to serve 45 to each inhabitant!
Humble Origins
Pizza may have originated in Naples about 1720. Back then, pizza was primarily for the poor, a “fast food” that was sold and consumed outdoors. Vendors would traverse the streets loudly calling out to advertise their tasty delicacies. The pizzas were kept warm in a scudo, a copper receptacle that was carried on the vendor’s head.
King Ferdinand I eventually made his penchant for pizza known to the royal court. Before long, this street delicacy won such favor that even members of the wealthy elite and the royal class began flocking to pizzerias. Ferdinand’s grandson, King Ferdinand II, went so far as to have a wood-burning oven built in the gardens of Capodimonte Palace in 1832. Thus, he was able to keep his aristocratic guests happy.
Pizza Nutritious?
Today, pizza is a favorite food of young people, but a word of caution is in order. To be considered nutritious, pizza should be made from healthful ingredients that are balanced in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Olive oil is a recommended ingredient in pizza. It promotes the formation of HDL, described as “the good type of cholesterol that helps clean the arteries.”
Furthermore, when pizza is cooked well, it rarely causes digestive problems. In part, this is because the carbohydrates in the flour receive an ample amount of hydration during the kneading and leavening process. Meanwhile, the presence of complex carbohydrates contributes to a full feeling, which usually helps keep even the most enthusiastic pizza lover from overindulging.
The next time you indulge your penchant for pizza, recall its humble origins. And be glad that King Ferdinand I did not keep his love for pizza a secret.
Pizza is best cooked in a wood-burning oven. The smoke that is released during cooking gives the pizza a delicate aroma, while the thin layer of ash on the bottom of the pizza gives it a delicious taste.
The world’s largest circular pizza was made in 1990. Its diameter measured more than 122 feet, and it weighed more than 12 tons!
The age-old custom of throwing pizza dough into the air and rotating it is not just for show. The centrifugal force that is created flattens the dough into a disk with a slightly raised border—a perfect base for a pizza!
