Cook Your Food

I love salads, but I seldom eat them anymore. I have grown suspect of raw vegetables, with good reason.

We get a lot of our produce from other countries now, especially Central American countries. Nothing against the nice folks in those lands, but their in the field hygiene seems to be a bit lacking. Produce from those countries seems to come in, all too often tainted. Now, usually that is an ecoli problem. Yes, you can wash that off, but you best not miss a millimeter of the surface or by the time you eat it, the little germs will have multiplied at an alarming rate.

In addition, there are certain tiny monsters, mostly protozoans, who get inside the produce and these cannot be washed off. You must kill them by cooking and you best cook them well.

I live in Georgia and, like many, a lot of produce comes from California and, yes, that produce is often contaminated. This may be because they use many imported workers to pick and process that food. Maybe the problem has another source, but I cannot imagine what that would be.

If you can get locally grown produce, in season, do so. If not, cook your fruits and vegetables. I have had an ecoli infection and, trust me, you do not want one.

Gardening - Grow Your Own Fruit, Vegetables, and Berries

This is an introduction to a series I will be doing on Gardening. Not flowers, although I am all for flowers and will discuss them at a later time. No, I want to encourage all of you to grow a little of your own produce. Why?

Well, to save some money. That's first and for most, Done incorrectly, growing produce at home can cost you more than buying it at the store, a lot more. Done correctly, you can save a bunch of money.

Second, quality. The produce you buy at a supermarket is almost always picked green and ripened in shipment. Thus, it has not had a chance to develop its full range of nutrients. It also has not developed its full range of flavor. In addition, much of it is in the form of varieties that are specifically grown to be shipped and/or to be easier to grow on huge forms and is often just not as flavorful or nutritious. If you have a farmer's market near you, great. You can find fine produce there but, often, it is expensive.

Third, pleasure. Growing a garden is not all that hard and it is a real treat to sit down to a meal and enjoy the fruits of your labor. After all, I am not talking about planting 30 acres, just a nice garden. The work is great exercise and, if you have kids, it is a great way to get them outside and away from the computer and cell phone.

Some of the topics I will write about include soil, compost, water, feeding, pest control, varieties to plant container gardening and raised beds. I hope you enjoy the series.