How to plant Beetroot

As I was working in one of my online jobs, I encountered this article on how to plant Beetroot.  I'd like to share this with you as I find it helpful to those who like to plant their own veggies for salads and for other food needs.

What is Beetroot?

Wisegeek says, also known as the garden beet, the beetroot is a sweet, maroon root vegetable.  Beetroot is a healthy, low-calorie food filled with fiber.  It is known to help improve health conditions such as high blood pressure.  The leaves of the red beet can also be eaten. 

The source further says, beets can be consumed in a variety of ways.  If consumed raw, beets should first be peeled.  The top and bottom of the root should also be removed prior to ingesting.  Beets can also be boiled, sauteed, pickled, fried, juiced, steamed, pureed, grilled, or baked.  When cooking beets, the skin may be left on until it is loose enough to fall off, retaining the vegetable's vivid color.

A common way of serving beetroot is as a side dish or salad component.

Eating beets is often suggested as part of a low-fat diet to help prevent heart disease.  A single serving of beetroot contains only 36 calories.  In addition to fiber, the vegetable provides a good source of folate and potassium.  Its leaves are also considered a good source of nutrients, such as iron and calcium.

Really good vegetable, isn't it?  So get yourself some beetroot seedlings from your local store or buy it online.

You can also inquire from www.awapuni.co.nz.  This website is the source of this gardening tips on how to plant Beetroot.

Below is Tod Palenski's (www.awapuni.co.nz) article:

 

Once you've got your beetroot seedlings, it's simply a matter of working out where to plant. them.  Beetroot like well-drained, friable (breaks apart in your hands) soil. 

They grow well next to brassicas, like broccoli and cauliflower, which take longer to mature and spread out.  This means you can plant beetroot in the spaces in between your brassicas, and harvest them before the brassicas start needing the extra room.





Alternatively, they grow great in pots.  Wherever you plant, simply dig a little 3 cm deep hole, place the seedling in the hole and fill in with soil.

They like moisture as they start to develop, so keep them well watered.

In around 10 to 12 weeks, they should be ready.  The great thing about beetroot is they can be eaten at any size, just dig them up and enjoy.

 

So there you go!  You now know how to plant Beetroot. No more worries running out of beetroot.


Put a smile on your face while gardening, be happy.  It is believed to guarantee good harvest.


Good luck!

Health benefits of Quinoa

Science had tagged Quinoa as "superfood" because it is full of phytonutrients, antioxidants and can help balance your blood sugar.  Quinoa is a delicious whole "grain", easy to digest, contains high quality protein and fiber.  Always mistaken as a grain, Quinoa actually is the seed of a herb-like plant from the Goosefoot family.  It is not a new crop; in fact, it was cultivated by the Incas 5000 years ago.  They call it the Mother Grain.  It has been the staple food of the Incas and it thrives even at high altitude and poor soil.





Quinoa, pronounced as KEEN-WAH, is fluffy, a bit crunchy and slightly flavored when cooked.  Its cooks and tastes like grain, the reason Quinoa can be good substitute for grains.

 

The greatest value of Quinoa is its being gluten-free and easy to digest.  Some of the nutrients of Quinoa are:

• Rich in Fiber - eases elimination and cleans colon.

• Magnesium - helps relax your muscles and blood vessels. 

• Manganese and cooper - Act as antioxidants to get rid of cancer and disease-causing substances.

• Complete protein - contains all 9 essential amino acids required by the body as building blocks for muscles.

• Calcium - high-levels of calcium beneficial to our bones, nails and teeth.

Quinoa as a whole grain, may help in preventing and treating artherosclerosis, breast cancer, diabetes and insulin resistance.

Quinoa has a coating called Saponin that is bitter and is mildly toxic. So it is important to rinse and soak the seeds first to remove this before cooking.  To make sure that Saponin is removed, tip your Quinoa into a sieve and hold it under running water for a few minutes.  You will know that the seeds are cooked when they turn translucent with a white edge and center to each seed as seen on the photo below.

There are many uses of Quinoa as food.  It can be used as substitute for rice, potatoes or pasta to go with a meal.  Could also be used in stews, stuffings, and desserts.  Makes great as quinoa porridge for breakfast.

Ideal too in the evening for quinoa is easy to digest, so you don't have to worry about getting a good night's sleep.

Quinoa is best for salads!

Get more about Quinoa recipes from here:  http://www.the-gluten-free-chef.com/quinoa-recipes.html

All about salad

I have been doing a lot of self-brainstorming lately as to how my blog site should progress.  I can't seem to settle what this blog should be, just anything what comes to my mind.  Well, "in a mother's mind" it is.

My online jobs are influencing me in terms of concept and content.  I understand, in order to increase traffic to your blog, you have to focus on one concept.  But I can't seem to follow the rule mainly because there are many things I like to post.  The top two in my list are homemaking and yoga.  I guess, I will just settle on these two.  They relate anyway.

As a start, I like to post anything about salad.  I am a vegan at heart and a passable cook but not a practitioner (well, not yet).  I had the chance to view food blogs (via my online job) and I like what I saw.  It actually gave me an idea what to do with my blog site.

I would like to make this site a good resource about salads.  I hope there will be no mind changing again.