Posts Tagged ‘Tomatoes’
Home Grown Vegetables Taste Better
This spring and summer, my wife and I have restarted our patio garden and planted some tomatoes, hot peppers, and bell peppers. So far we’ve only harvested a handful of patio and Roma tomatoes but they’ve tasted fantastic. We did it for several reasons:
- There is entertainment value out of growing your own fruits and vegetables,
- It’s a fantastically frugal way to enjoy freshly picked items,
- It’s cheaper than driving to the store and buying (we hope!),
- You get a lot of satisfaction from being self-sustaining (to a certain extend).
I recently posted a video update on the garden’s progress recently and are eager to pick the eggplants!
There are studies that have shown that organically grown fruits and vegetables, despite being smaller and more expensive, pack more nutrition (vitamins, minerals, and other good stuff) than the conventionally grown stuff. One thing we’ve empirically learned was that the vegetables tasted better than from the store. Now, we don’t know if it’s because we can taste the love and sweat we put into caring for the little guys or if it’s because they’re actually tastier, but they are tastier. 
Subscribe to the comments for this postThe Good Avocado Superfood
As a child I never had the opportunity to eat much avocado. I’m Chinese and avocado simply didn’t make its way into many, or any, of the meals my mom prepared so I wasn’t exposed to the delicious treat until much later. I think my first try was sometime in college when I tried guacamole, the delicious nacho topper made mostly of avocado. Since then, while I’m not an avocado fiend, I do enjoy its rich creamy flavor both on salads (it makes a great contrast with the crispness of bell peppers and lettuce) and guacamole.
Later on, I discovered that avocado was remarkably good for you. It’s surprisingly rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, the same good stuff that’s in olive oil. Monounsaturated fatty acids has been shown to lower the bad LDL cholesterol levels while increasing the good HDL cholesterol levels. In addition to those benefits, avocados also contain fiber, potassium, magnesium, folate, and antioxidants.
I don’t know if the creators of salsa and guacamole knew this but combining the lycopene in tomatoes and the vitamin E in avocados heightens the positive health benefits of both (especially enhancing antioxidant effects). You add in some onions and the oligosaccharides will boost the tomatoes’ lycopene benefits. Seems like eating lots of salsa and guacamole is pretty good for you.
So, if you’ve never tried avocado, give it a try. If you love the stuff, good for you because it’s good for you too!
(Photo: avlxyz)
