Food Fun and Facts       Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe and What's Eating My Potatoes?

Recipe for Mashed Sweet Potatoes


Ingredients

5 small sweet potatoes
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt
pepper

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes in quarters.  Place in salted water in a pot. Boil till soft. Drain Well. Season with salt and pepper. Add the yogurt and butter and mash.  This is my favorite recipe and it will serve 4 and the kids will love it, too! You can of course adjust the ingredients to the amount needed. Not a rocket science project here!  This recipe also works well with the "reduced for clearance" sweet potatoes! Just cut off the brown sections  you find on the potatoes.

Gardening With Charlie - What's Eating My Potatoes?

(Family Features) - Kathy Bond-Borie - Potatoes are a fun crop to grow, especially when it comes time to dig for those buried treasures. Unfortunately, there are numerous pests that are also fond of potatoes. Here are the most common and what to do about them.

Colorado Potato Beetle
In spite of the name, these insects can be found in most states. Both the adults, which are yellowish with black stripes, and the larvae, which are dark red or orange with black spots, feed on potato foliage. Check the undersides of leaves for their orange egg masses and rub them off. Dispose of beetles in a can of soapy water. Bacillus thuringiensis 'San Diego' kills the young larvae and it's harmless to beneficial insects, animals, and humans.

Flea Beetle
Flea beetles are tiny, black or brown, and pesky. They chew small holes in plant leaves and can do serious damage fast if they attack young plants. To foil these pests, cover young plants with fabric row covers as soon as you set them out. Keep flea beetle populations low through crop rotation and by maintaining high soil organic matter.

Aphid
These tiny insects can transmit virus diseases. They suck juices from the leaves and stems of potato plants, stunting their growth. Insecticidal soap sprays are an effective control.

Wireworm
Wireworms are the larvae of the click beetle. They're a problem when potatoes are planted in a section of garden that was recently in sod. Fully-grown wireworms are 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long, slender, and brownish or yellowish white. They tunnel into plant roots and tubers, spoiling them. If your soil is heavily infested, contact your Extension Service for advice on solving the problem.

Diseases
You may have a disease problem in the potato patch one year and none at all the next. The weather plays a big part in the health of a potato crop. Moisture and temperature conditions may trigger certain diseases, which will spread rapidly through the potato rows. But there's no need to simply sit back and let the weather determine the fate of your crop.

To protect your crop, rotate the potato plot each year. Plant healthy, certified seed potatoes. If you have severe disease problems, consider using a standard potato dust or spray regularly throughout the season. These are chemical mixtures that prevent some diseases such as late blight. They thwart some pests, too, such as the Colorado potato beetle. If you use a potato dust or spray, read and follow the directions carefully. To be effective, most standard dusts must be applied to the potato foliage every 7 to 10 days, beginning when the plants emerge from the ground.

The fungus that causes common scab lives in the soil for many years. It's not active when the soil pH is below 5.4, so if you have a serious scab problem, take a soil pH test. You may want to lower the pH by adding wood ashes to the potato bed. Avoid lime, which raises the pH.

For more tips and garden information visit www.garden.org.

A former floral designer and interior plantscaper, Kathy Bond-Borie has spent 20 years as a garden writer/editor, including her current role as Horticultural Editor for the National Gardening Association. She loves designing with plants, and spends more time playing in the garden - planting and trying new combinations - than sitting and appreciating it.

SOURCE:
National Gardening Association

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Getting Your Daily Dose of Color?

Americans Falling Short on Heart-Healthy Phytonutrients

(Family Features) - Most people consider color an important factor in fashion, home design, cosmetics, even landscaping. But a new study shows that they don't give color much thought when it comes to food which can improve heart health.

Americans are falling short on heart-healthy phytonutrients, according to "America's Phytonutrient Report: Heart Health by Color," a new report released by the Nutrilite Health Institute.

It finds only two out of 10 Americans consume "prudent intake" levels of select heart-healthy phytonutrients, leaving the other 80 percent with a "cardio phytonutrient gap."

"This report makes it clear that most adults are not getting the recommended intakes of fruits and vegetables, which are packed with beneficial compounds like phytonutrients," says Dr. Ken Kornman of Interleukin Genetics, and Scientific Advisory Board Member for Nutrilite Health Institute.


Phytonutrients are natural components or compounds of plants thought to offer benefits to health.
 
Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and teas are rich sources of phytonutrients. Though there are many important phytonutrients, the report focuses on four - allicin, quercetin, anthocyanidins and resveratrol - that research suggests may benefit the heart. These compounds are grouped in the white and purple/blue color categories and are commonly found in garlic, onions, apples, blueberries and grapes.

"Heart health can be supported by certain lifestyle habits including daily exercise and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which include low calorie sources of potassium, fiber, folic acid, and vitamins A, C and E," added Amy Hendel, Nutrilite's Phytonutrient Coach.

Colorful Ways to Eat Healthier Video


To help close the gap and promote heart-friendly lifestyle choices, Hendel, a registered physician assistant and health/wellness expert, offers the following tips:

  • Cook with Garlic and Onions. Garlic offers you the benefits of allicin, a phytonutrient that supports healthy blood pressure. Onions provide the benefit of quercetin, a phytonutrient that also supports healthy blood pressure.
  • Heart-Healthy Snacking. A cup of tea with apple slices, a small piece of dark chocolate or a handful of nuts are all good, heart-healthy snack options.
  • Exercise. It's important to incorporate a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise into your daily routine.
  • Small Changes. Improving your heart health can be as easy as making small changes to your diet. Toss a handful of blueberries onto your cereal, add some chopped apples to your salad or snack on some grapes.
  • Meeting the Daily Goal. For those having trouble getting enough fruits and vegetables, natural, plant-based supplements can help close the "cardio phytonutrient gap."

For more information on America's Phytonutrient Report: Heart Health by Color, the health benefits of phytonutrients and practical tips, visit www.nutrilite.com/color.

SOURCE:
Nutrilite

Sumptuous Starters & Sides

(Family Features) - Whether entertaining a large group or a small gathering, a great way to showcase culinary flair is with a spread of starters and sides. And, with timesaving ingredients, such as cream soups, store-bought mashed potatoes and prepared pastry sheets, it's a cinch to complement any main dish with appetizers and side dishes that look and taste elegant. Using these simple recipes, hosts can impress family and friends and still have time to enjoy the party.

A favorite side dish, Green Bean Casserole, is a rich, creamy and crispy combination of green beans, Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup and French's French Fried Onions. An elegant, yet simple starter, Four-Cheese Potato-Stuffed Mushrooms are made with Idahoan Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes, so no peeling, boiling or mashing is required. Cheese lovers will swoon when they dip into Holiday Brie en Croute made with Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets and dried cranberries. To complete the spread, serve warm Potato Buttermilk Biscuits with butter.  For more recipes for all of your entertaining needs, visit www.CampbellsKitchen.com and www.idahoan.com.


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