The Pig City Garden Calendar

By Daniel Marvin

Healthy growing…and eating

(Cazenovia – Nov. 9 through 22, 2009) A cold frame is certainly a blessing! We are still eating fresh lettuce, beets and carrots from our cold frame. I do make certain to put a two-inch-thick layer of well-rotted compost into the cold frame and turn it into the soil by hand early in the spring before I start planting.

Let’s talk about natural nutrients. It is up to you to choose what you want to grow and eat at your table, and this may help you do it in a healthier way.

Nutrient: Vitamin A. Benefits: Stimulates production of antibodies, helps maintain skin and mucous membranes and protects against tumor growth. Food sources: Apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.

Nutrient: Vitamin B6. Benefits: Necessary for white blood-cell response and antibody protection. Food sources: Dried beans, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, and whole grains.

Nutrient: Vitamin C. Benefits: Vital to all immune system functions. Food sources: Broccoli, citrus fruits, peppers, turnip greens and strawberries.

Nutrient: Vitamin E. Benefits: An antioxidant. it suppresses production of prostaglandin, an immunity-inhibiting hormone that is increasingly present as you age. Food sources: Apples, grapefruit, lima beans, sweet potatoes, whole grains and wheat germ.

Nutrient: Calcium. Benefits: Plays a crucial role in activating the system in response to invaders. Food sources: Collards, rhubarb, figs and spinach.

Nutrient: Copper. Benefits: Essential for white blood cell production. Food sources: Avocados, dried and lima beans and figs.

Iron: One of the most common deficiencies in American diets. It stimulates blood-cell production/activity. Source: Dried beans, figs, Jerusalem artichokes & white prunes.

Magnesium: Necessary for Lymphocyte growth, important in the forming of antibodies. Source: Figs, prunes, spinach and Swiss chard.

Selenium: Uncertain what it does, but selenium coincides with a depressed immune system. Source: Apples, asparagus, oranges and squash.

Zinc: Required for effective functioning of thymus gland, which has an important role in T-cell maturation. Source: Dried beans, figs, raspberries, spinach and whole grains

It saddens me to see so much carbonated drink in shopper’s carts, and, I assume, in their refrigerators and on the table. These sugar-loaded drinks are of no nutritional value that I know of and are one of the leading paths to diabetes. I would hope and pray that you will consider this fact and help your and your children to drink better by drinking water with no sugar or other sweetener additives.

Happy Gardening!

Daniel Marvin of Cazenovia is an author and gardener. Readers can email him at madnews@m3pmedia.com. The information for this article was taken from the Food Service Institute.

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The Pig City Garden Calendar

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