3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

project365

Day 205/365: Time For Summer Vegetable Gardens and Farm Produce Stands

by

I’m so excited! It’s the time of year for my summer vegetable garden and in June I’m super motivated with thoughts of cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and fresh broccoli. Until my harvest, I haunt my Omaha Nelson farm produce stand in the parking lot where I work.

They have the best fresh peaches and produce that is ready way before my own garden zucchini and tomatoes are ready.

Cucumbers
Cucumbers

I’m going to try and like yellow and green “mushy” vegetables like zucchini and squash,I even planted cauliflower this year. Over the years I’m made sweet pickles, jalapeno “cowboy candy” and sweet basil jelly. So far at the beginning of June, we have harvested spinach, lettuce, and radishes. We have had so many leafy greens we have been giving away bags of them to friends and co-workers.

Fresh Garden Spinach
Fresh Garden Spinach

Essential Gardening Tools

Gardening really doesn’t take too many tools or equipment. Some good soil, mulch ( I like to use our lawn clippings), water, and sunlight. The secret is growing plants that are native to your specific area. For instance, growing watermelon in the north isn’t a good idea, not enough heat days. Likewise, blueberries in Nebraska don’t do well. Our soil is too alkaline.

With my bad back, a rolling garden seat is INVALUABLE!! Seriously, I don’t mean to shout, but now as I have passed the big 50, I cant’ bend over for hours picking green beans for an hour. Inside I keep my gardening gloves, small trowel, and bags to pick lettuce. Everything stays dry and this seat has stayed out all season long in the rain.

Rolling Garden Seat with StorageCorona Clipper Diamond Hoe

First Year Vegetable Garden

It’s amazing how big the broccoli can grow and take over the garden, as well as the tomatoes. I have planted potatoes and onions, but it’s not an efficient use of space. They demand a lot of water, mulch, and loose soil. I’d rather grow basil or peppers in their spot and buy my potatoes from the produce stand.

Do you have a garden? What do you like to plant and what is your favorite gardening tip?

Farmers Market Venmo Sign

A Venmo sign is essential to your farmers market display. Many people do bring cash, but once they run out. So then digital wallets like Venmo and Cash App are alternative option. By the way you can create your own customized Venmo sign in my Zazzle shop.

The one below if for my Tea n More tea company, which was an offshoot of our local farmers market.

 

Day 204/365: Thor, The Mythological God of Thunder

by

Can you see Thor?
Can you see Thor?

 

Phone rings…

Beth driving home from Lincoln: “Have you seen the sky?”

Me: “No, but let me look, OMG, it’s awesome! I gotta get my camera”

Beth: “The clouds are really scary, be careful”

Me: “I’m looking at the storm clouds over your house, very cool”

“Oh, my, one of your cats is on the roof again.”

Beth: “What color is the cat?”

Me: “Black and white”

Beth: “That makes sense, that Thor, the god of thunder”

Can you see him, he’s to the left of basketball hoop on the front roof, a little white smudge.

Day 202/365: Easy Chocolate Trifle Dessert

by

I love food and there is nothing more impressive than a layered trifle dessert when you are trying to impress company. What is great about trifles is they are soooo easy and creative, really can’t go wrong with just about any combination of pudding, cool whip, fruit or candy toppings.

I received a trifle bowl for our wedding and one of my first dessert creations was chocolate pudding, brownies, and heath bars layered with cool whip.

Easy Chocolate Trifle Dessert
Easy Chocolate Trifle

My kids fought over it and said I had to make it again.You expect a recipe maybe? Ok, here it is

Ingredients

  • 1 pan of brownies
  • 1 qt (4 cups) cold milk
  • 2 pkg (4 serving size each) Chocolate Instant Pudding & Pie Filing
  • 1 tub (8 oz) Whipped Topping, thawed
  • 4 pkg (1.4 oz each) Heath Bars (Butterfingers, Snickers, you get the idea)

Directions

Bake brownies. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. ADD mild to dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. LAYER half each of the brownie cubes, pudding, whipped topping and crushed chocolate bars in large glass trifle bowl.

Simple Dessert TriflesArtland Simplicity Trifle Bowl

REPEAT all layers, Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Other trifle Combinations

Layer the following with cool whip

  • Banana pudding, bananas, strawberries, blueberries
  • Vanilla pudding, strawberries, blueberries (red, white, and blue patriotic trifle)
  • Pistachio pudding, chocolate brownies, strawberries, crushed pistachio nuts on top
  • Lemon pudding, angel food cake, blueberries, crushed lemon cookies

Sweet Home: Over 100 Heritage Desserts and Ideas for

Let your creative ideas flow when it comes to trifles and desserts. It’s a great way to end a meal and make an impression. I like to show my guests what we have for dessert before we eat, that way they leave room for dessert after dinner.

More Trifle Dessert Ideas

Easy Chocolate Dessert: Death by Chocolate – Madigan Made

Easy chocolate trifle dessert idea with Butterfinger candy layers. If you wanted more trifle ideas, be sure to check out some of my other recipes (I tend to like mini desserts, too!): Easy trifle dessert ideas. Clockwise from the top …

Mini Strawberry, Lemon and Shortbread Trifle – Madigan Made

layered trifle miniature. I love desserts like this. In reality, trifles are very simple to make… but the layers look so pretty! Oh, and did I mention that they taste good, too?! YUM! mini trifle dessert ideas. Sharing with link parties at:

Foodista | Beautiful Berry and White Chocolate Trifle

Thanks to Foodista member: Nerina Timm for this lovely dessert. For more trifle dessert ideas, check out these, from the Foodista archives: Berry and White Chocolate Trifle · Brownie Trifle · Chocolate Berry Trifle · Chocolate …

Trifle Recipe For An Easy Dessert (PHOTOS)

A trifle recipe is your savior of holiday entertaining. It lets you look impressive, but won’t stress you out. Trifles are like secret weapons that are especially handy during the holiday season when you need easy desserts that can feed a crowd. No …

 

Get your Fill of Nuts at the Testicle Festival

by

Yes you read the title correctly,it is time for the “Testicle Festival” in South Bend Nebraska at the local Round the Bend Restaurant. Some people refer to them as Rocky Mountain Oysters, Calf Fries, or just, calf nuts or balls, but regardless of the name they are the removable reproductive organs of a calf, lamb or even turkey.

2011 Testicle Festival in South Bend Nebraksa
2011 Testicle Festival (Day 201 of my 365 Project)

In ranching country, or just the midwest they are considered a delicacy. Here at Round the Bend Restaurant they are a sometimes considered a dare, a novelty, and a reason to celebrate and have a party one weekend out of the year.  I do have to admit, that after living in the Elmwood-Murdock area this was the first time I had actually eaten Beef Fries. They were actually very good. But when you cover anything in batter and fry it you can make anything taste good.

Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner’s Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright BizarreEdible plants and animals: Unusual foods from aardvark to zamia

For eighteen years hundreds of people show up the Friday and Saturday of Fathers Day weekend for bragging rights that they attended this very unique event. Many leave home with a custom T-Shirt.  Others leave with one more item checked off their bucket list.

Testicle Festival at Round the Bend in Nebraska
Just some girls getting some NUTS (taken with my cell phone)

Sometimes an adult beverage makes things go down easier and I’m partial to Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Only this time someone decided I needed the “Harder Lemonade” for this culinary experiment. Being in Nebraska you make friends with everyone and an event like this gives everyone a topic of conversation.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 6pk, 11.2 oz

The lady sitting across the table was from Chicago, first time at the nut fest, and she compared them to Schnitzel.If you’re wondering if there is a recipe somewhere, yes there is, but it’s not mine. Check out Cooking on the Sagebrush for authentic back country style cooking or even The Story Lady’s recipe. It’s not just people in Nebraska that enjoy calf nuts. Ree Drummond, the infamous Pioneer Woman talks about nuts, eating nuts, cutting nuts, and even takes pictures of nuts in unusual placements. It’s a way of life in some parts of the country.

You can buy Bull Fries online to cook for yourself, and where else? Amazon. So if you want to try a ranching delicacy, fry up a gag gift for a party, or just act on a dare, go ahead and order some bull fries and tell me how you like them.

Beef, Rocky Mountain Oysters, Sliced And Breaded, Frozen – 10 Lb Case

So next time you hear of a Testicle Festival, pull up a chair, tuck in your napkin and enjoy gourmet cooking, mid-western style.

BTW: My daughter, who worked as a hostess at Round the Bend, told me they served up 2,300 lbs of testicles and ran out before it was over on Saturday. If you’re looking for the location of Round the Bend it’s located between Omaha and Lincoln, exit 426, head south past the Wildlife Safari Park, “round the bend” and at the top of the hill across from Quarry Oaks golf course.

Here is a video of one of my favorite celebrities, Mike Rowe, eating lamb fries during one of his episodes of Dirty Jobs. Just think, NOTHING goes to waste, agriculture is efficient and one of the least wasteful industrys’. My Mom said everything on the pig is used, except the squeal. So do your part. Eat some nuts.

 Find a Testicle Festival in your Area

‘Testy Fest’ Returns to Virginia Square

Testy Fest 2015 logo The Montana State Society is again hosting its annual Testicle Festival in Virginia Square this year. The event, which lets participants dine on all-you-can-eat Rocky Mountain oysters while sipping all-you-can-drink beer and Crown …

The Myth of Sun Exposure: Love the Healthy Summer Sun Again and Get Your Vitamin D

by

This is my idea of summer. Sand, water, sun and the time to relax and enjoy it. I’m a sun worshiper at heart. I gauge a successful summer by my tan line. Most summers I fail, but I do have some good weeks. I do not buy into the myth of sun exposure.

Getting Vitamin D from the sun
Nebraska’s version of a beach

My heritage is Native American, I have a lot of melanin in my skin, I tan easily, rarely burn (with the exception of the first of the season) and I just feel better when I’ve had some natural vitamin D exposure.  No, I do not do cloudy winters well at all, I’ll leave that to those with European heritage

Myth About Sun Dangers

I honestly believe (based on the New World, Old World monkey vitamin D research requirements) that certain people require more exposure to sun to stay healthy, and sane. New World Monkeys (Tamarins and marmosets) lived in the tree tops, with more exposure to the sun and need more vitamin D supplementation than the Old World Monkeys (macaques, and baboons), who live primarily on the forest floor.

The Sunlight Solution: Why More Sun Exposure and Vitamin D areSunshine and Vitamin D: A Comprehensive Guide to the Benefits of the ”Sunshine Vitamin

I believe the same thing happens in humans. People who are from areas of the world that receive more sun exposure have adapted to physiological nutritional needs according to their environment. The color of the skin is a prime example. People who tan easily normally have Mediterranean ancestry (Italians, Greeks, Middle Eastern) or Native People ancestry such as Native American, Eskimos, aboriginal descent and commonly have vitamin D deficiency and seasonal affective disorder.

This past winter my daughter was diagnosed with severe vitamin D deficiency, she is dark skinned like me and suffered through various health issues this past winter. She was also living on her own for the first time and I’m sure her diet and nutrition wasn’t the best.

Her vitamin D serum test result was 20 ng/ml which is extremely low. She is now taking Vitamin D supplements, but has increased her sun exposure.

Vita Optimum Vitamin D3 5000 IU – In Certified Organic Olive Oil (360 minigels) GMO-Free & Made in USAVitamin D3 2000IU, 100% Pure, Premium Quality. The number 1 Best Vitamin D supplement available online today.

 Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

Here are a few signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, check with you doctor before self diagnosis, but if you have dark skin, get depressed during the winter months and feel better during the summer it’s something to consider

  • Wintertime depression
  • Sweaty head
  • Bones aches
  • Overall tired and achy (fibromyalgia, fatigue syndrome??)
  • GI issues, trouble digesting food (mimics gluten sensitivity)

This last symptom, stomach issues is actually quite interesting. Diseases such as Crohn’s, celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and inflammatory bowel disease “may” be in part to a Vitamin D deficiency.

Benefits of Vitamin D

Get some Vitamin D in your system, kick the kids outside to play, go for a walk in the sun and DON’T use sunscreen. Vitamin D boosts the immune system, helps ward off colds and infections, and is important in heart health.

  • Increased heart health
  • Boosts immune system (autoimmune diseases)
  • Fights bacterial and viral infections
  • Helps prevent colds and influenza
  • Helps prevent and fight cancer

The Northern Europeans had limited exposure to sunlight and did not need melanin as skin protection. Think about it,..yeah, makes sense.

Dark Deception: Discover the Truths About the Benefits of Sunlight ExposureThe Truth About Sunscreen: A Closer Look At The Facts And Myths Behind Sun Exposure

So with that I’m out to enjoy my Nebraska sun at the only beach within driving distance. Louisville Recreation area, where I can lay on the beach, listen to good music, and take a dip in the water when I get too hot. Perfect. If only it were an ocean beach, oh that’s right, I wish I could be sitting on Block Island right now!

A book, music, sun, and beverages, make a summer complete
A book, music, sun, and beverages, make a summer complete

Have Fun in the Sun Again

So everyone enjoy your summer and if you enjoy the sun, and feel like you need it, then you probably do. If you’re pale and freckled, douse with sun screen and take precautions. But don’t hate on us sun worshipers, it’s in our genes.

More Information About Vitamin D

Have A Vitamin D Deficiency? 5 Signs You’re Not Getting Enough Of The …

If you’re feeling blissfully happy to see the face of the sun after what seemed like a century of grey skies this winter, your body may need those glorious beams more than you’ve understood — there’s been a recent widespread rise in vitamin D deficiency.

People’s Pharmacy: Will sunscreen lead to vitamin D deficiency?

Sunscreens are big business. Americans spend well more than $8 billion a year slathering on creams, lotions and gels to protect themselves from sunburns. People have gotten the message that exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation equals aging, …

What should we think about Vitamin D?

If you’ve been reading about the health problems supposedly linked to vitamin D deficiency — such as heart disease and cancer — getting your levels tested might seem wise. But here are some common myths and realities about D testing. [Lay off the …

Lifestyle, diet causing Vitamin D deficiency epidemic among Indians

The drive includes first creating awareness among medical fraternity followed by awareness among the public. National IMA President Dr A Marthanda Pillai told TOI that though tropical countries had enough sunlight, the vitamin D deficiency had become …

Time for fun in the Gulf sun? Warnings against lack of vitamin D

Dubai-based nutritionist and health promoter, Hala Barghout told Dubai-based Arabian Business, “studies from the third international conference on Vitamin D deficiency also showed 78 percent of the UAE population have Vitamin D deficiency, with the …