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Saturday, October 14, 2017

Salient Facts about Growing Ginger

Fresh ginger cuts.
Ginger is a wonderful addition to your cooking and has a wide variety of medicinal benefits, including broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant and antiparasitic properties

Growing your own ginger is a simple way to ensure you always have this medicinal wonder worker on hand, and will provide you with something you won’t get at the store — so-called “stem” ginger, which has its own culinary uses

Stem ginger — the fresh-from-the-ground rhizome — has a warm, delicate, almost floral flavor, devoid of ginger’s usual fieriness. As the root dries and develops that papery outer surface, it becomes “hotter”

Growing ginger is really easy, and can be done either in a container, kept indoors or out, or directly in your garden bed. All you need to get started is a fresh leftover piece

To propagate, start with a firm, plump piece with smooth skin and visible eyes — tiny yellow tips on the rhizome that will eventually develop into new sprouts. Root is ready for harvest in six to eight months

Dr. Mercola a foremost authority says, Ginger is a spice well worth having on hand at all times. Not only is it a wonderful addition to your cooking (and can be used in a number of beverages) but it also has a wide variety of medicinal benefits, including broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant and anti-parasitic properties.

It's a rich source of antioxidants including gingerols, shogaols and paradols, all of which have documented anticancer activity. Furthermore, because ginger helps prevent the toxic effects of many substances (including cancer drugs), it may be useful to take in addition to conventional cancer treatments.

Facts Credit: mercola.com
 

Friday, October 13, 2017

How to Boost Sulforaphane Content of Cauliflower

Garden fresh Cauliflower.
Like broccoli, cauliflower contains sulforaphane, which is easily lost through improper cooking. Boiling or blanching cauliflower causes the greatest loss of antioxidants, so your best bet appears to be steaming. Unfortunately, research has not identified ideal steaming times for cauliflower.

Moreover, research reveals different varieties of cauliflower respond differently to various levels of heat and cooking times. In one study, blanching purple cauliflower at 70 degrees C significantly increased sulforaphane content compared to 50 degrees C, while immersion time had no significant influence. In Roman cauliflower, on the other hand, both temperature and immersion time played a role. 

Research shows steaming broccoli for three to four minutes is ideal, so I'd suggest using this as a general starting guideline for cauliflower as well. You can also boost the sulforaphane content of your cauliflower (as well as broccoli and other members of the cabbage family) by eating it with a myrosinase-containing food.

Facts Credit: mercola.com