Gardens can yield low-carb harvest

[Demi]

The following article made me smile today :)


Gardens can yield low-carb harvest
Posted on Sat, Apr. 24, 2004
By Denise Cowie
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWS SERVICE

Dieting isn't usually an issue when people are deciding what to plant in their vegetable plots come spring. But that was before carb mania.

This season, gardeners have been quizzing the folks at W. Atlee Burpee & Co. in Bucks County, Pa., about which veggies have how many carbohydrates. Chalk it up to the popularity of such carbohydrate-counting diets as Atkins and South Beach.

"It's certainly something that took us by surprise," says George Ball Jr., president of Warminster-based Burpee, which sells a wide variety of vegetable seeds and plants, as well as flowers.

They weren't caught off guard for long, though. A little research provided answers for the company's customer-service people and led to the creation of a "Burpee Vegetable Carbohydrate Chart" on its Web site (www.burpee.com).

The chart is not exhaustive, but it covers many of the popular gardening crops. And as a result of all the interest, Burpee is considering expanding the individual vegetable descriptions in its 2005 catalog to include carbohydrate content.

All vegetables not equal

"It's fairly obvious that the starchy vegetables will have more carbohydrates," Ball says, compared with the lower carb counts of "leafy greens and the high-water-content root crops, such as radishes and kohlrabi."

Of course, carbohydrate intake isn't the only thing that counts in diets such as Atkins. But if you've ever listened to a conversation about diets, or scrolled through a Web forum, you know it's one of the things dieters are always asking about.

"No vegetables are really high ... they're all good for you," says Ball, who admits he's a carb guy. "We're not a diet-recipe company, but for those who want to know, we're providing some information."

Lettuce, according to Burpee, has only 1 gram of carbohydrates per 1-cup serving, radishes and mushrooms have 4 grams a cup, and cucumber just 1 gram for half a cup.

That last one brings back memories for Ball.

"Crash dieters have always used cucumbers," he recalls. "Back when I was growing up, people used to eat sliced cucumber all the time, because it makes you feel full but it's low in calories and carbohydrates."

Still, there are some surprises among the vegetables listed on the Burpee chart, at least for the less-than-avid dieters among us. Who'd have thought eggplant would have only 7 grams of carbohydrates per cup? Eggplant flesh seems rather substantial, not at all like a diet food.

On the other hand, raw onions rack up 14 grams a cup. Onions have so many good things going for them that nothing could induce me to stop using them (and garlic) in just about everything, regardless of dieting intentions. But you could opt for scallions, because they have about half the carbs in the same-size serving.

Alas, some of my most-loved vegetables line up on the high side of the chart: Green peas have 25 grams a cup; acorn squash, 30; and lima beans, 40. And how about the tomatoes of summer? Raw, they score about 8 grams a cup. One of the highlights of the 2004 Burpee catalog is a nine-plant collection of "all-star" tomatoes.


http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/living/home/8489693.htm

[Lisa N]

Yup...I'm gearing up to get my vegetable garden going for the year and just picked my first batch of asparagus this morning. :D
I plan to plant tomatoes, mixed salad greens, spinach, kale, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, spaghetti squash and maybe have a shot at cauliflower again this year (depends on if I can find the self-blanching variety already started).
Gardens are a great way to get some exercise and there's nothing like fresh produce picked moments before cooking and eating it. :thup:

[cc48510]

Alas, some of my most-loved vegetables line up on the high side of the chart: Green peas have 25 grams a cup; acorn squash, 30; and lima beans, 40. And how about the tomatoes of summer? Raw, they score about 8 grams a cup. One of the highlights of the 2004 Burpee catalog is a nine-plant collection of "all-star" tomatoes.

Green Peas (cooked): 25g Total - 9g Fiber = 16g Net (14g Net if the cup is measured precooked)
Acorn Squash (cooked): 30g Total - 9g Fiber = 21g Net (13g Net if the cup is measured precooked)
Lima Beans (cooked): 36g Total - 12g Fiber = 24g Net (42g Total/9g Fiber for Immature Lima Beans. 42g Total/14g Fiber for Mature Baby Lima Beans. 60g Total/19g Fiber for Immature Baby Lima Beans. 23g Net if the cup is measured precooked)

Quite a variation on that last one. Peas are certainly not too unreasonably high in Carbs. 1 cup is rather large for a serving of peas. Typically, the serving size is 2/3 cup, which is about 12g Net Carbs. They make a great substitute for Potatoes [168 kcal vs. 226 kcal, 9g vs. 4g Protein, 16g Net CHO vs. 33g Net CHO, 68 GI vs. 100-128 GI, and significant amounts of Vitamins A, C, Iron, Thiamin (B1,) Riboflavin (B2,) Niacin (B3,) B6, Folate (B9,) Phosphorous, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, and Potassium, as well as the Antioxidants Leutin and Zeaxanthin vs. Potatoes which are a significant source [>10%RDA per cup] of Vitamins C, Thiamin (B1,) Niacin (B3,) B6, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Manganese, Copper, and Potassium...But, Peas have more of all of these, except I believe the Potassium] once you're in the later stages of Atkins.

[bevbme]

Snow peas have 7 carbs/3fiber for a whole cup.
Zuchinni and summer squash
Bell peppers
I need more sun.........Maybe I'll built a $10,000 greenhouse with artificial lights to save on my veggies.

[shortstuff]

I tilled my garden yesterday but it's raining again today and it looks more like a mudhole than a neatly tilled garden. I have all my seeds ready to put in and will be adding already started plants in another 2-3 weeks. I'm going to do a lot of verticle this year, cukes, summer squash, beans, anything else that I can get in vine form so I can pack more into my limited space.

shortstuff

[cc48510]

I planted my Garden during Spring Break down at my Parents' place. I'll be spending the Summer down there anyways, so I figured it best to plant it down there. I haven't seen what's come of it since then. But, some of the plants had already sprouted when I left. They get plenty of rain, and I planted in the yeard, so that shouldn't be a problem...hopefully.

[gotbeer]

My first planting went in a month ago, and I'm getting ready for round 2.

The squash (summer and 2 types of zucchini) is doing well - 8 inch plants are flourishing so well that I'm going to have to thin them out soon. I'm experimenting with a newsprint mulch - I put down a heavy layer (up to 1/2 inch) of newspapers around the plants, and then covered the newspapers with compost. Looks great (once covered, the paper is almost invisible) and so far, zero weeds in the area so treated.

The herb portion of the garden is also going well. The dill is out of control (got to cut it back soon). The various types of basil are doing nicely despite the cool weather, and the oregano is starting to take off. I just added tricolor sage and purple sage today, though I've never had much luck with sage previously. I cut back the rosemary radically in February (95% of the plant went to the compost pile) but the new growth is thick and beautiful.

I'll be adding another round of peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant soon. The first round (direct -seeded) has disappointed but I wasn't really expecting much until the weather warms.

[Nancy LC]

Sounds like a nice garden, GotBeer!

I have new little seedlings in for the most part. I started them in some of those pot-pellet things indoors. They're kind of handy for starting seeds.

Better Boy tomatoes
Golden Zucchini
Daikon Radishes
Bush Beans
Cilantro
Golden Bell Peppers
Basil
(oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage growing as ground cover all over the place)

I once had a pineapple sage that grew into an enormous bush! Was quite pretty with nice red flowers, but it was a little big for where I wanted it to be.

I built a raised bed from cedar fencing and 2x4's, really easy to do. It's about 12" tall and 2'x3'.

I do need to expand on the herb garden though. Does dill spread badly, should I contain it in a pot? I know mint can be a nightmare.

[gotbeer]

Thanks, Nancy. Yours sounds cool, too.

Dill is an annual but it reseeds itself fairly well. (Just to confuse matters further, there are perennial varieties of dill as well.) I last planted it 5 years ago and the offspring plants only petered out last year. (The onion chives and garlic chives I also planted back then are still going strong.)

Dill is not like mint at all - it is not invasive; the two plants I put in are just taking off very well. By contrast, my neighbors let their spearmint "escape" and now, whenever I need some, I just go chop it out of wherever it has sprung up in my yard - even in winter.

Oregano also spreads but not nearly as invasively as mint - at least, not in my heavy clay soil.

The sage I've planted previously was hit hard by fungal diseases during the summer; it is a 50/50 bet whether the new plants will make it to the T-giving turkey or not.

[celestia]

Can anyone point me in the direction for some newbie gardening information? Thanks :)

[gotbeer]

Gardening for the beginner can be frustrating because (1) there is a huge amount of information out there, and (2) the reliability of that information is suspect.

You can put a little work into it and be richly rewarded. Or, you can put a tremendous amount of effort into it and be bitterly disappointed. But if you've got sun, soil, air, water, patience, and a few seeds or starter plants, you've got a fair shot at success.

I'd suggest the following:

1. Look to local writers, local newpapers, and ask your friends for gardening advice. The reason for this is local weather, soil, diseases, etc., make a huge impact on what will work in your area. For example, in my area of North Texas, "long-day" onions are a waste of time, but in Ohio, where the length of the summer days is much longer, "long-day" onions have a much better shot. Obscure issues can matter as well - for example, if your land was EVER used for cotton-farming, then okra likely won't do well. The reason is that cotton diseases tend to persist in the soil, and okra is in the same family as cotton.

2. Start modestly and work your way up. An herb garden is easy to start, doesn't have to take up a lot of space, is pretty to look at, and you won't believe the difference fresh herbs can make in cooking. Just don't let your mint escape or you will never be free of it.

3. A compost pile is a great thing. Those bags of vegetation your neighbors toss out can be turned into gold with a little space and planning. Some people hide their compost piles but mine is in the middle of my garden so that it is right there when I need it.

4. Don't be afraid to make mistakes or do things people don't recommend. Even within the same geographic area, every garden has it's own particular micro-climate. I love finding things that flourish in my garden that no-one else has been able to duplicate locally.

[Nancy LC]

Oregano also spreads but not nearly as invasively as mint - at least, not in my heavy clay soil.


I think I got the same varigated sage you have, and it doesn't look like its doing all that great actually.

I'm counting on oregano's invasivity! I found some creeping oregano that makes a really pretty ground cover. Unfortunately mint doesn't look quite as pretty as this low growing, varigated oregano does. Thyme is a nice ground cover too. And it smells wonderful when you walk on it.

Also, I had problems with chives escaping! It was the seeds I guess. They got lose and I've been pulling up chives ever since.

Has anyone ever grown rhubarb? I was just thinking it might be kind of tasty. I haven't had it since I was a kid.

For a beginner I"d recommend something like an Earthbox. It's a container with a special water thing built into it. I've had great luck growing stuff in it. www.earthbox.com

And you might want to start out with some veggies/herbs you can buy already as young plants from Home Depot or Lowes or your local nursery. Just follow the directions on the plant information (should be a stake or something in the plant). If you get tomatoes or beans or something that grows as a vine, you'll have to figure out something for it to climb up. I've used all kinds of crazy things. Last year, some of that wire closet shelving made a wonderful trellis for my tomato. Not sure what I'll use this time.

Just buy potting soil at your garden supply place for your earthbox and hopefully you won't bring home any diseased tomatoes like I did from Home Depot last year. :( Grrr! Well, I decided to sprout my own this year.

[gotbeer]

Rhubarb just burns up here in the Texas summer heat. As a kid we grew it quite nicely in Dubuque, Iowa. In more northern climates it should be fine.

Rhubarb is intensely sour, so keep the splenda handy. Also, rhubarb leaves contain high levels of oxalic acid, which can be toxic, so be sure to just eat the ribs.

http://www.paghat.com/images/salviaoffici_aug.jpg

That variegated sage looks so pretty that I had to give it another shot, but my errant aesthetic sense is likely overriding my better judgment.

For whatever reason, my chives have not escaped via reseeding, but the same plants keep coming back perennially.

[Nancy LC]

Yup! That's the stuff I've got too. I went mad buying varigated herbs. There's a pretty varigated thyme too.

I'm in S. CA and my mom grew rhubarb once when I was a kid. I'll have to ask her about it, hope she remembers! Seems like it was in a sort of shady spot.

[celestia]

BIG thanks to Nancy LC and gotbeer!!! :D

[Nancy LC]

If you have any quesitons, feel free to ask. Nothing I love more than gardening. :)