Garden Produce – Beware of our Tomato Guardian

Mr. Bentley, tomato guardian: You no take tomatoes!Say hello to Mr. B, ferocious Shih Tzu that keeps our property safe from any unsavory elements that dares venture into our environment. He’s a tough little bugger and will attack his victim with licks, begs to be rubbed, all while batting his big brown eyes. So much for being ferocious, in this picture he’s guarding our tomato harvest, and could not be swayed from the area. Actually, I think he’s hoping for a treat.

I can be bribed with treatsTomato facts

• Tomatoes are colorful

Besides the customary red or orange color, tomatoes can also be purple, green, yellow, and brown. Add a few of those colors to a salad or lightly steamed dish and you’ll have a colorful display!

• Tomato are fruits
• Tomatoes are an excellent source of antioxidants
• Tomatoes paired with broccoli are a delicious way to fight prostate cancer
• Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin B6, potassium, folate, and niacin.
• Tomatoes are a good for bone health, since they contain vitamin K.

Why is Vitamin K important? I’m glad you asked. In the Vitamin K family, there’s a cool one named Vitamin K1. This vitamin triggers osteocalcin. Think of Osteocalcin as the top dog when it comes to non collagen protein in the bone. Perhaps that’s why Mr. B, is so protective of our tomatoes? Top dog, he’s a dog! Ok, ok that was so bad! Moving along… Osteocalcin latches onto calcium inside the bone. You need Vitamin K1 to maintain adequate bone mineralization; one of the tasty ways you can nourish your bones is by eating your tomatoes.

Upcoming gardening post…

I’m hoping I can post more gardening pictures today. It’s going to be busy in our household. My daughter has piano practice this morning. So we’ll be visting the piano teacher. Gardening wise, we still have a lot to harvest, or I should say “I still have a lot to harvest” my daughter helps for a bit than she’s off playing in the garden. I let her play, she does chores around the house.

What’s cooking?

Currently I have black beans cooking on the stove, here’s hoping I get around to making black bean burgers later today. Currently I’m trying to decide what type of smoothie I want. Mentally flipping through my stash of vegan recipes I decided to make a savory green smoothie. After all, I definitely have enough tomatoes.

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