Avocados Are Good for More Than Guacamole

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

It’s a Cinco de Mayo favorite, but avocados are good for more than just guacamole. A study published recently in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that eating avocados may lower the chances of heart attacks and heart disease. They compiled research collected over the last 45 years. Medical News Today says, “After adjusting for major dietary and lifestyle …

Add Years to Your Life Eating the Right Diet

Dan Field Crops, Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

Young adults could possibly add a decade to their life expectancy by eating the right foods, and limiting the wrong ones. Eating an ideal diet could add as much as ten years to the life expectancy of a young adult. That’s according to an extensive study by researchers at The University of Sydney, Australia. Their modeling methodology used meta-analyses, data from the …

Low Pesticide Residues on Fresh Produce

Dan Fruits, Herbs, Pest/Pest Control, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

How safe is your fresh produce? We answer that question coming up on this land of ours. Fresh fruits and vegetables and known for being healthy for us, but sometimes misinformation is put out about pesticide residue. One organization even claims to base its misinformation on a government study. So, advocates of healthy foods for American families went to work …

Finding The Truth About Pesticides in Produce

Dan Fruits, Pest/Pest Control, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

Finding the truth about pesticides in produce. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Each year, an anti-conventional farming organization puts out a list of fresh produce products that they claim are contaminated with harmful pesticide residues. However, there is no scientific evidence to support their claims, and they’re simply false. Another organization works to fight that misinformation. Teresa Thorn …

When to Harvest the Tastiest Strawberries You’ve Ever Grown Before

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

When to harvest the tastiest strawberries you’ve ever grown before. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. When to harvest strawberries depends on the variety you’re growing. June-bearing strawberries will start to ripen all at once, usually over a period of about three weeks. Everbearing strawberries will produce a few different crops; usually, one large harvest in spring, a few …

Tips for Planting the Tastiest Strawberries You’ve Ever Grown

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

More tips for planting the tastiest strawberries you’ve ever grown and are better than store bought. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Another strawberry variety option to plant is the alpine strawberry, which produces smaller fruits than other types of strawberries, but their flavor is more intense. These plants do best in Zones 3-9, even in part shade. …

Strawberry Varieties to Grow so They’ll Taste Better Than Store Bought

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

The best strawberry varieties to grow so that they’ll taste better than store bought.  That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The three main types of strawberries are June-bearing, everbearing, and day-neutral. June-bearing strawberries, such as ‘Shuksan’, grow well in USDA Agriculture Zones 6-10, but some varieties are better for your local conditions than others. Keep in mind that …

Make Your Next Strawberry Crop Taste Better than Store Bought

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

How to make your next strawberry crop taste better than store-bought.  That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Biting into sun-ripened strawberries, still warm from the garden, is one of the best summer treats you can enjoy. Just a few rows of plants will fill the fruit bowl and freezer, even after you subtract the samples you sneak while …

Thank a Farmer for Food, Fiber, Fuel, and Our Future

Dan Cattle, Citrus, Field Crops, Florida, Fruits, Livestock, Specialty Crops, USDA-FSA, Vegetables

By Deborah Tannenbaum, State Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency; Juan Hernandez, State Conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service; and Davina Lee, Regional Office Director for USDA’s Risk Management Agency March 22 is National Ag Day, a time for us to thank farmers and ranchers for feeding, sheltering and powering our nation. We also want to celebrate and …