Seeds

January #2 – Garden Seeds

Several garden seed catalogues recently arrived in the mail.  Choosing garden seeds is one of the more fun things I do every year.  Vegetables I love to grow are potatoes, sweet corn, onions and carrots.  Why?  I like eating them, and they store for a long time to enjoy throughout the year.   Each year I try several varieties of each.  Potato varieties are limited but there are numerous varieties of sweet corn, onions and carrots.  

A good reason to grow potatoes and carrots is they are very healthy food.  Potatoes are an excellent source of potassium which supports a good electrolyte balance in the body.  Carrots provide carotene which is a very good anti oxidant.  Both are a good source of vitamins.  Onions are probably the number one vegetable for flavoring foods.  Sweet corn is my favorite and will be discusses in detail in future posts.

Many years ago my wife had me read a book about medical mysteries.  A guy’s skin had turned orange.  He was in good health in all other ways.  The doctor was a little mystified.  After a thorough search through his background it was discovered he drove more than average.  As he drove, his wife would peel carrots and he would eat them.  The over consumption of carrots supplied his body with an excess of carotene.  Carotene was absorbed into his body at a high enough rate to cause his skin to be orange. 

Happy garden planning.

The Garden Doc