 |
||
Ron’s ArticlesOn Fire for HealthOctober 2007 October ought to be nicknamed “The Healthy Month” Fifteen different health-related associations have special observances during October. It’s Healthy Lung Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Dental Hygiene Month. Among other health-oriented observances are Child Health, Lupus, Celiac Disease, Autism and my personal favorite - Fire Prevention Week. I think preventing fires is really good for your health. The objective of these observances is to increase awareness so people will be more conscientious about keeping themselves healthy or healing themselves. And it’s been proven time after time that your health is very closely related to what you eat. We try to conserve energy and improve the quality of our air and water. It’s equally important to improve the quality of our food. Various organizations recommend so called healthy consumption of certain foods - like the National Dairy Council’s “3 a day” slogan. And the USDA pushes “5 a day” for fruits and vegetables. But, unfortunately, not all apples are created equal. I’m not talking about pesticides. I mean the actual nutritional value of the food. Poor quality food cannot sustain good health even if you choose the right types of foods. A client called me because she wanted advice on high BRIX gardening. BRIX is a system for evaluating the nutrient value of food crops. It was developed in the late 1800’s by German chemistry professor A. F. W. Brix for use in the wine industry. It’s based on refraction. Light passing through a liquid bends or refracts. The denser the liquid, the more the light refracts. And in plant juice, density translates into sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones, and other solids suspended in the juice. These substances not only affect the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables, but their taste as well. The healthier they are, the better they taste.
One of the first things that I brought up was that she should start harvesting rainwater. I can think of no better way to improve your BRIX than to take advantage of natural rainwater with its minerals and nutrients that fall from the sky. I would never start a garden using city water. I don’t focus on BRIX on my property. I simply practice my “7 steps to organic dynamics. ” This is the same program I apply to my clients’ properties. And I’m proud to say that our organic system works 90% of the time. We are able to achieve the desired results time after time. We only fail to achieve those results if the client second guesses our recommendations - changes the watering schedule or uses some product other than the ones we recommend.
I don’t expect you to head off to the grocery store with your pocket refractometer. They run about $200. But, I can tell you that the direction in which you head can make a big difference in your family’s health. The best place to get your produce is in your own home garden. Next best is a local Farmer’s Market - preferably from organic farmers. Produce loses nutrients over time. Veggies trucked in from Mexico or California are about a week old by the time they hit the store shelf. In general, produce in a quality market will be of higher quality than that at the mega-mart. And it will usually cost more. But, that’s more than offset by the benefits of good health. Another very important factor is seasonality. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season. That’s when they have the best taste, greatest nutritional value and lowest cost. At other times it’s no sin to buy canned or frozen foods. Even the chefs on Food Network use canned tomatoes, frozen spinach and such. Canned and frozen produce are processed within hours of harvest - at the peak of their food value potential. Let’s all celebrate “The Healthy Month” by making healthy changes in our diets. 
|
|
|
|
||
So, I dusted off my refractometer and headed out to visit my would-be BRIX gardener. She had an elaborate landscape designed by a prominent landscape architect - nativescapes and xeriscapes. But the designer hadn’t listened to one of the most important things this woman wanted from her landscape - an edible-scape. There was no place to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs - things she could consume.
I’ve always heard that the proof is in the pudding. In my case the proof is in the pear pie. We firefighters are notorious for our cooking. And I make a mean pear pie with pears from my own pear tree. This tree helped to set me on fire for organics. When we moved here 12 years ago I was advised to cut it down because it had never produced fruit. The very first year after implementing my organic program it produced so much fruit that several limbs broke off. My pears have always seemed heavy and hard. But they are the secret ingredient n my famous pear pie. So I decided to test their BRIX. It was an astounding 18! Conventional pears seldom test above 10 and organic pears come in at 12 to 14. WOW! I may now be a world famous BRIX gardener.