Tomatoes!

  In early June I planted a flowerpot garden on the back deck of my house. Two of the tomato plants have grown really well, and they smell delightful. I had planted four tomato plants, but lost two of them because I planted them too deep and the stems rotted. The two that survived have some small green tomatoes on them now. The plants require a lot of water and some plant food. They are in a nice sunny spot where they can grow.

  I started the cantaloupes from seeds, and they are flowering nicely. I'm eager for some fresh cantaloupe. 

  I also planted a raspberry plant and some cherry pits in the two empty pots. We'll have to wait and see if they do any good, though.

Flowering cantaloupe plants.

Cantaloupe plants.

Little green tomatoes growing!

Gardening

  Yesterday I planted four heirloom tomato plants and a packet of cantaloupe seeds in flower pots. I know it's a little late in the season to be starting a garden, but the plants look like they will do fine. Plus, everything was on sale! 
  Since I'm new to gardening, and don't have a good history of a green thumb, I used the flower pots, rather than tilling up a place in the yard. This makes the plants easier to manage, and more convenient to water. 
  In just a few weeks, I should have lots of yummy tomatoes and cantaloupes. I used heirloom tomato plants because, let's face it, what else is there? Heirloom tomatoes are so much juicer and flavorful than anything available in stores. When people tell me they don't like tomatoes, I always tell them it's because they haven't had an heirloom tomato. Cantaloupes ripened in the sun and picked on a nice warm day always taste better, too. 
  I'm looking forward to enjoying some fresh tomatoes and cantaloupes. I'll post more pictures when the harvest comes in! 

Heirloom tomato plants.

Cantaloupe and heirloom tomato plants.

 

New My Plate Food Guide From USDA

  The United States Department of Agriculture recently upgraded from the Food Guide Pyramid to the new My Plate food model. The plate method is something Dietitians, such as myself, have been using in nutrition education for a few years now, so it was a welcome change. The plate method is easier to follow than the old pyramid, as it gives a model for each meal, and encourages an increase in fruit and vegetable intake, more whole grains, and skim or 1% milk.  

   Follow this link to view the new My Plate model: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

   The website has several helpful tools including the tip of the day, food tracker, and food planner, so take a few minutes to explore.
 The Dietary Guidelines for Americans were updated earlier in the year. Click this link to read my previous blog post on the guidelines: http://goodsouthernfood.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans.html
 These links provide helpful website information on the updated Dietary Guidelines:
http://goodsouthernfood.blogspot.com/2011/02/httpwww.html  
http://goodsouthernfood.blogspot.com/2011/02/dietary-guidelines-executive-summary.html
http://goodsouthernfood.blogspot.com/2011/02/dietary-guidelines-selected-messages.html