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Canning 101

Composting 101. Composting is the natural breakdown of organic matter to produce a crumbly nutrient-rich soil.

Composting 101

The resulting compost can be added to other soil types as a fertilizer, forming an excellent growing medium for plants. By managing this natural process in your own garden, you can dispose of waste, and produce an agent that will improve the look and yield of any plants and flowers. Regardless of the size of your outdoor space, there will be a composting solution to suit your needs. Making Compost Theories vary on how to produce the perfect compost, but there are some general rules.

Building Up Layers A system of layering different materials will aid the composting process and enhance the finished product. The process of composting takes between two and nine months. Slatted bins are great for gaining access to the bottom of the heap. Courtesy of DK - Do It Yourself Home Improvement © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited The Different Types of Bins Wormeries.

Old Farmer's Almanac Garden Planner. 5 Unexpected Super-Foods. The World's Healthiest Foods. 100 foods that can serve as the basis of your Healthiest Way of Eating Links to the articles about these foods can be found below.

The World's Healthiest Foods

In addition to questions about our foods, we often get asked about beverages and sweeteners. In the beverage category, water and green tea have been especially popular topics, and in the sweetener category, so have honey and maple syrup. Of course, there are many nutritious foods other than those included on our list that we feel are wonderful, health-promoting foods; if there are other whole foods - such as fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, etc - that you like, by all means enjoy them.

Just because a food is not on our list doesn't mean we don't think it can be included in a diet geared towards the Healthiest Way of Eating as long as it is a whole, natural, nutrient-rich food. To find out why some of your favorite nutritious foods are not included in our list, read The Criteria Used to Select the World's Healthiest Foods. 1. Beginner Plan: Fats. Email this article to a friend Dr.

Beginner Plan: Fats

Mercola's Nutrition Plan Did you know that your brain is about 60 percent fat? The fats you eat strongly influence your level of brain function. Some nutritional anthropologists believe the human brain would not have developed as it did without access to high levels of DHA (a type of fat) found in fish and wild game. Lesson 1: It is the type of fat that matters, not the amount. Learning about fats can be confusing. Trans fats: These fats form when vegetable oil hardens, a process called hydrogenation, and can raise LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, and lower HDL (good cholesterol) levels, which of course is the complete opposite of what you need in order to maintain good heart health.

Lesson 2: Learn about the importance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats. Omega-3 fats improve your cell's response to insulin, neurotransmitters and other messengers. Lesson 3: Take a high quality animal-based omega-3 supplement Lesson 5: Treats with Healthy Fats and Sweeteners Chocolate. Foods For Strong Bones. Reviewed by Michael W.

Foods For Strong Bones

Smith, MD on March 12, 2014 Sources: (1) Jocken Sand / Digital Vision / Photolibrary (2) iStockphoto (3) Joe Biafore / iStockphoto (4) anssi ruuska / iStockphoto (5) iStockphoto (6) William Mahar / iStockphoto (7) Anna Khomulo / iStockphoto (8) Igor Dutina / iStockphoto (9) Liza McCorkle / iStockphoto (10) RUDI TAPPER / iStockphoto (11) Donald Gruener / iStockphoto (12) Edward Mosser/ iStockphoto (13) Corey Sundahl / iStockphoto American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

American Dietetic Association web site. This tool does not provide medical advice. THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. . © 2014 WebMD, LLC. WebMD Slideshows View our slideshows to learn more about your health. Acid - Alkaline Food List. The pH scale is from 0 - 14 Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline ( 7.35 - 7.45 ).

Acid - Alkaline Food List

Below or above this range generally leads to symptoms. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. Nutrient Basics. Kitchen Cheat Sheet-Basic Cooking Techniques. Diffеrеnt people likе tо eat diffеrеnt ways.

Kitchen Cheat Sheet-Basic Cooking Techniques

Yоu саn spend tens оf thousands оf dollars оn kitchen equipment, оr уоu саn spend a couple hundred bucks, thеn lеt уоur cooking style dictate hоw tо expand уоur collection. Yоu’ll spend mоrе timе in preparation thаn асtuаl cooking.The wау уоu prepare food hаѕ a direct impact оn hоw it cooks. Onсе in a whilе уоu might make a blunder thаt renders ѕоmеthing inedible. But оnе оf thе joys оf working in thе kitchen iѕ thаt nоt оnlу dо уоu learn frоm уоur mistakes, thеу nеvеr lаѕt lоng еnоugh tо haunt you. (And уоu саn uѕuаllу eat thеm anyway.) Thе ability tо improve uроn аn оld recipe оr create аn exciting nеw recipe iѕ a talent a vеrу ѕресiаl fеw саn accomplish with littlе оr nо training, but аlmоѕt аnуbоdу with thе proper training аnd a genuine interest in excellent food аnd itѕ preparation саn bесоmе аn exceptional imaginative chef.