Tag Archives: Dixie Sandborn

Black beans and rice history and fun facts

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Food, Health,
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Dixie Sandborn, Michigan State University Extension


Dry beans, including black beans, are a staple in many Latin American cultures and many cultures around the world. If you have spent any time traveling in Latin America or the Caribbean, you know beans in some form are served at almost every meal. Beans are a great source of inexpensive protein and dry beans store well for a long period of time.


Just as a point of interest, rice and beans and beans and rice are two very different dishes, with the latter being more preferred. Rice and beans are a one pot dish, usually white rice and kidney beans cooked together with onions, garlic, maybe a few other spices and a little coconut oil. Beans and rice, on the other hand, are beans that are slowly stewed with onions, garlic and other spices, maybe even a pork hock for flavor. I like to add cumin, bay leaves and some Marie Sharp’s Habanero Pepper Sauce. This combination creates a delicious sauce to be eaten over a bed of rice.


I have been experimenting with several bean recipes as my son prefers beans to meat and will eat beans and rice every day if I let him. Black beans are by far our household favorite.

Fun facts about black beans

  • Black beans are botanically known as Phaseolus vulgaris.
  • Beans and legumes are the fruits or seeds of a family of plants called Fabaceae (also called Leguminosae).
  • Black beans have several common names including turtle beans, caviar criollo and frijoles negros.
  • These beans were and still are a staple food in the diets of Central and South Americans, dating back at least 7,000 years.
  • Black beans have a satiny black skin (technically dark purple) and a white center.
  • When cooked, the beans have a creamy texture and slightly sweet flavor.
  • Black beans are an excellent low-calorie, low-fat source of energy and fiber.
  • One half-cup serving of black beans gives you 8 grams of protein. Aside from meat products, dry beans are the highest source of protein available.
  • Dry beans have more fiber than any other unprocessed food at 15 grams per cup.
  • One cup of cooked black beans contains less than 1 gram of fat and only 227 calories.
  • Black beans are also a great source of folic acid, magnesium, potassium and iron.
  • Adding black beans to your breakfast food will also help your mood because it helps to stabilize your blood sugar. This means that including beans in your breakfast or lunch can help prevent that mid-afternoon slump.
  • Michigan is the leading producer of black beans, with 58% of the nation’s total production.
  • Michigan’s Thumb counties, known for its rich farmland, produces more beans than any other place in the state.
  • Huron County is one of the top dry bean-producing counties in the nation.
  • Mexico is Michigan’s largest export market for dry beans, especially black beans.

Recipe for Black Beans and Rice

I was recently at a Cuban restaurant in Key West. They serve black beans and rice called Moros y Cristianos, translated literally to Moors and Christians. It is presumed the dish gets its name from the time when the Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula. The black beans represent the Moors and the white rice represents the Christians.


This flavorful bean and rice dish, representative of Spanish occupation, is popular in Cuba. Every Cuban cook has their own version of the recipe. I’m not Cuban, but here is my version.

Ingredients

  • ½ pound dry black beans cooked with 6 cups of water for 6 minutes in pressure cooker. One option is to use 3 cups water and 3 cups chicken broth.
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 4 large garlic cloves, chopped (or 1½ teaspoons garlic powder)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup or tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Marie Sharp’s Habanero Pepper Sauce (now readily available in the U.S.)

Directions

Heat oil in heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of beans to pan. Using back of fork, mash beans coarsely.


In a crock pot, add bean and vegetable mixture along with remaining beans, the water/broth from cooking, cumin, bay leaves, tomato paste and pepper sauce. I leave the cover off or slightly ajar as the beans thicken and flavors blend, stirring occasionally.


Season beans to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over white rice and enjoy.


Enjoy.

Black beans and the science behind them

Michigan is the nation’s second largest producer of all dry beans, and first in the production of black beans. READ MORE

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).




Plant science at the dinner table: Asparagus

3-bottom, Community Health, Food, Health, Local Food,
Bacon-wrapped asparagus. Photo by Dixie Sandborn, MSU Extension.

By Dixie Sandborn, Michigan State University Extension


When I was young, I remember May was the only time of year we would eat fresh asparagus. Spring was the only time it was available fresh at the grocer, picked at a local asparagus farm or from wild patches along roadsides in the county.


Now, thanks to Peru and other countries in the southern hemisphere, much or our produce, including asparagus, is available fresh throughout the year.


Growing up, asparagus was simmered or steamed and served with butter, salt and maybe a dash of pepper. I am happy asparagus has become a much more versatile vegetable. Asparagus can be eaten raw but is generally cooked. It can be roasted, sautéed, added to pasta dishes, soups and stir fries and even deep-fried.


Asparagus is tasty and high in many important vitamins and minerals.

Here are a few facts about asparagus:

  • Asparagus is a member of the Liliaceae family.
  • It grows on a flowering herbaceous perennial plant.
  • Asparagus has been consumed for over 2,000 years, originating in the Mediterranean.
  • There have been wild varieties of asparagus discovered in Africa.
  • China is the world’s biggest asparagus producer followed by Peru and Germany.
  • Michigan is the No. 2 producer of asparagus in the U.S.; California ranks No. 1.
  • Oceana County is the leading Michigan producer of asparagus.
  • Michigan celebrates asparagus at the annual Asparagus Festival in Empire, Michigan.
  • There are about 120 farmers in Michigan growing over 9,500 acres of this green gem.
  • Michigan asparagus is snapped (picked) by hand resulting in a product that is tenderer.
  • Forty percent of Michigan asparagus is sold fresh in May and June. The remaining crop is processed or frozen.
  • We eat the stem of the asparagus plant.
  • The red berries of asparagus are poisonous to humans.
  • Asparagus is very low in calories, there are only 19 calories in six medium spears.
  • Asparagus is an excellent source of many nutrients and vitamins including vitamin K, folate, copper, selenium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C and vitamin E.
  • It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, manganese, phosphorus, vitamin B3, potassium, choline, vitamin A, zinc, iron, protein and vitamin B6.
  • White asparagus is favored in Germany. To keep asparagus white, dirt is mounded around the shoots so sunlight never touches the plant and therefore the plant does not produce chlorophyll.

Asparagus is easy to grow if you have a sunny spot and some sandy soil. To help get you started, check out these Michigan State University Extension resources: “How to grow asparagus” and “Growing asparagus at home.”


My go-to recipe for asparagus is simple: roasting it with a little olive oil and sea salt. However, I recently purchased some fresh asparagus and decided to research various recipes. I adapted a bacon wrapped asparagus recipe. Here is the final version after a few attempts.

Bacon-wrapped Asparagus — 4 servings

Bacon wrapped asparagus
Bacon-wrapped asparagus ready to go in the oven. Photo by Dixie Sandborn, MSU Extension.
  • ½ pound fresh Michigan asparagus (I like very thin stalks)
  • 4 slices thin-cut bacon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide asparagus into four bundles. Carefully wrap a piece of bacon around each bundle and secure with a toothpick. Place the bundles on a baking tray.


In a sauce pan, combine butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbly.


Pour this mixture over the asparagus bundles and place the dish in the preheated oven.


Bake for about 20 minutes, then broil for 5-6 minutes, watching carefully and turning often, until the bacon is crisp.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).


Dogscaping: Landscaping for you and your dog

3-bottom, Education, How-To's, Senior Living,
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Dixie Sandborn, Michigan State University Extension


What exactly is dogscaping? Quite simply, it is landscaping for your dog’s safety and enjoyment. Dogscaping is not only for your dog’s enjoyment, it is for yours as well. If you enjoy the outdoors, like to garden or at least maintain a nicely landscaped lawn, it can be exasperating to have a pooch who does not share your passion. Four-legged friends do not always appreciate the hours you labor to have beautiful flowerbeds and perfectly groomed landscape plants around the patio.


There are a few things to keep in mind if you love your pets and your lawn. With a little planning and training, you and your dog can enjoy a shared outdoor space. Landscape design should always begin with a list of how you want to use the space. Draw a map of your property and identify the spaces and their uses. This will help you to plan how much space you have for specific dog activities. Also, list some of your dog’s behaviors and habits. Think about their likes and dislikes.


Here are a few things to consider when landscaping for you and your dog.

  • How much space do you have? Are you planning to share the entire space with your pooch?
  • What kind of breed is your dog? What are some of the breed’s general characteristics? Like humans, all dogs have different personalities, likes and dislikes. A dog’s breed can tell you general inherent characteristics and certain behaviors that are in their DNA. Try to work with those inherent traits instead of against them. This will be much less stressful for you and your dog.
  • Regardless of the breed, a good fence is highly recommended for your dog’s safety. Different dogs and different breeds prefer different types of fencing, but in general, a fence that the dog can see through is nice as they can patrol their territory. It is much less stressful for most dogs to see what’s on the other side of their enclosure. Also, when planning the landscape, you may want to leave a 3-foot “run” around your property’s perimeter (without landscape plants) so your dog has room to patrol.
  • Observe your dog’s behavior. Where do they like to run? Do they like to dig? Do they love to lay in the shade where you want to plant impatiens? Do they jump into your Koi pond every time they are alone in the yard? Try to find creative solutions so the gardener in you and your best friend are both happy.
  • Dogs love to dig! If you cannot deter your dog from digging in a particular area, work with it. Avoid planting your favorite plants in that spot. For example, my dog loved to dig right next to my deck. As soon as I decided it was OK, life became much better for me and my pooch. I simply planted some taller perennials around the selected digging hole and appreciated that she was not digging anywhere else in the landscape.
  • Train your dog to use a potty area.
  • Be vigilant when planting plants that are poisonous or toxic to your dog. This, of course, depends on your dog and how they use their environment. This does not mean you cannot have any plants toxic to your pet, you just need to be aware of your dog’s surroundings and habits. Some dogs like to chew on plants and others only chew up a few blades of grass from time to time. The best advice is to observe your pet and their interaction with landscape plants. Plan and plant accordingly.
  • Add a water feature your dog can enjoy, even a small kiddy pool filled with cool water is enjoyable for your pooch on hot summer days.

For more information about dogscaping or petscaping, there are many great books and interesting articles. One book I recommend is “Canine Design Dogscaping” by Tom Barthel. This book has a lot of great information about plant selection, dog ponds, walkways and fencing. The author includes a chapter on fruits and vegetables to feed your dog from your garden, including recipes for dog treats from the garden.


This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).


Peppermint and the science behind it

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism,
Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Dixie Sandborn, Michigan State University Extension

 

Peppermint, Mentha piperita, is a cross between water mint and spearmint. Peppermint is associated with many health benefits, especially peppermint tea. Everything seems to be better with peppermint during the holiday season, such as peppermint lattes, peppermint bark, mint-flavored M&Ms, candy canes and more.


Here are some fun facts about peppermint.

  • Peppermint has a long history. Ancient Egyptian medical text dating as early as 1550 BC includes peppermint.
  • Early history mentions peppermint in Greek mythology, by Roman philosophers, Jesus in the Bible and Monks in the middle ages.
  • Michigan is ninth in the U.S. for mint production. Michigan has a rich history cultivating mint.
  • Peppermint has naturalized and can be found growing wild in North America and Europe.
  • Peppermint plants grow between 18-36 inches tall and 24 inches wide.
  • Peppermint spreads by runners that spread above and just below the ground’s surface.
  • Peppermint often becomes invasive in the home garden.
  • Specialized cells produce peppermint oil in the leaves of the peppermint plant. The oil is released once the leaves are crushed or chopped.
  • The best time to harvest peppermint is on a sunny day when the plant is just beginning to flower.
  • Peppermint is the most extensively used volatile oil, both commercially and medicinally.
  • Ancient Greeks thought it could cure hiccups.
  • Peppermint is the number one flavor for non-chocolate, hard candies.
  • Dec. 19 is National Chocolate Mint Day.
  • Dec. 3 is National Peppermint Latte Day.
  • Peppermint has been used in Eastern and Western traditional medicine as an aromatic, antispasmodic and antiseptic in treating indigestion, nausea, sore throat, colds, toothaches, cramps and cancers.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Preparing your garden this fall for next year’s bounty

3-bottom, Education, Food, How-To's, Recreation, Senior Living, ,

By Dixie Sandborn, Michigan State University Extension

 

It is hard to believe it is time to start putting our gardens, lawns and flowers to rest for the winter. Michigan State University Extension offers these tips to make next year’s spring and summer vegetable and herb gardening easier and more fruitful.

 

As you pick and preserve your garden’s current crops, take time to prepare your soil for next year’s growing season. Remove all non-bearing, dead and diseased plants as you harvest your current crops. After frost has blackened the leaves on the remaining plants, pull them up and compost them. If they are diseased, take care not to add them to your compost pile, as many pests are able to overwinter and come back with a vengeance next spring.

Easy-to-do fall gardening chores for your vegetables

Remove all weeds and debris. This reduces homesteads for overwintering insects and diseases.

 

Till the soil. Fall is a great time to oxygenate the soil.

  • Tilling should be done once in both directions—a rough till is fine in the fall.
  • Tilling in the fall reduces the need for tilling wet, spring soil. Tilling wet soil is never recommended. Soil can be too sticky in early spring.

Add organic matter.

  • Adding organic matter, humus and manure in the fall allows time for it to become married to the soil. Organic matter is not immediately available for plants, so giving it time will have your plants functioning at peak performance earlier next spring.
  • Microorganisms are not as active in early spring; feeding them in the fall gives your garden a head start in the spring.
  • You may also choose to till in the organic matter.

A cover crop can be planted as an option to help improve your soil.

  • Winter wheat and cereal rye are good options for a Michigan garden cover crop.

If you have a very unruly area that has just gone to the weedy side, cover it with black plastic or cardboard and leave it until it’s time to plant in the spring to kill all sprouting seeds.

Easy-to-do fall gardening chores for your perennial herbs

Keeping your herb healthy during the growing season with well-drained soil, regular watering, fertilization and pruning is key to their winter survival.

 

Most herbs will also benefit from a good 2-to-4-inch mulch cover. Do not mulch heavily until after the first heavy frost—doing so before can actually weaken plants. Winter mulches help maintain soil temperatures and reduce frequent freezing and thawing.

 

It is a good time to cut dead wood from sage, oregano and thyme. Trim off dead flower heads.

 

Windbreaks or a covering of evergreen branches may also aid in the survival of many herbs, protecting them from harsh winds that tend to dry out less cold-tolerant herbs.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).