A Day in the Garden

Well it looks like the last of the summer tomatoes are about done and ready to make room for the fall garden plants. I just love the switch to the crisp fall time filled with festivals, all the shades of orange you can imagine and not to mention all the good food! Today I got to see my friend's small backyard garden and learn all about the benefits of growing your own vegetables! 

She has a small 3 foot by 5 foot plot by her back fence where she had all kinds of goodies growing this summer. She had yellow squash, zuccinni, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, dill, chives and even basil! There are only a few tomatoes and peppers left now though. The season is over for the other vegetables. The tomatoes and peppers are still producing because their plants can keep making more vegetables through the really hot August weather, unlike the other plants which died.

While we were out looking at the garden I asked my friend why she didn't just buy her vegetables at the store like most people do, and she said she does during the winter and when it's something she can't grow herself, but there are some things like tomatoes and squash and peppers that are cheaper, easy and healthier to grow yourself. Also, she said, it's a lot more fun and gives you an excuse to play in the dirt! 

A lot of the veggies we buy in the store that are frozen or canned have a lot of sugar and salt added to them so that they aren't as good for you as a fresh garden vegetable. 

There are lots of delicious recipes my friend likes to make with her fresh veggies. She uses her tomatoes like the ones we saw in sauces, on sandwiches and even her own salsa! (If you look in my photo gallery you can see some pictures of the yummy salsa)

There are a lot of great ways to keep track of the healthy food you eat. One of my friend's favorite ways is using an app called My Fitness Pal. She likes that it is right there on her phone so she can record what she had to eat just as soon as she has eaten it. Also it's free and very easy to use! There are some more fun apps for your phone that talk about eating healthy food that are free and easy to use like Max's Plate and Awesome Eats. You should check them out!