Wine Reviews Ratings

It’s beginning to feel like fall here in South Carolina. Last night, I covered my newly planted strawberries and lettuces in case we had a freeze. Leaves completely cover our yard… we must have a hundred trees, easily. The jack-o’-lanterns are moldering on the front steps. Don’t you just love when those gorgeous, orange works of art turn black and smooshy? It’s not very festive. We so rarely use our front door that I often forget about the pumpkins until they become a very unwelcoming addition to our welcome mat.

I’ve always felt a little blue, tossing the pumpkins in the trash the week after Halloween. Maybe it’s because the kids worked so hard designing their jack-o’-lanterns. Maybe I feel guilty, since it’s wasteful to carve them for Halloween and throw them away a few days later. Maybe my angst is more psychologically driven–tossing the pumpkins signals winter coming–at least, to me. I’m not a happy winter person.

Until recently, I never really worried about throwing the pumpkins in the trash. Honestly, the pumpkins get nasty, the big plastic garbage bag comes out, I hold my breath and roll the disgusting decomposing orbs into the bag, praying that the bag doesn’t break on the way to the trash can.

Think about it, though–why is it OK to throw pumpkins into the trash when yard debris isn’t allowed? In fact, some communities, such as Loveland, Colorado, offer recycling services for pumpkins. My community doesn’t offer standard recycling pick up for newspaper or bottles, so I won’t hold my breath for them to pick up moldy pumpkins.

Still, you can recycle that pumpkin. Compost it.

We’ve been composting for a long time…unofficially. We’d just pile up leaves and grass clippings in the forest, turn it occasionally, and end up with great compost after about a year. Now that we’ve begun our eco-experiment, I’ve become compulsive about composting to reduce our trash output. You know what? Between stepping up our composting and recycling efforts, we are producing only about two 13-gallon bags of trash per week. I’m pretty proud of our reduced trash!

Composting is a fantastic alternative for turning yard and kitchen waste–and even paper–into rich “black gold.” Tiny organisms–bacteria, fungi, and protozoa–break down kitchen and landscape waste into dark, rich, decomposed organic matter. Compost improves soil–add it to clay, it helps break up the heavy soil and enriches it with nutrients. Add compost to sandy soil, and it helps the soil retain water and nutrients. Improving soil is the best way to ensure healthy plants.

I know that not everyone is as obsessive about gardening as I am…but even if you only plant pansies around your mailbox or marigolds in your window box, you can benefit from compost. If you don’t garden at all, you can still compost to reduce the amount of trash you contribute to the landfill–and offer your compost to your gardening neighbors or advertise it on Craigslist or Freecycle. Or send it to me, I always need compost!

I know what you’re thinking: composting is a huge project. It’s expensive, it’s time-consuming, it stinks, we’ll have rats in our yard, the neighbors will complain…I know. I also thought those thoughts.

I was wrong.

Composting is as simple as collecting leaves, grass clippings, and food scraps in an open pile in your yard…or as complex as building a three-bin compost system, with a companion leaf-mold collector. You can invest hundreds of dollars on composters offered by companies that advertise “black gold in as little as two weeks!” Or you can pick up pallets free of charge and construct your own rustic composting bin. There are even composting systems available for apartment or condo dwellers.

Our composting system evolved, from the open pile hidden in the forest, to a fabulous design of Swiss precision and engineering. When I mentioned to Peter that I wanted an official compost bin, thinking we’d use some spare pallets from our company and slap it together in an hour…little did I imagine the result.

“Slapping together” is not really in Peter’s personality. He gets his perfectionism honestly: many years ago, right after Kristen was born, his parents were visiting. We had just remodeled our unfinished basement, and I mentioned that we needed a handrail for the stairs. I thought–go to Lowe’s, buy a piece of wood, slap some paint on it–voila!

You should see the handrail crafted by my father-in-law…it’s a thing of beauty. I think he painted at least 10 coats of varnish on it. Anyway, those Swiss men don’t do half-assed work. I wanted a compost bin, and by God–I got the premium version.

Your system needs to fit your personality, your needs, and your neighborhood. If you can shake hands with your next door neighbors from your bedroom window, then you might want an enclosed system located near the back of your property to preserve neighborly peace. If you live on a farm or have some acreage, an open pile might be fine for you. If you garden as much as I do, a three-bin system is perfect: one bin contains compost that’s ready for use; the second bin is compost that’s almost done cooking; and the third is the active pile where we deposit our scraps and such.

So, first of all…

What can go into the compost pile?

* Leaves, pine needles, grass clipping, flowers and garden plants.

* Kitchen scraps–fruit and vegetable peelings or cuttings, crushed eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters.

* Shredded woody yard trimmings, small amounts of sawdust–but add a pound of nitrogen per 100 pounds of sawdust.

* Paper towels, shredded newspaper–although I often save my newspaper to layer as a weed barrier under mulch.

Composting no-nos:

* Clippings treated with herbicides or pesticides should not be used in a vegetable garden.

* Meat, bones and fatty foods–no oils, cheese, or cooking oil. Those will attract critters.

* Pet waste or human waste. (Really? Don’t want to grow your tomatoes in Fido’s poop?) Although, if your pet is a herbivore, you can add its waste to the pile–and it enriches the compost.

* Weeds that have gone to seed or plants that are diseased. Technically, a compost pile should get hot enough to kill those seeds or insect-infestations…but why risk it? It can be tough managing the temperature accurately enough to eliminate problems.

Green + Brown = Black Gold
Ready for biology class? No, me neither. Here’s the basic information that you need to make sure that your compost has the right levels of carbon and nitrogen to ensure those little microorganisms thrive and the scraps break down quickly:

* Leaves, straw, and sawdust are high in carbon–”browns”

* Grass clippings, manure, and vegetable scraps are higher in nitrogen–”greens”

* For the organic materials to decompose easily, the microorganisms that do the work need about 1 part nitrogen for every 30 parts carbon.

* If the carbon to nitrogen ratio is too high, it will take a long time for the matter to decompose.

There’s a great chart that shows the average carbon to nitrogen ratio in organic materials, plus extensive information about composting: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic.

How big?
Bigger is better…to a point. The larger the surface area, the faster the microorganisms can work to make matter decompose. Chopping or shredding yard waste, such as leaves, helps increase the surface area.

An ideal size for a compost pile is at least 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet. Piles smaller than this can’t hold in enough heat for decomposition, and piles larger than 5 cubic feet don’t allow enough air to reach the center of the pile and the microbes. It’s also hard to turn a pile that’s too large…and you’ll need to turn it more often. Stick with a manageable size.

Turn, turn, turn.
Turning the pile is essential to supply oxygen to the composting organisms. Without adequate oxygen, you’ll have a smelly pile of material that can be potentially toxic to plants. If your compost pile smells rotten–it might not be getting enough air.

Water, please.
Moisture management is also an important element in composting. Too much water and the microorganisms will drown. Too little moisture will result in slow decay, meaning you’ll be waiting a long time for rich soil. You’ll want the compost pile to feel about as moist as a wrung-out sponge, according to the Clemson Extension website. (Which, by the way, is fabulous. You’ll find answers to all sorts of gardening dilemmas.)

Hot enough?
The center of the compost pile will heat up as the material decomposes. The interior temperature should range between 90 and 140 degrees. Yes, there are special long-stemmed thermometers to measure the temp. Do I own one? Nope. We’ve still managed to make great compost without the gadgets.

Is it done yet?
Just like any recipe, the final product is the result of its ingredients. Depending on the coarseness of the materials, size of the pile, amount of air and moisture, your compost can be ready in as little as a month–or it might take as along as a year. Honestly, our compost–which is turned minimally and basically left on its own to decompose–is typically ready in about 4-6 months. It’s good stuff…loamy and full of worms. Yum.

Now what?
Use compost to amend your soil, top dress lawns, enrich soil around trees and shrubs, or–as we do–create new raised beds. You’ll want to separate any large chunks out of the compost. You can even use the chunky compost to make compost tea–a weak nutrient solution that can be used to fertilize young plants. Put the compost into a cloth bag and allow to soak in a 5 gallon bucket of water for approximately two to three days. The resulting liquid should smell sweet and earthy. If it smells sour or rotten–do not use on plants. Return it to the compost pile. Free, non-petroleum based fertilizer…don’t you feel greener already?

Final advice:
When you collect your kitchen scraps, you’ll definitely want a container with a lid. You’ll also want to empty it. Often. I, unfortunately, learned the hard way that kitchen scraps, like skin from pears or over-ripe tomatoes, can quickly lead to a nasty fruit fly infestation. Seriously, get a can with a lid. You’ll thank me.

Better yet, keep your container outside if it’s convenient. I have a bowl that I use during food prep to collect scraps, which I immediately dump into the container on our porch. I usually empty the container into the compost pile at least three times per week. Just don’t let an open container sit for too long. Fruit flies are a pain to get rid of.

Also, remind your husband/significant other that he/she shouldn’t bring the large container into the kitchen after it’s been sitting outside with scraps in it to, oh, make it easier to dispose of pumpkin guts. I couldn’t figure out why we had a swarm of fruit flies in the kitchen–until someone confessed (after a few glasses of wine) what he did. Argh.

So get ready! Except for the fruit flies debacle, composting is an easy, non-smelly, non-rodent attracting, eco-rific way to reduce your trash output, build fabulous soil, and enrich the environment with your selfless efforts.

South Beach Diet recipes are flexible and include all kinds of the foods you actually like to eat. It is relatively the hottest diet chic in the world today. The Diet is an answered prayer for those who loved the Atkins diet but found it too restrictive and who felt some gnawing unease at eating a lot of meat and no carbohydrates.

A lot of people suffer from overeating, since they constantly feel hunger. South Beach diet makes you stick to the way of life when you rely on the right carbohydrates and fats. South Beach Diet is about lifestyle and eating habit changes plus you get exposed to a wide variety of foods and have the flexibility to choose to eat the right types food that are good for you. It is for people who are tired of dieting and ready to change their lives. The Diet is perhaps the healthiest low carb diet in existence today. South Beach Dieters should try to avoid eating frozen dinners for two reasons: First, the only way you can know exactly what you’re putting in your body is to get in the habit of eating fresh, whole foods you’ve prepared yourself.

There are many delicious low-carb foods that fit on the diet. From American to Italian, from German to Mexican, the diet recipes take on many forms. A low carbohydrate diet can still be tasty. Here are just some of the terrific foods you can eat on the South Beach diet. Eating low fat foods does not mean all the taste and flavour that you love has to be eliminated.

One of the terrific South Beach diet recipes is for chicken Marcela. It includes chicken breasts, and other ingredients such as parsley, olive oil, mushrooms, and onion. Flatten chicken and cook it in the oil until it’s done. After softening the onions and mushrooms cook for about two minutes in the wine. Add some broth as liquid is needed. The vegetables and sauce go over the chicken. This will serve four, and has only 3 g of carbohydrates with 336 total calories.

Another of the terrific South Beach diet recipes takes us to the east, in Thailand. It’s time for some chicken salad from Thailand. This one calls for a pound of chicken breasts sliced thinly, Napa cabbage, other vegetables, and Thailand fish sauce. It’s just a matter of tossing together all the ingredients. It makes four servings and has 8 g of carbohydrates in 297 total calories. It really looks delicious.

Can South Beach diet recipes take us south of the border? Take two pounds of beef or chicken, then use soy sauce, an onion, two peppers, chili powder and wine juice. Marinate the meat in the liquids. Cook the meat until brown and the vegetables to taste. Each serving includes only 307 calories and 4.5 grams of carbs.

With the right South Beach diet recipes, it’s like not even being on a diet.

Find what you were looking for? I hope this article provided good information.

Do you have a family member who has been diagnosed with Diabetes? Are you concerned that you might be next? Maybe you have already been diagnosed? If you are interested in the research that has been done with Resveratrol and diabetes, keep reading, as I reveal the facts!

Amazing research is revealing the truth behind the French Paradox. What they have uncovered is even if you have consumed years of high fat foods, by adding this product into your daily routine you can wipe your body’s slate clean, so to speak. That is a pretty amazing claim.

The science behind this plant bi-product shows the ability to lower blood sugar and insulin levels regardless of weight or diet. Research is finding that the brain plays a large role in this ability to increase the effectiveness of its use of these products. While this research is still in its early stage, it shows great promise in reducing the amounts of those diagnosed with diabetes.

Of additional consequence is this compound’s ability to induce other health benefits. These abilities also positively affect the lives of those with insulin disorders. They include:

• Increased metabolism for increased energy burn!
• Decreased fat absorption!
• Increased blood flow to extremities!

If you are thinking that you can drink your way to health with red wine, think again! You would need to consume several bottles of wine to reach the levels needed to produce positive health benefits. All of this would be wasted on the sugar content in all that wine. There are other sources that contain this plant bi-product, including berries and chocolate, that are equally as high in sugar and make them poor options as well.

Before you think we have no solution, let me tell you about the best alternative to obtain better health. Supplements! While I like being able to consume products in their natural state, I also like the versatility of supplements as they allow you to know exactly how much you are consuming, and it’s right on the bottle!

You will need to check with your suppliers and locate one that is reputable and in good standing. If you are going to go to this much trouble for your health, then you might as well take the best products. It is definitely worth the time and effort!

If you are interested in the connection between Resveratrol and diabetes or would like additional information about the supplements I have found to contain a superior dosage, visit my website today! Your good health is on the line!

The Ultimate Men’s Survival Guide: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Manhood is an amazing read for any person who wants to learn what it takes to physically, spiritually and emotionally become a real man.

Most men go through life just living day to day and not really worrying about anything but themselves or their family. These everyday ordinary men do not have a life philosophy or a purpose in life to follow. This guide shows you what the Texas Rangers, Monks and famous people such as Winston Churchill. It also shows you what it takes to be a hero. Not a save the girl falling off a roof hero but an everyday person’s hero that can pull a child from a swift stream or how to pick the ultimate bottle of wine.

This book shows, tells and advises anyone what it takes to become an amazing man that everyone will love. It also tells you how to pick the best cigar and what makes a romantic evening, well romantic. Most importantly it shows you how to handle a relationship with a woman and enjoy it all the time. Most men need a little help in this category.

When it comes to survival there are many books on the market that show you how to survive in the wild. However none of those books can actually tell you how to survive in any environment. This book is exactly that.

If you want a great read then this is the book for you. Survival Guide

After you use a home tooth whitening kit you will not be afraid to show your teeth when you smile. No more being self conscious about dull or stained teeth, in a few hours you can have your pearly whites back. Whitening kits are much better than they were a few years ago, now you can get your teeth up to five shades whiter than were before at home.

Dull yellow teeth can occur from a number of things. What you eat or drink can have a nasty effect on your teeth. Some things even wear away at the enamel, which is the outer layer of a tooth. Even a glass of orange juice can do this because of the acidic nature of citrus.

A few items that are extremely bad for your teeth are smoking, red wine, cola and of course coffee. Unless you can brush your teeth after each cigarette or cup of coffee, you are bound to get stains. Do not fear, there is help without having to make a dentist appointment.

After hearing the price tag of having a dentist whiten my teeth, I decided to look into the home tooth whitening kits that are available now. With so many different ones to choose from I did some research to find out what would be best for whitening without ruining the enamel layer of my teeth. The price of the home kit varies greatly and so do the ingredients but some have the same formulations as what the dentists use, only in a lower concentration.

What you need to look for is something that will start an oxidizing process, something like a bleach and peroxide mix. You can find these in a convenient tooth whitening pen or a more complex system with trays that you hold on your teeth. One may work faster than the other but after time the results will be the same.

Think of the time you have to spare when it comes to the process. With the trays used for home whitening of your teeth, you put a solution into them, and then sit with the trays on your teeth and not talk for up to sixty minutes. With a gel or pen, you can get up and go in a few minutes. The choice is yours If you need a bright white smile for a special occasion, spending the time with the trays might be better because the results will be whiter after an hour or so.

People whiten their teeth for different reasons. Some may have a job where they are in constant contact with other people. People do tend to notice someone’s smile and if it is yellow or discolored. You will most likely see a difference in the way you are treated by others when your smile is bright and white. The same way you take care of your hair and clothes, your smile is part of your appearance.

A beautiful smile is something to show off, so don’t hide yours because of stains. You no longer have to worry about the high cost of a dentist whitening your teeth. With home tooth whitening, you can get your pearly whites back in the comfort of your home.