The Caruso Homeopathy Blog

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I am trying to get to 1000 likes on my facebook business page by the end of June. I would be very appreciative if you could take a second to hit LIKE on my page! Thanks for helping a small town gal from Guelph out! https://www.facebook.com/CarusoHomeopathy 

 

An interesting article challenges the beliefs of the China Study and that all people should be vegetarians. http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/the-china-study-myth 

An interesting article from Weston Price foundation on fats and bad fats, separating fact from fiction:

http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/good-fats-bad-fats-separating-fact-from-fiction 

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2012) — The latest American Academy of Neurology/American Headache Society Guidelines released this week outline evidence-based and effective treatments that can prevent migraine attacks and lessen their severity. According to guidelines published on the American Academy of Neurology's website, 38 percent of migraine sufferers require preventive therapy, but just three to 13 percent currently use it. An added concern is that patients are taking treatments that have never been demonstrated to work. Most importantly, the guidelines assert that migraine prevention requires taking medication daily, rather than only when in the throes of an attack. Read on

An interesting article by Dr. Mark Hyman about cholesterol and how it is not the all that it is promoted as being in the medical community and news: http://drhyman.com/downloads/Cholesterol-AT.pdf 

Coconut oil has so many health benefits, it is excellent to use instead of shortening and other cooking oils and well it can be used topically. Here is a site that claims there is a 160 uses for coconut oil. Read on.

Hello All,

I have a friend who has some non gmo, heirloom vegetable plants for sale this spring. Here are the details:

Heirloom Tomatoes 2012 listing – NO chemicals NO GMO

Plants or produce available – please place your order asap for plants.  picked up in May in big individual pots for $3.99 each, or some 4 packs for $4.99. others prices vary

Kathy Granger This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it       519-787-2618 Fergus, Ont

 

 Determinate tomato plants are shorter (under 4 feet) and bushier than indeterminate tomato plants which can grow taller and are more like vines. Determinate tomato plants produce all of their fruit at roughly the same time, whereas indeterminate produce tomatoes all season long.

 Black Cherry Tomato- One of the only round, black cherries available with a characteristic dark purplish color. One inch fruits are sensational with the sweet, rich, full flavor common to all of the Russian black tomatoes. A striking addition to cherry tomato mixes. The dark purple cherry tomatoes are born in large clusters on very vigorous, productive plants.

Indeterminate, regular leaf foliage. (64 days from transplant)

Currant  (South American species of tomato) these produce huge, vigorous branches that yields thousands of 3/8-inch, intense sweet (but slightly tart), red currant tomatoes. 68 days

Golden Cherry. Sweet and addictive. These little yellow tomatoes probably wouldn’t make it in from the garden except for the fact that there are so many of them you can't eat them all at once.  Dry partially like raisins for prolonged snacking pleasure. Indeterminate. 63 days

Black Krim isa very popular heirloom that originates from the Isle of Krim in the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula. Great tasting and totally Unique!

It is deep purple on the outside with a deep reddish black flesh with a beautiful complex flavour; definitely one of the tastiest tomatoes that I have ever eaten.

 The color of the medium to large size fruit varies according to the climate but generally the hotter the climate the darker the fruit. Water evenly to reduce concentric cracking. Indeterminate, regular leaf foliage.80 days

Cosmonaut Volkov Named after the famous Russian cosmonaut. This Ukrainian heirloom variety wins taste test after taste test. The large, deep red globes have a complex sweet/tart flavour, with a rich complexity with a wonderful aftertaste that leaves you wanting more.

Fruits can range from 8-12 oz and are slightly flattened with a healthy red color and moderately green shoulders.

Russians grow this variety for prize-winning, 1-2 pound tomatoes.

It is comparable to many of the large and tasty heirlooms but with very little cracking or yellow shoulders.

The large indeterminate plants produce early and continue until frost. Produces high yields even in cool conditions. Prone to cracking in wet conditions. Days to maturity:68

 Costoluto Fiorentino An heirloom variety from the Tuscany region of Italy. Plant produces good yields of medium 8 oz red tomatoes with a high flavor of sugar and acid making it one of the best for making spaghetti sauce. Indeterminate. 85 days

Feuerwork Originally from Germany, the fruit are breathtaking with yellow mottling and stripes on a red background it really does look like fireworks! Name means Fireworks.

These tomatoes have a very unusual skin pattern reminiscent of lava or flames.  They are medium to very large, from perfectly round to deeply lobbed, from bland to intense, from fruity to acidic.

The fruit average 10-12 oz and have good flavor. A must for every tomato collector. Indeterminate, regular leaf foliage. (80 days from transplant)

Golden Queen Superior flavor and full tomato taste. This is the original heirloom variety as described by Livingston in 1882.  Pale yellow medium-sized fruit develop a pink blush on the bottom when ripe. Plant produces good yields of 12 oz yellow tomatoes. Indeterminate. 75 days

Roma- introduced in 1955

Mild flavor, few seeds and solid paste-type is great for sauces. More productive and slightly larger San Marzano, Roma fruit ripens evenly to a deep red color. Interior is extremely high in solids, making it excellent for sauces. 78 days to maturity, determinate

              

IndianStripe A very old heirloom that is thought to be a distinct strain of Cherokee Purple. Large fruit are purplish with green shoulders and occasional green striping. (The green striping is not present on most of the fruit produced.) One of the most delicious tomatoes that I have ever tasted . Compact indeterminate, regular leaf foliage. (75 days) RARE.

Juliette Saladette A larger sister variety of Santa, Juliette rates as the most disease resistant. Deep red, shiny ,sweet plum clusters avg. 1 1/2-2 oz. Typically 12-18 fruits per cluster. Delicious, rich tomato taste for salads, great salsa, and fresh pasta sauce. Good crack resistance and shelf life. AAS winner.

Latah Super-early Salad type Sprawling bush

This is the one for your really remarkably early crop. It might just be the best early tomato ever. Tolerates short or cool summers, covered in 2-4” spherical red fruit on a sprawling bush.  Fantastic flavour, balanced acid and sweetness, great raw & cooked.

Moira A firm, 2 to 3-inch plum tomato, a good choice for canning or juicing. This tomato ripens from the inside out, ensuring red, meaty tomatoes in a short growing season. The fruit tend to ripen all at once over the compact plant. Jack Metcalf of the Smitfield Experimental Farm developed Moira in 1972. Determinate

Paul Robeson As this tomato variety originates from Siberia and sets fruits at lower temps, it is an excellent choice for cooler growing regions.  This Russian heirloom is named after the operatic artist who won acclaim as an advocate of equal rights for Blacks. This "black" beefsteak tomato is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 4-inches. The deep rich color is a dusky, dark-red, with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh in its center. Very flavorful fruits with luscious, earthy, exotic flavors and good acid/sweet balance. Paul Robeson (aka Pol Robeson) won "Best of Show" at Carmel TomatoFest.

Principe Borghese Italian heirloom tomato is used for sun dried tomatoes, eating or sauce.

The determinate plants are covered with small red fruit. Can be crushed for flakes or ground into powder to add rich tomato flavour to soups, salad dressings etc. Semi-determinate plants produce an abundance of 5 cm. red, oval tomatoes with a little point on the end. Dry in a low oven if the sun doesn't cooperate. Determinate. 78 days

Polish Linguisa Probably the best tasting paste tomato. Vigorous indeterminate vines bear 3-4 inch pointed red fruits 1-2 inches in diameter that are meaty enough for saucing or drying, but good enough to eat fresh.

It has and can be used for sauce or eaten fresh. The flavour is rich and sweet with a good balance of juice to flesh and makes great sauce. Bright red fruit are long and narrow with a pronounced tip at the end, somewhat pepper-like in shape. 73 days

Persimmon An old Russian variety originally brought into the United States by Seed Savers Exchange. The gorgeous fruit is 3-4 inches in diameter, blemish free and a golden orange color similar to a persimmon. One of the best tasting gold to orange tomatoes available. The plants are also determinate so there is no need to stake, making this variety excellent for smaller gardens.

Plant produces good yields of 1 to 2 lb golden-orange meaty tomatoes with a mild sweet flavor with few seeds. Plant Height: 36" 80 days Determinate, regular leaf foliage.

Prudens Purple is not really purple, but rather a deep pink with slight shoulder ribbing. A large flattened beefsteak with exceptional taste.

Plant produces good yields of  irregular, very delicious tomatoes.  Fruits early considering size, which is 1 lb or so.

Productive and shows some measure of disease resistance.Plants have potato shaped leaves. 75 days Indeterminate

Sicilian Saucer A true heirloom variety originally from Sicily. This tomato may be the secret to a good pasta sauce?

Plant produces good yields of very large beefsteak tomatoes. Tomatoes turn glossy red when mature. Try growing the biggest prize winning tomato you will ever see. Disease Resistant. Indeterminate

Sasha Altai Originally came from a man named Sasha in Irkutsk, Siberia.  One of the best tomatoes for short season climates; it is extremely productive and early and can tolerate cool night temperatures. The bush plants produce loads of 6 oz red fruit. Determinate. (65 days from transplant)

Voted one of the ten best early tomatoes by Organic Magazine. Extremely early for a full sized slicer, this slightly flattened bright red tomato is extraordinarily sweet and juicy and blemish free.

Red and Green – an old heirloom with mottling, delicious complex flavour. An older lady in the neighbourhood has grown them all her life and got them from her mother who was from Europe.

Druzba –  Bulgarian heirloom - name translates to the word "friendship". Druzba has a heavy set of 8-16 oz, 4-6" red fruits that are smooth, blemish free, sweet with just the right amount of tart.  Good flavor, sweet but tart. 80 days from transplant.

German Strawberry: German heirloom.  They are very meaty with few seeds and little juice yet big taste. Fantastic for saucing or slicing. Plant produces good yields of 10 oz red strawberry shaped tomatoes. Tomatoes are very flavorful, meaty. They can grow as large as 1 lb. 80 days Indeterminate.

Heirloom Peppers

Doe Hill Pepper (pre 1900)  A very rare family heirloom from Doe Hill area of Highland County, Virginia. This is without a doubt one of the very best peppers for short season areas, also one of the tastiest. The small round lobed peppers are the shape of old fashioned tomato peppers and turn gold at maturity. They are very sweet and productive. Excellent in salads or any dish that requires sweet peppers. These would also make cute little stuffed peppers. EXTREMELY RARE. (60-65 days from transplant)

Italian heirloom small hot peppers– seed straight from Italy!

Heirloom Broad Beans

Black Russian

Extremely rare heirloom broad bean (fava bean) from Russia with purple seeds when fresh and black seed when dry. The plants are very frost hardy and productive.

Crimson Flowered Broad Bean (1778)

At one time, not long ago, this broad bean was on the verge of extinction. An elderly curator of precious bean seeds lost almost all of her harvest but luckily sent the remaining seed to Henry Doubleday Research Association(HDRA). From just four seeds, HDRA was able to successfully propagate this bean and save the Crimson Flowered Broad Bean from extinction. This is one of the true success stories when it comes to saving heirloom vegetables. The Crimson Flowered Broad Bean is an extremely ornamental plant. It is covered with crimson flowers all summer long and into the fall. It is also very productive and produces many tasty green fava beans that can be used fresh or dried for winter use. One of my all time favorite vegetables and definitely pretty enough for the flower bed! EXTREMELY RARE.

Heirloom Runner Beans  (Hummingbirds love the flowers!)

Sadies Horse Bean: A beautiful heirloom runner bean that was grown in the same family for over one hundred years! Huge beans have to be seen to be believed and come in a gorgeous mix of colors including pink mottled black, lavender mottled brown and pure white. The pods are also huge and can be eaten as a snap when very young. This bean is truly one of the most ornamental vegetables you can grow. The vigorous vines are covered in a mix of white and red flowers all summer long and also attracts hummingbirds. Simply breathtaking! (110 days for dried beans) Pole.

Scarlet Runner (1750)

Beautiful scarlet flowers and purple mottled seed. Very ornamental.

Heirloom Bush bean

Dragon Tounge

(a.k.a. Dragon Langerie) Extremely productive and delicious wax bean that originated in the Netherlands. Flattened yellow pods are 6-7" long and streaked with purple. The seeds, which can also be used as a dry bean, are beige with purple stripes, some are almost all purple. Productive and rust resistant bush plant.Days to Maturity: 55-60 days for snaps

Other bush bean produce for sale in season: Golden Wax, green, Ireland Creek bush beans, Royal Burgandy

Pole Beans: Yard long green, Chinese Red Noodle bean

Many different varieties of dried beans available later in season

Heirloom Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

Kaiser Alexander

This extremely rare cucumber is named for the Russian Emperor Alexander and is originally from Russia. The most unusual trait of this cucumber is that when fully mature and past the eating stage, the skin is brown with white striations. It is truly beautiful! This heirloom also is one of the crunchiest, best tasting cucumbers I have grown and is best eaten when the green fruit are under 6 inches long. A real treasure! 60 days to maturity.

Other cucumbers available, Morden Early, Straight Eight

Heirloom Corn  (Zea mays)

Tom Thumb Popcorn

Very productive 2-3’ plants produce many small cobs that average 3" long. Produces delicious popcorn that pops very well. Small golden cobs can also be used for autumn decorations. Very early and productive. The best popcorn for short season areas! (60 days)

Winter Squash

Sweet Keeper Squash (large winter type); Black Futsu; Table King; Sweet Potato Squash; Waltham Butternut; Cream Acorn

Summer Squash

Various zucchini

Marrow:  Boston Marrow (pre 1831) According to Fearing Burr, John M. Ives of Salem, Massachusetts acquired a Boston Marrow (which he named Autumnal Marrow) from a friend from Northampton who claimed it originated with a tribe of Indians near Buffalo, NY. It became very popular around Boston for making pies hence the name Boston Marrow. (recipe can be provided) The beautiful squash ripens to an orange colour and is hubbard shaped. The very productive vines produce fruit to 20 lbs. and the flesh is golden orange, finegrained and makes the best pumpkin pie I have ever tasted! A very reliable squash that store well if properly cured. (100 days to maturity) EXTREMELY Rare

Beets

Touchstone Gold, Chioggia, mixed heirlooms

Broccoli De Ciccio , Purple Peacock

 

Brussel Sprouts( in season)

Cabbage

Carrots:Jaune DeDoubs, Purple Haze (Hybrid), Berlicummer, Scarlet Nantes

Kale:Dwarf Green Curled, Lacinato (dinosaur) kale, Russian red

Melons:Watermelon Sweet Beauty, Cream of Saskatchewan, Prescott Fond Blanc, Gnadenfeld

Bronze Fennel; Ornamental Gourds; Parsnips

Peas:Harrison’s Glory, popular in 1800’s, best pea I have tasted! Small pods with wrinkled seed

Peppers 

Radish:Round Black Spanish, Yellow Carrot Rooted, Early Yellow Turnip rooted, Easter Egg blend, Watermelon

Garlic,Onions, Raspberries, Potatoes

Lots of flowers and perennials for sale

Herbs available in Season:

Dukat dill, Fernleaf dill, basil, Parsley, cilantro, lemon balm, borage, Annis Hyssop, oregano

Salad Greens; mixes, Red Shiso, Triple Purple Orach, Mustard Green mix, baby leaf blends, beetberry

Annuals and Perennials for Sale: prices vary, quantities limited this is not a complete listing

 

Snapdragon ‘Black Prince’(pre -1923) (Antirrhinium majus)

A most striking snap! Dark crimson flower stalks rise from purple tinted foliage to create a spectacular show summer long and well into the fall. 2-2.5’ tall.  Pinch back spent flowers to prolong bloom season and encourage fullness. Very attractive with light coloured plants (think Bells of Ireland(Moluccella laevis)).Part to full sun. Bees love them.

Also available mixed snaps.

Crocosmia “Lucifer”   grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Plant corms in spring 2-3" deep and 6-8" apart.   late summer beauty  with vibrant scarlet wands offering a late pop of color when many gardens are in need of a pick me up. Their narrow, bladed foliage provides vertical accents much like gladiola leaves. The tubular blossoms beckon hummingbirds, and the seedpods that persist into fall also attract feathered visitors.  This variety is very hardy in my Zone 5 Fergus garden.

Many iris hybrids for sale – come see them when they are blooming in June! Tall bearded

Siberian iris

Daylilies – come see them in bloom later in the summer

Hostas

Many varieties of wandering jew available for planters or indoors.

Canna lilies

Perennial hibiscus

Platycodon – balloon flower white perennial

Oxalis – for pots outside for summer or indoors.             

Double cosmea – cosmos white or pink

Zinnia – tall

Poppies        

Monarda: (beebalm) Raspberry Wine, Jacob cline (red)

Various sedum

Various geraniums

Many others not listed      

Have a look at this amazing CNN report on the recent research about sugar:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n&tag=contentMain%3BcontentAux

 

Royal jelly is often used in traditional chinese medicine. It has many beneficial properties, such as being good for the skin, it is a hypotensive (dilates the blood vessels), anti tumour activity, anti bacterial properties, lowers cholesterol and reduces inflammation. Royal jelly needs to be processed properly to prevent contamination. Read on.

An interesting article written by  Fred Kummerow, PhD of the Weston Price Foundation suggests that protein has great health benefits when eaten in moderation:

Protein is in the spotlight these days, with articles touting diets high in protein and advertisements for protein powders in the media. Protein is, of course, an important building block in the body, but it is not the only building block. And furthermore, protein is made up of a variety of substances, with the result that not all protein sources are equal in value.
Here are some of the facts about proteins: protein is essential to a healthy heart and a healthy body; animal sources of protein including eggs are “better” for you nutritionally since they contain all of the essential amino acids; as with most nutrients and vitamins, both too much and too little protein have detrimental effects on the body; and, protein cannot be “stocked” up like fat but must be eaten daily. Protein is the basic nutrient and plays an essential role in carrying cholesterol and preventing heart disease. Read on

 

Interesting article by Adele Hite on the USDA's food pyramid and health.

I am a PhD candidate in Nutrition Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina. I represent the Healthy Nation Coalition, a public health advocacy group dedicated to changing our definition of healthy food. But I also represent all those Americans who have tried to eat a healthy diet according to the USDA’s definition and have become overweight, obese, and sick in the process. I was one of those people—obese and sick—when I ate according to the guidelines.
I went back to school because I worked at a Duke Clinic, where I met a lot of people just like me, people who were struggling with weight gain and poor health, trying to force their bodies to be well on a dietary pattern never proven to have specific health benefits. That’s right, the recommended diet has not even been tested.

Read on

One of the most serious and intractible medical problems facing doctors today is that of antibiotic-resistant infectious microorganisms, the so-called "superbugs." One example is MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), now a common source of blood poisoning and infection in hospitals (see sidebar below). Other exampless of antibiotic-resistant infectious agents include Bacillus anthracis Sterne, virulent Escherichia coli, Klebsiela pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, and Mycobacterium terrae, viruses with lipid membranes, and a number of invasive fungi. Read on

Canola oil is "widely recognized as the healthiest salad and cooking oil available to consumers." It was developed through hybridization of rape seed. Rape seed oil is toxic because it contains significant amounts of a poisonous substance called erucic acid. Canola oil contains only trace amounts of erucic acid and its unique fatty acid profile, rich in oleic acid and low in saturated fats, makes it particularly beneficial for the prevention of heart disease. It also contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, also shown to have health benefits. This is what the food industry says about canola oil. Here is what the Weston Price Foundation has to say about that.

In our modern world, cholesterol has become almost a swear word. Thanks to the promoters of the diet-heart hypothesis, everybody "knows" that cholesterol is "evil" and has to be fought at every turn. If you believe the popular media, you would think that there is simply no level of cholesterol low enough. If you are over a certain age, you are likely to be tested for how much cholesterol you have in your blood. If it is higher than about 200 mg/100ml (5.1 mol/l), you may be prescribed a "cholesterol pill." Millions of people around the world take these pills, thinking that this way they are taking good care of their health. What these people don’t realize is just how far from the truth they are. The truth is that we humans cannot live without cholesterol. Let us see why.

(OMNS, October 21, 2008) A study of almost 5,000 persons has shown that consuming more vitamin B6 means less colon cancer. (1) The researchers described the connection as "moderately strong." Any nutrient that has a "moderately strong" influence on reducing colon cancer risk is very important indeed. Almost 150,000 Americans are annually diagnosed with colon cancer; nearly 55,000 die every single year. Other authors, reviewing previous studies, have said the same thing: B6 substantially reduces colon cancer risk. (2,3)

Many of us are not getting nearly enough B6 from our diets. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (May, 2008) published a study of nearly 8,000 people showing that B6 inadequacy is common throughout the United States. "Across the study population," the authors said, "we noticed participants with inadequate vitamin B6 status even though they reported consuming more than the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin B6, which is less than 2 milligrams per day." Three out of four women using oral contraceptives are vitamin B6 deficient, unless they also take vitamin B6 supplements. Smokers and the elderly are also especially likely to be at risk. Remarkably, even among people who take B6 supplements, one in ten is still B6 deficient. (4) Read on

 

The NY Times Magazine's cover story, "The Bipolar Kid" (September 14, 2008), is a very bleak article. While emphasizing the miseries of living with such a child, Jennifer Egan's article offers little hope except for ever-increasing doses of lithium. Long on discussions of definitions and diagnoses, it is remarkably short on treatment alternatives. Not a word about diet. Not a word about vitamins. Indeed, in this 9,500 word feature, describing the daily life of an out-of-control, beyond-ADHD boy, the word "nutrition" is not mentioned at all. Neither are the words "sugar" or "caffeine." Read on

Which Kills Smokers: "Camels" or Carrots?
Are Smokers Getting Lung Cancer From Beta-Carotene?
(OMNS, November 18, 2008) If one is to believe the way Reuters reports it (1), carotene is a killer. Carotene? As in carrots? Nope: just the carotene in vitamin tablets. A recent study is critical, very critical, of beta-carotene in dietary supplements. The study authors wrote, "High-dose beta-carotene supplementation appears to increase the risk of lung cancer among current smokers." (2) The "high doses" they say are harmful are only 20-30 milligrams (mg) per day. To come up with this sensational conclusion, they chose only four studies for their analysis. All four were selected from the Medline database; none were from non-Medline-indexed nutritional medicine journals such as the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. (3)

Why did the authors choose to target only those "high doses" obtained from supplements? As the headlines do not differentiate between natural and "synthetic" beta-carotene, they are in effect saying that it does not matter whether it is in a tablet or in carrot cake: carotene looks bad for smokers.

Read on

 

Why You are Sick if You Want to Eat Right
(But It's Perfectly Normal to Treat Angina with Pressure Pants)
Comment by Andrew W. Saul
Editor-In-Chief, Orthomolecular Medicine News Service

(OMNS, June 27, 2010) First of all, we are not making this up. "Healthy food obsession sparks rise in new eating disorder: Fixation with healthy eating can be sign of serious psychological disorder" was an actual article headline from UK's The Observer, founded 1791, the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.

And now, eating right has an official disease name, too: orthorexia nervosa. (1) Tell me more

 

What Kind of Medical Study Would Have Grandma Believe that Her Daily Multivitamin is Dangerous?
by Robert G. Smith, PhD

(OMNS, Oct 12, 2011) A newly released study suggests that multivitamin and nutrient supplements can increase the mortality rate in older women [1]. However, there are several concerns about the study's methods and significance. Read on