V eggie of the Week: THE CUCUMBER

A true identity crisis surrounds this weeks veggie. Scientifically it's a fruit, it belongs in the Gourd family of plants, and it's closest plant cousin is the Muskmelon. But the best place for the cucumber is sliced fresh on your dinner salad or as a pickled garnish on your hamburger or hotdog.

It may have many identities, but one thing is certain, the cucumber is a versatile, hardy, and welcome addition to any garden.

Either serving as a versatile food, or as a medicinal aid, the cucumber is unmatched, check out what WHFoods.com has to say about "cool cucumbers".

And for first-hand planting, here's how it's done by Jarad at Stonesoup Farms...

Vegie of the week: GREEN BEANS

Can a bean by any other name, still be green? Well according to Wikipedia..."Green beans (American English), French beans or runner beans (British English) are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap beans."

Whatever you want to call 'em, green beans is the one vegetable that you can usually count on your kids having no problem cleaning their plate of, and generally makes a great side dish to any main course at the dinner table.

Two common types of Green Beans are grown; Bush or Pole Beans, in most gardens, and can yield more than one crop in a growing season.

I found a good little video on Youtube that shows you how to plant a good crop...



And, for a good online reference here's a link to the Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension Dept. of Horticultural Sciences.

Swine Flu Symtoms Described

In this video, Dr. Joe Bresee, with CDC's Influenza Division, describes the symptoms of swine flu and warning signs to look for that indicate the need for urgent medical attention.



For further informational video's check out the CDC's Youtube Page.

Clinton/Sampson County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Week...

Veggie of the Week...CARROTS

Eating carrots will improve your eyesight.....NO!

Carrots protect military secrets...YES!

Straight from the "Gee-Wiz" Catagory comes this week's Veggie...one that gives your salad zing, & helped win the war for the allies...THE CARROT!

You've heard it before, eating carrots can improve your night vision...sounds plausable... baseless, but plausable. Most never questioned it, but who came up with this tidbit of occular advice?

I'm guessing it was someone who worked for this guy...
(Hint:...that's former Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain)


OK, so like Bug's Bunny, you're asking "What's up Doc?", for that, check out the story from the myth busting website, Snopes.com


Now that you're well armed with that piece of vegetable trivia, howbout' catching some great tips on cultivating some lovely roots for your very own. Check out all the great garden tips about carrots from gardenersnet.com


And keeping with the Veggie of the Week Tradition, here's Jarred from Stone Soup Farms, who shows you how to add carrots to your garden...

Horry County SC Wildfire battle rages on...

The map at left depicts the area currently effected by wildfires that have scorched more than 19,000 acres, and have caused more than 2500 people to evacuate.

With no rain on the immediate forecast, fire officals are hesitant to speculate how soon the largest wildfire to hit the region in over 30 years may be put under control.

Myrtle Beach NBC TV Station WMBF has this report...


UPDATE: (11:00AM EST)
The Horry County Information Office has released this map showing current hotspots,(as of 2AM) The 10AM News Conference had officials stating that approx. 50% of the wildfire is contained, but with forecasts of winds increasing in the area conditions may still change for the worse.

Current damage estimates are at $8.2M; Fire 50 percent contained, but expected to strengthen and threaten Poplar community on S.C. 90.
Here's additional information from Myrtle Beach Local Newspaper, The Sun News...

Veggie of the Week...TOMATOES

Oh yes! The Rock Star of the veggie world! A favorite garden crop, tomatoes are this weeks featured veggie. Absolutely, the tomato is the number one planted crop in discerning backyard gardens everywhere. Looking through the garden center at your favorite big box store... except for ornamental shrubbery, tomato plants are the biggest cash crop to expand a Lowe's or Home Depot's profit margin. Easy to plant, cultivate, and ACCESSORIZE. Grab some wire trellis or Rapid-Grow tomato sticks while you choose between picking between Beefsteak or Bigger Boy varieties.

A member of the nightshade family of plants, tomatoes were subject to suspicion. Once called "Wolf Apples", it was once thought to be poisonous. And there's still debate in botanical circles as to whether it is a fruit or vegetable. All that aside, the tomato has become a delicious favorite at the dinner table with countless uses.

I'm featuring a geocities website... "How to grow tomatoes" since it's simple, stuffed with links, articles, and tons of tips & info.

For those who like video's, Melissa Allman tells it like it is with the best southern "Ax-sent"...