Vegetables

War Memorial Hospital's Center for Rehab & Wellness will offer a free program "Plan 5 A Day: Vegetables and Fruits" at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27. War Memorial Hospital's Center for Rehab & Wellness is at 261 Berkmore Place, Suite 2A, in Berkeley Springs. Sara Kuykendall, a registered and licensed dietitian with Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Services, will offer tips to help add fruits and vegetables to one's eating plan.  The class is open to the public, but registration is required by Wednesday, Aug. 22. For more information or to register, call 304-258-8377.

Eating more vegetables is an easy way to improve health, for both kids and adults, especially with the abundance of fresh vegetables available year-round. Taking advantage of the seasonal availability of fruits and vegetables makes them more affordable. Through the fall and into early winter, vegetables that are at their peak and most plentiful include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, grapes, kale, pumpkins, winter squash and yams.   Vegetables are considered a nutritional bargain because they are loaded with natural nutrients and fiber.

In light of the recent recall of some types of tomatoes because of a salmonella scare, do you feel secure that the food you eat, whether vegetables, fruit, dairy or meat, is safe? Yes 146 votes (51 percent) No 142 votes (49 percent) Results as of Wednesday at 1:45 p.m. from votes received online.

This soup was an old standby right before Christmas break during my college days. I would get the soup started and as friends dropped by, each would bring along some to "add to the pot" and the fun was seeing how a truly delicious soup developed after everyone adding their ingredients. The vegetables and meats are mainly what we added, but you can change it up by adding more root vegetables, legumes or cooked rice. I'd also suggest trying chorizo, sliced steak or even some wild game if you have some to add to the pot.   In any case, just let your taste buds be the guide while preparing this soup.

Whether you are eating out or dining in, the side dishes you choose to accompany your main entree can make or break your otherwise healthful meal. If you are dining out, try choosing restaurants that offer a variety of choices. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask how items are prepared, or to ask for special requests. When preparing your meals at home, choose healthier preparation methods. Soups and salads are popular side dishes that, when appropriately chosen or prepared, can curb your appetite and decrease overall fat and calorie content of the entire meal.

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of stories on children eating vegetables. The series explores ways to highlight vegetables' flavor and appearance as a way to work around the resistance some kids have to eating vegetables. I've never been a big fan of turnips. Mainly, I just haven't eaten them much. I don't recall my mother serving them when I was a boy in central Ohio. But when Thanksgiving rolled around last week and my wife put me in charge of mashed potatoes, she asked me to try something new: add turnips to the spuds and mash them together.

Asparagus is a vegetable made for kids. Like bananas, asparagus stalks have a playful shape. Like carrots, asparagus may be eaten raw or cooked. Like broccoli, asparagus has two distinct parts - a fleshy stalk and a tip with more flavor. And like sweet potatoes or beets, asparagus can be taken in either a savory or sweet direction. Start slow Asparagus stalks are the fresh shoots of a plant that, when full grown, resembles a lacy Christmas tree with red berries.

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of stories on children eating vegetables. The series explores ways to highlight vegetables' flavor and appearance as a way to work around the resistance some kids have to eating vegetables. Like many parents, I know I should eat vegetables. So, in the past, whenever my wife, Yolanda, prepared brussels sprouts, I ate them. They were not overcooked, a bit cabbage-y in flavor and tasted OK. But, mostly, I ate them because I knew they were good for me. And then Yolanda found a recipe that made brussels sprouts taste spectacularly good.

The 2012 High Tunnel Growers School will teach new growers the latest techniques to produce high-quality, high tunnel-grown vegetables. The program will be Tuesday, Nov. 13, and Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Penn State Lancaster Center, Lancaster Farm and Home Center Building. The program costs $145 and includes all program materials, lunch, morning and afternoon breaks and a CD or DVD of all presentations, handouts, and some publications. Registration is required. For more information, contact Steve Bogash at the Franklin County Cooperative Extension office at 717-263-9226, ext. 230, or email smb13@psu.edu . To register, contact Jennifer Wetzel at 717-263-9226.

Now is the time to enjoy fresh apples, sweet potatoes, squash of all kinds and pumpkins. Abundant supplies of the freshly harvested fruits and vegetables usually mean that the foods are seasonal and reasonably priced.  Apples truly are one of the season's nutritional bargains - they are fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free, high in fiber and low in calories. One medium apple has about 80 calories. You can go to the Maryland Apple Promotion Board ( www.marylandapples.org/varieties.htm )