SLAVERY AND BERMUDA GRASS / SMOOTHIES

What pray tell do the first two vile things have in common?

According to David M. Kopec, Extension Turfgrass Specialist , too much.

"Like almost all of our turfgrass species, bermudagrass is an introduced plant to the United States. The origin of the first introduction of bermudagrass most likely came from contaminated hay, which was used as bedding, when slaves were brought to America. "

I am  currently at war with this invasive grass and was stunned at how it was most likely introduced to the US.  Should never have happened on all fronts.

As a lawn grass, bermuda has :
-excellent resistance to heat and drought
· low water use rate
· dense sod formation
· tolerance of a wide range of soil pH ranges
· good tolerance to salty water and conditions
· good traffic tolerance
· relative ease of establishment
· grows on hard soil surfaces and shallow soils, better than most other grasses

Sounds wonderful if all you want is a lawn. If that is the case, I say go for it, unless of course you are my neighbor.  To me with a lot of plant and veggie beds, it is an unkillable nightmare that invades like Hitler through Europe. 

It wants every bit of earth and little will deter it. The problem with bermuda is it is totally invasive. It sends out little shoots that grow up, over, around and through just about anything in its way

I have chopped, dug, slathered it with Roundup and still it lives. Presumably killed runners that are white, dry and withered, will eventually sport a flicker of green at the very tip as it comes back to life. It is  the zombie of grass. The idea of a  flame thrower lurks in my mind but that will have to wait till our burn ban is over.

The only thing I can see that makes it useful to me is for weight loss. The labor involved in trying to get rid of it is tougher than any fitness trainer could dish out. 

Help!!! This evil grass is turning my language  in the yard a nasty shade of blue. If you have won the war with this scourge,  please share with me.  
OK. That was my gripe, Next is my pleasant discovery. 

SOMETIMES A MISFORTUNE BECOMES QUITE FORTUNATE. 

When I was having weeks of mouth problems last month, eating was not much fun.  So I frequently went for soft and liquid over chewy. I have some overloaded fruit trees so I thought, why not a smoothie?

Well not only are these things delicious, healthy and require no chewing, but they are also quite satisfying.  They are very easy to fix, refreshing on hot days, and I am finally using that blender that has been untouched for years. 

I wish I could offer a favorite recipe but I just dump in what looks good and hit pulse. I never measure.  Sometimes I like it thick  and spoonable so I use a bit extra of  low fat vanilla yogurt. Other times I want a thinner drink that won't clog a straw so I use juice. Each time I am amazed at how great it tastes. It seems error proof.

I do not use sugar or honey as most recipes call for. With fruit, adding sugar is in my opinion, over kill.  Probably my favorite is with carrots, pineapple,  banana and yogurt. Trust me, I have tried many variations with mangoes, plums, even kale and all have been delicious. 

I use it to replace one meal, usually dinner since that is normally my smallest meal. I eat my main meal at midday.  All Recipes has some great smoothie recipes. Feel free to experiment. 

So between my nasty bermuda grass and my lovely smoothies, I am now down 14 pounds. All is good, even when it might not seem so.   

I do have company coming  on Monday to spend the week. Wonder if I can convince them that a smoothie is a whole meal??