Saturday, June 16, 2012

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??

31 comments :

  1. 14 pounds!! Well done. I must try the smoothies then! I need to lose some weight too. And it sounds very healthy.

    The grass, I can't help you with I'm afraid.

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  2. I love smoothies... 14lbs!!! that's wonderful. Can't help with your grass problem, I'm dealing with wild violets around here. They've taken over my yard.

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  3. Reminds me of a saying I once read that a weed is just someone else's choice of plant growing in the wrong place. Good luck with it.....we have creeping charlie that is invincible. I have tried to think of it as beautiful when it blooms all purple in the yard.
    Perhaps raised beds for next year?
    And those smoothies do sound yummy!

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  4. Congratulations on your weight loss, whatever the reason. Bermuda grass, I know it well, but I don't see it here in the Pacific Northwest. In Texas it grows everywhere. If you do find a solution to it, you'll have to find another way to get your exercise. :-)

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  5. One of the benefits of living in a house on wheels is that there is no yard to maintain, so I can't help there. But losing 14 pounds? Wonderful. I lean towards chocolate malts (probably why I'm 60 pounds overweight) but will have to try adding a few smoothies to my meals instead. Congratulations!

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  6. There is always that little silver lining. Congrats on the weight loss. It is strawberry season in VT, so it is also smoothie season for me.

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  7. The Short answer is NO conqueror HERE.
    I keep lots of round up. I have a valued hedge plant with it entwined in it.

    To me it is a W-E-E-D. There is another kind or grassy weed that when you gather its extensions and manage to pull it out of the ground, half the earth comes with it.

    Then there is another grass we actually spread some season, and then transplanted a small bush. It is single blades, but roots break off easily. It is filled in the little plant. When I try to separate the branches and pull it up, My thin skin coupled with blood thinner I take combine for a bloody encounter of a slash and run murderer.

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  8. Oh my, I hadn't thought of Bermuda grass in years, and prefer it that way. Another good reason to live in the Pacific Northwest, no Bermuda grass. Congrats on the weight loss.

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  9. Oh, wow! You have inspired me to make a smoothie today! I haven't had one in months. I'll use frozen fruit, frozen blueberries, and orange juice. Can't wait!

    Too bad about the Bermuda grass. Isn't it used on golf courses because it is so lush and green?

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  10. Dang grass! I can't help with advise on that one.

    Good for you for discovering smoothies and losing weight, Patti. I should give that a try. My Mom has been eating them for breakfast for a couple of years and she swears by them. Breakfast is my hit and miss meal, even though I know it is the most important meal of they day.

    Great post!

    Kathy M.

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  11. As for company....as my mother use to say. Eat what is put in front you and don't complain. You mighht try that one your company - let me now if it works :) As for the grass...I can't be helpful. SURPRISE!!

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  12. We have Bermuda grass and it is not spreading! lol Love smoothies too - and you are doing great. sadnie

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  13. Good job on losing the 14 lbs! I'll be glad when our fruit trees are bearing. I love smoothies but for some reason I don't make them very often. Enjoyed your post!

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  14. Fourteen Pounds! Congratulations!

    As for smoothies, we make them with frozen fruit and they sub for ice cream. I am also mildly addicted to frozen chai lattes. I make them with frozen chai cubes, almond milk, a little vanilla and stevia....low calorie and cooling!

    I don't have a problem with Bermuda Grass but don't mention sassafras and bull briars!

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  15. The clover in my yard seems extra healthy and vigorous this year...that's what tries to invade the garden here. My granddaughter Amanda introduced me to kale smoothies, she loves them!

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  16. Wow ...a stone loss....not sure about some of your combinations though lol but you are doing so well ...as for your battle with the grass ...I would loose after 5 mins...hats off to you. xx

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  17. Set the visitors to work pulling up the grass - they'll be glad for a nice cool smoothie. You make me want to make one for myself. I'm going to try a fruit one for b-fast. I'll use some of the lemon yogurt I just bought. My nemesis in the mountains is clover in my front wildflower yard. It's taking over and choking out the wildflowers.

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  18. PS great that you lost 14 lbs! You're a shadow of your former self.

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  19. LLCool Joe,
    You will be pleased with how great they taste. They are addictive.

    turquoisemoon,
    Well at least your violets are pretty.

    Chlost,
    How true. A rose bush in a corn field is actually a weed.

    Djan,
    You keep making the PNW sound like paradise. I would like to find a less aggravating exercise but will live with it I guess:))

    RV Vagabonds,
    I think you will love them. It is truly like dessert.

    Olga,
    I grow my own and do toss some strawberries in the pot. They really add flavor.

    Nitwit,
    Oh I feel your pain. My fragile skin keeps my medicine cabinet with an obscene selection of bandaids.

    Linda,
    You and Djan make me think I shouldn't have thown out my anchor so soon. The PNW was on my list.

    gigi,
    I use frozen fruit also. Then you don't have to use ice. Aren't they just so good??

    Kathy,
    Breakfast would be a great time to try. It is not heavy nor much work.

    Grayquill,
    Since this is a friend I have had since the 2nd grade, she might just accept that order. We will see:))

    Chatty Crone,
    I think there is a new variety that is not so aggressive. Sadly I have the original grass that came with the house.

    Cheryl,
    You know, I didn't either until recently. Now I wonder why I didn't.

    smart cat,
    I guess every area has its version of Kudsu like plants. I use frozen fruit also. It is a great way to use ripe bananas. I cut them up and freeze in small containers. Works perfectly.

    Wanda,
    Well at least clover makes the rabbits and ground hogs happy. I have clover also but the drought has really hurt it.

    Angie,
    So that is what a stone is? How impressive that I can now say I have lost a stone.

    Barb,
    I like the way you think and it just might work.
    Thanks, hope entertaining my company doesn't make those stay pounds come back.

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  20. Hi Patti, Luckily, I don't think we have any bermuda grass.. Don't think I 'ever' want any!!!!

    We do love Smoothies --and like you, we make them all kinds of different ways, using lots of fruits and yogurt... We both love mangoes--so we use them alot...

    Congrats on the weight loss.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  21. Well good for you on losing those 14 pounds! I'm sorry you had to have the bermuda grass to dig out, and the dental problems to make it happen, but it seems you found a simple, delicious, and nutritious way to solve the problem on what to eat. I've been doing a lot of smoothies myself lately.

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  22. WOW! 14 pounds...FANTASTIC! I will have to try those Smoothies..!
    I have no help where the grass is concerned---I haven't had any grass for 0ver 5o years...So...no clue, my dear.....

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  23. OKay, its official, I hate you. I have only lost 11 pounds and am faithfully measuring and recording everything and you dump and pulse stuff and come up trumps. Not fair.

    My Dad loved Bermuda grass. He planted it everywhere we lived. That's probably his grass you are finding in Arkansas as he started plantings in Texas in the 1940s. I think Bermuda Grass was promoted by the Soil Conservation Service. They also promoted Kudzu and DDT. And you wonder why some Southerners hate the Federal Government? There's a little clue. Dianne

    PS the other thing the Feds did was crack down on Moonshine, a popular drink not made from Bermuda Grass or other things you might put in your blender.

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  24. I love smoothies. Congrats on your weight loss. If you knew the sight of my grass, you would realize I am helpless. I have decided moss is rather attractive and almost wish the patches would spread.

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  25. Great job on the weight loss. And I am glad your post cleared up my first impression that you were going to dietary extremes. Thank goodness, no bermudagrass smoothies!

    I can be extremely creative about getting confused. Unfortunately that activity doesn't contribute to weight loss or anything else productive.

    Bermuda grass was in areas of our front yard when we moved here 42 years ago. I was younger then and wrestled with it. We eventually got St. Augustine established but now are facing other weedy aggressors. Always a battle. Wish you well as you march off to war.

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  26. I hate bermuda, had it at my last place and never could get rid of it, I think the roots do down three feet so no matter what it will always be there once it's there. Remember orange julius - that had raw egg and would be meal in itself, but raw egg nowadays would be disastrous to eat. Have fun with your company. Impressive weight loss.

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  27. Betsy,
    With all the flower beds you have, it would be AWFUL.
    Haven't tried mangoes. Thanks, I'll try them.

    Retired English Teacher,
    Thank you. They really are a delightful meal aren't they?

    OOLOH,
    You are so lucky not to have grass. I could live with beach sand instead of what I have.
    Do try them Naomi, they are good and good for you.

    Dianne,
    Aw, don't hate me. Don't forget I am also sweating to the oldies in the yard. I can see why your Dad liked it. If all you want is yard, it is perfect.

    Haddock,
    Thank you for stopping by TNS, welcome. I am so sorry about the problem that videos can't be seen out side of the US. I wasn't aware of that before.

    islandwonder,
    I share your love of moss. I have a tiny bit and wish I had a yard full.

    LC
    Ha ha, You know maybe there is use for that darn stuff. Perhaps if I start eating it, it will seek a friendlier home.
    You maybe right. I might have to plant a more competitive species.

    Linda Starr,
    Thanks. I do believe you hate it as much as I do. It will probably be here long after I am gone unless this gets turned into a parking lot.

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  28. Dad had beautiful gardens too. Don't know how he did it, but he had a degree in biology, maybe that helped. Come to think of it Mom and I did a lot of hoeing too. Dianne

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  29. Dear Arkansas Patti, bermuda grass and slavery--who would have connected the two? Thanks for the info.
    And thanks for pushing smoothies. I resist them as possible being like fruit juices that have no fiber. But I'm in this weight-loss game also and I'm having no success. So....smoothie, here I come! Peace.

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  30. Like all grasses, including wheat, yours likely has been genetically altered to grow and grow without needing much care. No wonder you cannot beat it down to stay away from your gardens!
    I often wonder how anyone can grow organic plants given the changes made to seeds.
    Smoothies seem very good idea:)

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  31. 14 pounds! What the heck am I doing wrong. I am on my way now to plant some of that grass so I can work out killing it.
    I have been doing the smoothies now for weeks and four pounds is all I am good for and sometimes I drink them twice a day. hahaha
    That grass is melting your pounds away. Are you sure your not smoking it. Goodness what has gotten into me this morning.
    Anyway I saw smoothies on here and you know me I had to read it. I love them. Best find for me in a long time.
    Your right any combination is a good one.
    I had frozen mango's and peaches the other day with almond milk and thought my life was complete.
    Love ya
    Maggie

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