That was my wife’s immediate response the first time she tasted Bob and Diane Wilt’s frozen blueberries. I had to agree with her–these were the best tasting berries I had ever eaten as well.
Bob is an ardent believer in the biological process of growing nutrient-dense blueberries. Here is his short list of guiding principles: Soil Mineralization + Microbial Stimulation = High Brix Berries with Outstanding Flavor. Here is how Bob describes the effect of outstanding flavor. “If I can get some of my berries into somebody’s mouth, 90 percent of the time I’ll have a new customer.”
Of course these berries do more than just satisfy the tongue. They also provide nutrition. Independent lab tests have confirmed an average of 55% higher nutrients in Bob’s blueberries compared to conventional berries, wild harvested berries, and even other certified organic blueberries. Nutritional impact on human health is the ultimate re sponse when eating nutrient dense foods. Since “nutrient-dense” is a common buzzword today it needs a proper definition.
Foods are not nutrient dense by virtue of them being organic or by being a specific food such as spinach, rather they are nutrient dense because of their intrinsic qualities. Here is how Dr. Arden Andersen explains the term, “Nutrient density means the quantity of nutrient per quantity of food. Typically, the USDA analyzes how many milligrams or how many micrograms of nutrients there are per 100 grams of food. With nutrient density, we want to increase the amount of nutrients–calcium, magnesium, selenium, chromium, iodine, whatever there might be–per 100 grams of that food. If you eat an apple and it is highly nutritious, highly nutrient dense, you get a lot more nutrients out of that single apple than if you pick up another apple which has half that nutrient density.”
When I visited Bob’s blueberry farm in Corvallis Oregon he narrated his progression from being a conventional blueberry farmer, staring failure in the face, and how he transitioned toward a biological approach by focusing on soil biology. Shortly after this Bob caught a vision for nutrient density and began pursuing this for the next eight years. Today Bob’s consummate passion is to produce the world’s best tasting blueberry loaded with nutrition. Current brix readings range from 16-21.
Here is a video of Bob explaining his focus on healthy soil:
Are you drooling over the prospect of a sensuously sweet berry combined with intense blueberry flavor? Here is where you can buy them: http://budurl.com/blueberry. You may also call 541-752-0460 to place a phone order. A phone order is suggested for the first order to discuss the best shipping options.
In this email I would also like to introduce you to Steve and Suzanne Day. They run a nonprofit community outreach helping people restore their health through healthy eating and biochemical analysis. Steve and Suzanne are doing a great job helping people regain their health by allowing people to “get away from it all” and undergo a guided retreat. For more information about Steve and Suzanne’s work see http://www.homeforhealth.net/. Because I believe in the work Steve and Suzanne are doing the thought struck me that having a ready supply of nutrient dense blueberries would facilitate greater success helping improve people’s health.
If you would like to support their work just buy Bob Wilt’s blueberries though this link: http://budurl.com/blueberry. If you are ordering by phone just mention “Jon Frank” or “International Ag Labs” and a small credit, payable in blueberries, will be accrued for Steve and Suzanne’s work.
It is my goal to locate the very best growers of specific crops from around the country. If you know of an outstanding grower getting excellent quality please let me know. If you would like notification of future recommendations of other nutrient dense crops you can sign up here:
Thank you to everyone who replied with helpful suggestions for Tony and Luanne and helped identify their garden problem as Slime Molds. Special thanks to Juanita Popenoe, Ph.D., County Extension Director in Florida for confirming this and to Alan Henn, Extension Plant Pathologist, Mississippi State University Extension, for the excellent article below.
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Article by Alan Henn
Slime molds are the cause of many panic calls to the Extension service and garden stores. “Everything was fine when we went to bed! But this morning, the yard (or a bush) is covered – with something!” The “something” may be gray, blue, yellow, orange, or almost any other color. It may even look like dog vomit or an intricate fan. A close look at the mass shows either small pores (pin-sized holes) or round balls. If you rub the mass between your fingers, a sooty-like powder covers them. The mass covering your plant is a slime mold.
Slime molds live in areas with lots of moisture and decaying organic matter such as wood mulch or decaying trees. They are found all over the world, including such diverse areas as deserts and mountains.
Mistakenly called fungi, slime molds are really myxomycetes. They act more like amoebas than fungi. Slime molds move like amoebas, extending finger-like projections (called a “plasmodium”). These projections pull the rest of the body along, letting the slime mold move as much as several feet per day. Slime molds may feed directly on organic matter, but they also may thrive on microorganisms such as bacteria. When they find something to eat, they first surround their food then swallow it.
There are many genera of slime molds. The most common slime mold in Mississippi turf is Physarum, but the circular patches of yellow to pink growth in shredded wood mulched landscape beds is most often Fuligo sp.
When the slime mold is ready to reproduce or when conditions are right, it produces resistant spores that live until conditions again turn favorable. To ensure the spores reach as many places as possible, slime molds crawl up to the highest place around. Grass blades and other
small plants are common “launching” platforms. There the slime mold forms the dusty gray, black, or dirty yellow ball-like masses with spores. You see slime molds most often in this stage. The entire surface of the plant or turf is often covered by the slime mold, creating a dramatic appearance.
The ball-like masses produce small fruiting structures called “sporangia,” about the size of a pinhead, that grow perpendicular to the surface of the leaves. The sporangia are typically grayish-white to blue-gray or ash colored and contain purple spores. The wind catches the spores and carries them away from the plasmodium.
Slime molds do not feed on living plants. They only use them for support during reproduction. The only damage they do to grass and other plants is to shade them from sunlight, which is necessary for good plant growth. The shade produced by heavy slime mold growth may cause the leaf blades to turn yellow.
Slime molds occur during wet weather throughout the spring, summer, and fall. They disappear rapidly in dry weather. Slime molds on turf are frequently associated with poorly drained areas or thatch.
Control
In most cases, control is not necessary. As soon as the area dries, the slime mold disappears. In unusual cases, the layer of crusty growth may become heavy enough to shade grass blades and cause yellowing. If this happens, or if you just don’t like the look of it, you can easily break up slime mold growth by sweeping with a broom, spraying the area with a garden hose, or spraying with a mild detergent solution (1 tablespoonful of liquid detergent per gallon of water), which will destroy the growth. You can remove slime molds from lawns by mowing and collecting the clippings, poling with a switch of bamboo, or by pulling a garden hose across affected the area.
Slime molds are fascinating organisms and can make great science fair projects. Different types of decaying wood and forest debris can be collected, kept in a humid place or box and the different types of slime molds growing from them counted and related to their original environment.
Can you help a fellow gardener out? Luann and Tony have been following the high brix garden method for several years and have never seen anything like this. Have you? Unidentified growths on mulch, watermelon, cucumbers, parley and even some weeds look like it came out of a space alien movie.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated as comments below. Click on the pictures below to enlarge.
