I made French Toast the other day and gave my dog the left over batter to drink. For anyone who's never made French Toast, the batter consists of raw egg, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg.
AFTER he eagerly lapped it up, I thought, hmmm - maybe I better check about those spices...
Luckily for us, he had only a small amount, and at 75 pounds is a large breed. Here are some of the dietary no-nos for dogs that I encountered on my web search:
1) Nutmeg (oops). Apparently this can cause seizures and death (who knew? Geez. BAD dog mommy).
2) Chocolate - contains Theobromine, which can cause, among other things, diarrhea. I have personal experience with this one: ten liquid pools of the stuff on our carpet after our dog got into some Christmas fudge my mom sent one year.
3) Grapes and raisins - there's an unknown compound in the "fleshy" part of the grape, which can damage your dog's kidneys.
4) Macadamia nuts - Lethargy, vomiting. I also read that Walnuts can contain fungus that are bad for dogs - after reading that, I'm not so sure I want to eat them either.
5) Mushroom - the toxin varies with mushroom species, and can result in everything from hallucinations to death. (This is where a funnier blogger would insert a mushroom = hallucinations wisecrack).
6) Onion & garlic - fresh and dried. Cats appear to be more sensitive than dogs, and garlic appears to be less toxic. Supposedly they can cause hemolytic anemia. We're also advised to avoid baby food, which sometimes contains onion powder.
7) Cat food - too high in protein and fat. Hmmm. I guess our dog better stop snacking from the cat dishes.
8) Green sprouts on raw potatoes can be toxic. This is true for humans as well, so unless your dog will be grazing on the potato greens in your garden, there's little chance of exposure here. Supposedly cooked white potatoes are fine for dogs. Good thing, 'cause ours gets a fair amount of this leftover.
9) Xylitol (artificial sweetener) - can cause a liver reaction that can lead to liver failure in a few days. This supposedly is really dangerous. (Another good reason to eat the sweets yourself instead of sharing, if you ask me ;)
10) Milk & other dairy - adult dogs are lactose intolerant, and can get diarrhea. (I guess the French Toast batter was a really bad idea! Now I know for next time).
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Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday, November 10, 2008
Ten Things To Know About Keeping Food Fresh
Reducing food waste is a great money saver. Here are ten things to know about preserving your perishables to save money.
1. Use a vacuum sealer. This is a great way to virtually eliminate freezer burn, enabling food to stay fresh in the freezer for much longer.
2. Learn about the effects of ethylene on produce. Ethylene is a gas naturally produced by fruit and vegetables as they ripen. Some foods are more sensitive than others, and if stored in an air tight crisper drawer where the ethylene is trapped, will spoil faster. Store ethylene sensitive foods and ethylene producing foods separately (example: store apples on the counter - they are high ethylene producers and should be kept where the air can circulate).
3. Don't wash vegetables before storing. If they are wet (from being misted at the store) pat them dry before putting them in the fridge.
4. Milk stays fresh longer in glass containers than in paper or plastic.
5. Store eggs in the back of the fridge where it's coldest - not in the door egg keeper.
6. Eggs will stay fresh longer if stored pointed side down.
7. Eggs need to breathe - never store them in the plastic egg container that comes with your fridge - leave them in their Styrofoam or cardboard container.
8. Store bricks of cheese with 2 or 3 sugar cubes to delay the onset of mold.
9. Store dry ingredients (flour, oxo, pastas, grains, etc.) in airtight containers to keep them fresher and to keep the bugs out.
10. When storing cut up produce in the fridge, add a paper towel to the bag or container to absorb excess moisture.
1. Use a vacuum sealer. This is a great way to virtually eliminate freezer burn, enabling food to stay fresh in the freezer for much longer.
2. Learn about the effects of ethylene on produce. Ethylene is a gas naturally produced by fruit and vegetables as they ripen. Some foods are more sensitive than others, and if stored in an air tight crisper drawer where the ethylene is trapped, will spoil faster. Store ethylene sensitive foods and ethylene producing foods separately (example: store apples on the counter - they are high ethylene producers and should be kept where the air can circulate).
3. Don't wash vegetables before storing. If they are wet (from being misted at the store) pat them dry before putting them in the fridge.
4. Milk stays fresh longer in glass containers than in paper or plastic.
5. Store eggs in the back of the fridge where it's coldest - not in the door egg keeper.
6. Eggs will stay fresh longer if stored pointed side down.
7. Eggs need to breathe - never store them in the plastic egg container that comes with your fridge - leave them in their Styrofoam or cardboard container.
8. Store bricks of cheese with 2 or 3 sugar cubes to delay the onset of mold.
9. Store dry ingredients (flour, oxo, pastas, grains, etc.) in airtight containers to keep them fresher and to keep the bugs out.
10. When storing cut up produce in the fridge, add a paper towel to the bag or container to absorb excess moisture.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
10 Things To Consider When Growing Vegetables Indoors
I'm starting to look into growing food indoors, since we don't have a very long growing season in Vancouver. Here are some of the points to consider that I've been reading about:
1) stock up on seeds while they're available (by mid summer, many stores no longer have seeds in stock, since most people have already started their gardens)
2) be aware of temperature and light requirements of your crop (leafy plants are happier with cool temps, whereas fruit bearing plants like tomatoes require a warmer environment)
3) never use garden soil indoors because of the pests and diseases it can contain
4) supplemental feeding will be required (because of the extra watering and misting you'll need to do to maintain humidity, the nutrients in the soil will become depleted more rapidly)
5) pollination, normally done by the bees, will have to be done manually
6) maintain humidity by misting the plants regularly
7) don't keep plants right beside a cold window
8) you can grow crops from kitchen scraps - i.e. garlic and onion are two examples (I've grown potato plants in my backyard garden from pieces of store bought potatoes that have "eyes")
9) never bring outdoor plants in, or you'll bring the aphids and other pests in as well
10) you can use reflective surfaces around plants (i.e. foil, white painted surfaces) to increase light exposure
Some sources:
http://gardengal.net/page44.html
http://www.househunting.ca/outdoorliving/story.html?id=3c01124f-da92-4f18-88a6-783e73692d97
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-1490,00.html
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-336/426-336.html
1) stock up on seeds while they're available (by mid summer, many stores no longer have seeds in stock, since most people have already started their gardens)
2) be aware of temperature and light requirements of your crop (leafy plants are happier with cool temps, whereas fruit bearing plants like tomatoes require a warmer environment)
3) never use garden soil indoors because of the pests and diseases it can contain
4) supplemental feeding will be required (because of the extra watering and misting you'll need to do to maintain humidity, the nutrients in the soil will become depleted more rapidly)
5) pollination, normally done by the bees, will have to be done manually
6) maintain humidity by misting the plants regularly
7) don't keep plants right beside a cold window
8) you can grow crops from kitchen scraps - i.e. garlic and onion are two examples (I've grown potato plants in my backyard garden from pieces of store bought potatoes that have "eyes")
9) never bring outdoor plants in, or you'll bring the aphids and other pests in as well
10) you can use reflective surfaces around plants (i.e. foil, white painted surfaces) to increase light exposure
Some sources:
http://gardengal.net/page44.html
http://www.househunting.ca/outdoorliving/story.html?id=3c01124f-da92-4f18-88a6-783e73692d97
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-1490,00.html
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-336/426-336.html
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