A to Z Challenge - N is for Nuts

In trying to come up with something to write about for today, I was having trouble thinking of something from nature that started with the letter "n". The general term "nature" didn't prompt any wondrous words, so I said, "Nuts." As in, "Nuts, I can't come up with anything to write about."

Then I had one of those "aha" moments, so today's post is brought to you by nuts of all kinds.

A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants. Did you know a nut was a fruit? According to Wikipedia, a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts, but biologists only consider a a few of them to be true nuts. Nuts are a composite of the seed and the fruit, where the fruit does not open to release the seed.

Nuts are an important source of nutrients for both humans and wildlife, and recent studies have shown great benefits from eating nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, which can lower serum LDL cholesterol concentrations. The fat in nuts is unsaturated fat, so that is actually a good fat for people to consume.

Many nuts are also good sources of vitamins E and B2, and are rich in protein, folate, fiber, and essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium. It is healthier to eat raw nuts because they lose the healthy oils in the roasting process.

Walnuts are the king of beneficial nuts. When eaten raw, walnuts can have as much as twice as many antioxidants as other nuts. No wonder my father lived so long and had no heart trouble. He ate lots of nuts all year long  and always preferred them raw.

Pecans

Here in Texas, we eat a lot more pecans than walnuts or almonds, although a few of the latter in a nice bowl of Blue Bell ice cream works for me. The pecan is the  only major tree nut that grows naturally in North America and is considered one of the most valuable North American nut species. I didn't know that. I just like them because they are handy. In the fall I can go to my neighbor's and pick up a handful whenever I want. In the spring I eat fresh plums off her tree. 

Do you eat a lot of nuts? What are your favorites?

Monday Morning Musings

I think Mother Nature should be renamed Father Nature. Surely if a woman was in charge of the weather, she would be much more practical and efficient. Not too much rain all at one time. No prolonged droughts. No storms. A woman who can stare down a teen age boy can certainly stare down a tornado, right?

From the bizarre weather patterns we have been experiencing, it's obvious that some guy is in charge. He's probably pointing the remote control at the sky and just pushing buttons, not even paying attention. Rain. Sun. Drought. Wind. Flood. Whatever.

Here in Texas we had the worst drought it history this summer and well into fall. Now we are having our second day of heavy rainfall. Saturday night and Sunday we had about four inches of rain, and overnight another four inches, with more to come. That is good news for the parched earth and the stock ponds that had dried up, but wouldn't it have been more practical to spread this out just a bit?

On another note, I read a letter to the editor last week about the "accidents" that occur every year on Black Friday where people are injured of even killed. The letter writer first said that the retailers should stop offering the sales because people get hurt. Then it was suggested that cities adopt some kind of ordinance preventing the Black Friday sales.

I know I have asked this before, but maybe it needs to be asked again. Why can't the shoppers be responsible for their behavior? One of the "accidents" this year was a woman who used pepper spray in a Wal-Mart in Los Angeles and injured 20 people. This was not the fault of the store. Or the city. It was a choice that woman made to bring the pepper spray and use it to keep shoppers away. Some reports said she was trying to keep from getting pushed around in the crowd, other reports said she used it to keep shoppers from getting to a bargain table before her. Whatever the case, it was not the fault of the store or the city. It was clearly her choice and her fault.

We live in such a Me-First society that people just charge ahead without thinking of the consequences. We see it in the way people drive, line up at theatres and buffets, and how they shop on bargain days. Too bad.