Jumat, 12 Juli 2013

DIY Kitchen Scrap Compost Pail

We have had an outdoor compost pile for about 3 years, and we always make an effort to add our kitchen scraps into it, especially in the warmer months. Why let all the organic goodness go to waste? The same wonderful nutrients can be used to feed new gardens beds! Unfortunately, it was always a chore to collect the kitchen scraps because we never had a good container to hold the goodies.We tried old quart sized yogurt containers, but they were too small. Our goal is to empty the container once per week. The yogurt containers filled up way too fast. We looked into buying a kitchen compost bin, but many of them were upwards of $30 to $50! Really? Just for a bucket?


As luck would have it, we happen to frequent our local farmer's market where we get our granola in bulk from a local company. And the granola comes in a nice handy plastic bucket! As we finished munching the yummy granola, we re-purposed the bin for a perhaps a higher purpose.

We drilled some holes on the lid to allow for air circulation. You can see a cocentric ring of holes in the picture on the upper left.

Then we bought a pack of charcoal filters from the pet store. These are normally used to neutralize odors from litter boxes. The filters were a bit large, so we just simply cut them in half, and save the rest for later. You will have to change the charcoal filter every few months. Just taped it with some masking tape to the inside of the lid, and there you have it!

We now have a low cost compost pail that's sturdy and roomy. It even has a handle that makes the weekly dump out a bit more manageable. Have you made your own kitchen compost bin? We'd love to hear about how you did it!

Kamis, 04 Juli 2013

Rambutan Fruit Benefits And Nutrition Facts

Based on research conducted by various institutions and health experts have shown that rambutan have benefits and similar content with orange and apples. Inside the fruit there are many important compounds such as vitamin C, iron, phosphorus, protein and carbohydrates, all the substances needed by the body every day. Rambutan fruit is known as a very low-fat. Most of the calories of rambutan, derived from carbohydrates. Institute of Medicine recommends 130 grams of rambutan for your daily consumption.


According to popular belief and the origin of its name, rambutan is native to Indonesia and Malaysia. The name rambutan is derived from the Malay/Indonesian word rambutan, meaning "hairy" in both languages.

Rambutan is very rich in iron, which is needed to control the oxygen levels in the body. Iron helps prevent fatigue and dizziness caused by anemia. In addition, meat rambutan also meet 4.3 percent of the daily phosphorus needs for the body. Phosphorus helps filter out waste in the kidneys, as well as necessary for the growth, maintenance, and repair of all tissues and cells.

Nutrition Fact of Rambutan Fruit


Rambutan is rich in sugar. Most of it is fructose and sucrose, but contains very little calories, only 60 calories in each piece. There is an abundance of vitamin C in rambutan, including potassium, iron, vitamin A, and a little calcium, magnesium, sodium zinc, niacin, fiber and protein.

Here are nutrition fact Rambutan fruit, canned, syrup pack

Nutritional value per 100 g
Energy
343 kJ
Carbohydrates
20.87 g
Dietary fiber
0.9 g
Fat
0.21 g
Protein
0.65 g
Thiamine0.013 mg
Riboflavin0.022 mg 
Niacin 1.352 mg
Vitamin B60.02 mg
Folate8 μg
Vitamin C4.9 mg
Calcium22 mg
Iron0.35 mg
Magnesium7 mg
Manganese0.343 mg
Phosphorus9 mg
Potassium42 mg
Sodium11 mg
Zinc0.08 mg

Health Benefits Of Rambutan Fruit


1. Anti Cancer
Rambutan containing ingredients as an antioxidant. A study conducted by the University of Chiang Mai in Thailand found that the rambutan fruit, seeds and skin have powerful antioxidants called flavonoids. Several types of flavonoids are believed to reduce cholesterol, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory.

2. Protector Free Radicals
One of the compounds in rambutan skin is Gallic acid. These compounds act as free radical antidote because it helps protect the body from oxidative damage. Once again, this can be a help to fight cancer.

3. Rich in Vitamin C
Rambutan is rich in vitamin C. If a person consuming 10 to 12 rambutan, then he was taking 75-90 mg of ascorbic acid, more than twice the recommended amount in the daily menu. In addition to functioning as an anti-oxidant, vitamin C can prevent cell damage and helps the absorption of iron.

4. Formation of Blood
This sweet fruit also has a small amount of copper. This substance is needed as a shaper of white blood cells and red blood cells. In addition, rambutan also contains iron which can prevent the occurrence of anemia.

5. Healthy digestion
Rambutan also has fiber that can help a person avoid constipation. In addition, rambutan can also kill parasites in the intestines and helps relieve the symptoms of diarrhea.