Southwest Desert Weather Report and Salt Talk

I decided to quit complaining about my Omega VRT 350 HD vertical juicer (see 9 previous posts including 9/12/11).  Yes, it still has problems.  Today I pulled a 1.75 inch string out of my mouth after drinking some fresh vegetable juice -- do the young folks still use the word "gross" when referring to something very distasteful?  OOps, sounds like a complaint...

OK folks, now for the weather.  It has gotten chilly and wet here.  The temperatures will flirt with the freezing mark tonight and likely hit below freezing during the next few nights.  We have to be sure all the exterior pipes are covered or insulated.  We also cover all the plants that are not frost resistant.  These may consist of plants that are not indigenous that we have planted in the earth or in pots.

I harvested most of my basil a few days ago and made some pesto -- just grind the basil with olive oil, garlic (not too much!), and maybe a touch of fresh ground pepper and, if you like, some salt.  The salt I have been using is red sea salt.  I know Celtic Sea salt is all the rage, but until I finish the bag of red salt, I'm not buying any fancy, high priced salts.  Is that popular Himalayan salt really from the Himalayas?  Salt from Chili, Poland, Bolivia, Peru and other countries are being marketed as Himalayan or pink salt.

My salt is called Realsalt.  It is not bleached, kiln dried, heated or altered with chemicals or pollutants.  It has a full complement of over 50 beneficial trace minerals, including iodine, yet nothing added.  The 26 ounce package has lasted a few years and still has years to go.  The package says that millions of years ago this gourmet salt was part of a pristine sea that covered North America.  Over millions of years the water in the sea evaporated, leaving salt deposits.  During the Jurassic era volcanoes erupted around the ancient sea bed sealing the salt with layers of volcanic ash.  This protected the salt until humans near Redmond Utah extracted the salt from deep within the earth.  They market it without additives, chemicals, or heat processing of any kind.  So, why don't all the raw foodists jump on this?  It sounds like raw salt made in the USA.  It tastes great lightly sprinkled on a green salad drizzled with a bit of oil or as a compliment to any food that needs a little special something.

Back to the freeze:  I think I will cover the young citrus trees and exotic non-native succulents.  I might even bring a few potted plants into the house.  Maybe this low pressure system bringing us cold and rain will bring some snow to the folks in ski country.  For us, it is welcome winter moisture, but challenging cold.

Staying cool, not by choice,
Southwest Desert Blogger
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