More Before You Buy a Juicer Tips and Cactus Flowers

Close up of "Old Father" cactus with flowers and buds

Springtime in the Southwest Desert:  Two column cacti in bloom -- agave in the background.  It has been dry.  Temperatures dipped into the upper 30s (Fahrenheit) last night, but I believe we are done with the 30s for the remainder of the spring.  There's talk of summer coming too soon.

Before you buy a juicer tip of the day:  Chew on this.  Before you buy a juicer know how many parts you need to wash after you juice.  General Rule:  The fewer parts, the better.  Fewer parts to clean means disassembling and reassembling the juicer will be faster, and there will be less work cleaning fewer parts.  Also consider how the parts are shaped.  Will there be tiny, difficult to access areas to clean?  Of course, the screen most juicers have is one part that must be cleaned well and you may need a brush to get this job done efficiently.  Are the parts dishwasher safe?  Do you plan to juice daily and do you use your dishwasher daily?  If not, you are the dishwasher.  Is just eating your fruits and veggies sounding better about now?

For more Before You Buy a Juicer Tips, see Southwest Desert Blogger post dated March 4, 2012 and the numerous posts describing my experience with the Omega VRT350HD juicer posted between 2/8/12 and  September 2011.  Happy shopping.  Choose well.

Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2012
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Tiny Cactus Flowers

We have a break in the monsoonal weather so I have been outside looking for flowers.  I found several tiny mammillaria cacti, growing in the wild, in bloom.  There are over 170 different cacti in the genus mammillaria.  Only 14 of them are native to the United States.  The posted photos illustrate how difficult these tiny cacti would be to spot if not for their vivid flowers.  The flowers, in full bloom, are about 1 inch in diameter.  This species of mammillaria is more or less 3 inches tall.  Some are a few inches taller, but these often tend to lean to the side. Please enjoy the photos.  I just shot them and even though it is a mere 100 degrees outside, as I sit and type this, there is sweat running down my spine.

tiny mammillaria in the wild -- notice the prickly pear pads on the left, wilted in the dry summer heat

Close up of the flower and spines: notice the hooks!

The spines provide the cactus with some shade and protection.

 

if not for the flower, this would have gone unnoticed

                                         view looking down -- notice all the flowers and buds
There may be many more flowers where you live.  They may be larger, more abundant, more colorful, and fragrant.  Here in the wild Southwest Desert summer, the flowers are rare and often small.  We appreciate them, and I hope you have enjoyed them too.  Stay cool.

As ever,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011