Meijer Fresh Produce!

[Kristina]

This morning I ran out of dandelion so I headed to Meijer to buy some. I found that they had gotten some new products in too, certified organic, and one was a bag of kale, beet greens, turnip greens, and mustard all mixed, yay!

I get home, and I unpack the greens. Half I put in the fridge to feed fresh, and the other half I pack into the food dehydrator to dry and store.

I get all done, clean up, and suddenly notice that there is a grasshopper laying on the counter on it's back

We have a TON of snow, and there is no possible way this dude came in from outside. He had to have been in the dandelion. I got a chuckle out of it, and went to pick it up by a leg to toss it in the trash.

It moved. Therefore, I did the only logical thing: I screamed and RAN AWAY.

Now, we are talking about a chick here that has raised everything from snakes to scorpians, to slugs and leaches and cockroaches, NOTHING bothers me.

I took the easy way out. Laughing so hard that he could hardly stand, my DH tossed the grasshopper in the frog tank.

I guess when Meijer claims that their produce is fresh, they literally mean still kickin'!

Kristina

 

[tortoisenerd]

Wow that's rather fresh! Great find on the mix of stuff. I have to pass on much of the produce as we won't eat it and only have a little hatchling...

 

[Kristina]

For the record, beet greens have a wonderful mild flavor Similar to spinach, but way better.

Kristina

 

[tortoisenerd]

Hmm sounds yummy. I'm planning to try to make salad out of the dandelion greens I bought the other day because no way my little guy will finish them before they go bad. He's not even big enough to bite through the thicker stalks.

Also trying to grow turnip greens from a turnip. I haven't found beets with the greens still attached, but I have found carrots with the greens attached and might get those someday.

 

[Kristina]

I sometimes utilize organic carrot greens, the funny thing is that I usually throw the carrots away! The beet greens that I got were greens only, no beets

I wish I could find Optunia locally, I hate ordering things online


Kristina

 

[Meg90]

OMG. I hateeeee bugs. I have to have my bf kill them whenever I come upon one (sorry to the Buddhists) but I love anything reptilian! I've caught (and been musked) by several different species of native WI snakes without fear but there is just something about things with too many legs...

I wish we had a better market around...I'm going to try a place we have downtown maybe tomorrow if I get the chance. I bet they would have something tasty for Nigel. I just hope it doesn't snow...we got like 10 inches today

 

[Yvonne G]

I wish I could find Optunia locally, I hate ordering things online
Kristina

Look for "Nopalitas" or "Nopales". This is the Mexican name for the opuntia cactus. My grocercy store (Not a Mexican grocery, but a large chain affiliated with Food 4 less) sells it as so.

Yvonne

 

[Kristina]

They have it in a jar, but it has all kinds of preservatives and things in it. I am actually surprised that there are not more food items around here from Mexico. We have a LOT of migrant workers.

Kristina

 

[pebbles mom]

MEG90 ...

where are you in WI exactly? The Sendiks stores around here (Waukesha area) have been my little gold mine for produce. They're almost too pretty to eat

 

[Pesky Fly]

Can I feed a bag of that type of food to my Redfoot?

 

[Meg90]

MEG90 ...

where are you in WI exactly? The Sendiks stores around here (Waukesha area) have been my little gold mine for produce. They're almost too pretty to eat

I'm in Wausau actually....

 

[Kristina]

Can I feed a bag of that type of food to my Redfoot?

redfoots.com says no kale... I am not entirely sure why, and I am curious to know

Kristina

 

[tortoisenerd]

I think I've read for all torts kale should only be used as a small percentage of the diet (along with some other greens in the same category), because it is high in oxalic acid which prevents calcium absorption. I do feed my RT kale, collards, mustard greens (all higher in oxalic acid) as a very small percentage of his diet as I feed other calcium-rich greens and also supplement calcium.

Don't know if there is another factor besides this that is Redfoot-specific.

 

[Kristina]

See, it is my understanding that kale has an oxalic acid content of .02 percent. That isn't high at all.

So why are people saying it is high? I am going to go do some google-ing and compare some charts.

---

http://www.geocities.com/kyryah/tort2.html (my website)

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/questions/oxalicacid.html

http://growingtaste.com/oxalicacid.shtml

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Other/oxalic.html

http://www.guinealynx.info/diet_oxalic.html

There were a lot more.

So who started the rumor that it is high in oxalic acid? Because according to all these sources, it is .02%

Collards - .45g per 100g - a bit higher, but not dangerous
Mustard greens - .13g per 100g - not significant


Kristina

 

[tortoisenerd]

Hmm I'd be interested to know as well because wherever I read it may be wrong.

 

[Kristina]

I have seen it before too, but I have never found anything to back it up. That is why I argue that kale is fine for tortoises.

Now, romaine lettuce, on the other hand, I am very against feeding. Phosphorus also blocks calcium. In order for calcium to be absorbed, foods need a Ca: P ratio of 2:1. Romaine is only 0.8:1, which means that no calcium is assimilated from romaine, and it blocks some of the calcium recieved from other foods.

I see romaine listed as "fine" all the time, and in my opinion, that is wrong wrong wrong. I feel that no lettuce should be fed, ever. None of them are beneficial enough to waste the tummy space.

Kristina

 

[tortoisenerd]

I found an alternate answer: kale is high in goitrogens, which impair thyroid function when fed in excess
http://www.anapsid.org/tortdiet.html

I like the explanation here about glucosinolate:
http://www.russiantortoise.org/nutritional_analysis_of_kale.htm

Maybe these two categories (oxilates and goitrogens) get grouped together for beginner care sheets to identify them as not the best to feed as a huge part of the tort's diet?

 

[Pesky Fly]

Thats what I said! I don't know why they cant have Kale. If you find out could you tell me?



Nevermind.....XD

 

[Kristina]

I found an alternate answer: kale is high in goitrogens, which impair thyroid function when fed in excess
http://www.anapsid.org/tortdiet.html

I like the explanation here about glucosinolate:
http://www.russiantortoise.org/nutritional_analysis_of_kale.htm

Maybe these two categories (oxilates and goitrogens) get grouped together for beginner care sheets to identify them as not the best to feed as a huge part of the tort's diet?

Great find!

I am in no way discrediting Anapsid, but I want to look into this more... Anapsid was an awesome site ten years ago, but has not really kept up with the times and new research, as someone else mentioned to me not that long ago. I still see alfalfa suggested as a good food, among other things.

I still think that it would be best to label issues as they exist, rather than perhaps claim something that isn't true, such as the supposed high oxalic acid content...

That was some good digging ya did there, though, and I am very pleased to have another facet of dietary nutrition to explore!

The base truth of any replacement food for tortoises is that none are perfect, and that is why we should feed variety.

Kristina