7 minute read
Heart of the Home
Crazy for cucumbers!
Crisp, refreshing bites to keep you cool
Even though they’re 96% water, cucumbers pack a punch when it comes to health benefits. In addition to boosting hydration, they provide nutrients like vitamins B, C, K, folic acid, magnesium, phosphate and potassium. Full of antioxidants and good for heart health, a single cup of cucumber is only 16 calories.
Botanically, cucumbers are a fruit but are used as a vegetable, like tomatoes. In the same family as watermelons, muskmelons, pumpkins and gourds, cucumbers have been farmed for at least 3,000 years.
Have you heard the expression, “cool as a cucumber?” Many believe this phrase originated from the fact that the inside of a cucumber can be as much as 20 degrees cooler than the outside air, even on a hot day!
Whether you grow them yourself or buy them at the market, cucumbers are adaptable and make a great addition to salads and sandwiches, can be enjoyed on their own, or even pickled!
ALICE KEMP
Cucumber and Onion Salad
INGREDIENTS
2½ cups thinly sliced, unpeeled cucumbers ½ cup thinly sliced onion ⅓ cup sugar ⅓ cup white vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh dill ⅛ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
In a medium-size bowl, toss cucumbers and onions together, and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk remaining ingredients until blended. Pour over cucumbers and onions. Cover, and chill for 2 hours, stirring several times.
—Recipe adapted from Arkansas Cooperative Extension
Cucumber Gazpacho with Shrimp Relish
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil ¾ pound peeled, deveined medium shrimp, chopped ½ teaspoon salt, divided ½ teaspoon black pepper, divided ¼ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon paprika 2 cups quartered grape tomatoes ⅓ cup fresh cilantro 2½ cups chopped English cucumber 1 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt ¼ cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice dash of ground pepper 1 large garlic clove, peeled
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, cumin and paprika. Add shrimp to pan, and sauté 2 minutes or until done. Stir in tomatoes, and remove from heat. Add cilantro. In a blender, add remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, cucumber and remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of four bowls. Top with ¾ cup relish.
—Recipe adapted from North Carolina Cooperative Extension
This garbanzo and cucumber combination makes a great alternative to a traditional lettuce salad.
Garbanzo Bonanza Salad
INGREDIENTS
15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 1 small English cucumber, diced 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice ½ teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together, and serve.
—Recipe adapted from Cornell Cooperative Extension
Cucumberinfused Water
Choose either combination. The directions are the same for both.
STRAWBERRY CUCUMBER INGREDIENTS
¾ cup strawberries 1 small cucumber
CUCUMBER LEMON INGREDIENTS
1 small cucumber 1 lemon 1 mint sprig
DIRECTIONS
Wash produce. Slice fruit and cucumber into thin slices. For each variation, place fruit and herbs into a pitcher with cold water and mix. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or enjoy immediately. The fruit will stay fresh in the water for up to 48 hours. After the water is gone, eat the fruit, or blend it into a smoothie.
—Recipe adapted from Cornell Cooperative Extension
Secure your e-commerce services under your business owner policy
BY ADAM CULLER
For many businesses around the world, remote work is here to stay after companies experienced success operating virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The benefits are clear—fewer expenditures on rent or mortgages, flexibility to conduct business from anywhere and, for some businesses, increased productivity. All of these provide more freedom to operate.
But while remote work has positive benefits, virtual business activities also can pose cybersecurity threats.
“If you watched the news of the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack unfold in May, then you know just how costly ransomware can be,” said Lisa Whitus, personal and commercial lines underwriting manager for Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. “Instances like these have become a huge issue for businesses, and as more businesses buy, sell, operate or communicate online, the higher their cyber liability risks will be.”
By purchasing a business owner policy through Virginia Farm Bureau, owners of small to mid-size businesses can obtain insurance tailored for their needs, including cyber liability coverage.
Business owner policies, commonly referred to as BOP, offer combined business insurance coverage without the need to purchase multiple policies. Through BOP, property coverage, lost income coverage and business liability coverage are combined into a single, comprehensive policy.
Policies can be customized according to industry, and often cost less than having individual policies. VFBMIC policies can provide coverage for a wide variety of businesses.
Customers also can endorse their policies with a cyber suite endorsement, which includes protections against data compromise liability, network security liability, cyber extortion and malware and ransomware attacks. Business owners also may endorse their homeowner policies to provide coverage for business property in homes and protect against certain business liability exposures. Unendorsed homeowner policies will not automatically provide those protections.
To learn more about BOP coverage options, visit vafb.com/
business-insurance.
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Cover catastrophic events with an umbrella policy
BY ADAM CULLER
You’ve worked your whole life to build up your savings account, putting away money for retirement, college tuition or a rainyday fund.
Now imagine that money being depleted by an accident in which a liability claim exceeds the coverage provided by your insurance policies. Without an umbrella insurance policy, the risk of that happening can be real.
“Say you have an auto policy with coverage limits for $100,000 for liability, bodily injury and property damage, and you get into an accident where the injuries were massive,” said Lisa Whitus, personal and commercial lines underwriting manager for Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.
“If a judge determines that you’re at fault and the injured person should be awarded $200,000, your policy will pay $100,000, but where will you get the other $100,000? If you have umbrella coverage, the additional amount would be covered,” Whitus said.
Umbrella insurance policies are written to coincide with policies that provide liability coverage, such as auto, business owner or homeowner policies. They include additional liability protection “over and above” what’s provided under standard policies.
If a person is found to be at fault for an incident, an umbrella policy takes over once that policyholder exhausts the liability limits of their coverage.
Umbrella policies offer protection for bodily injury of others, including injuries caused by auto accidents or when a guest injures themselves on your property. They also provide added coverage for property damage liability, including incidents in which you damage another person’s automobile or other physical property.
Protection against burdensome legal fees from lawsuits also are covered under umbrella policies.
Like most Farm Bureau insurance products, umbrella policies are customizable to best protect your family’s financial future.
“Opting for an umbrella policy is a way to protect yourself when these things happen, giving you an added layer of financial security.”
To learn more, visit vafb.com/ insurance/umbrella, or call your local Farm Bureau insurance agent.
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If someone you care about is suffering from opioid addiction, please visit farmtownstrong.org. Real farmers, sharing real stories, on real farms
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A weekly television program produced by Virginia Farm Bureau Agriculture touches your life every day! Meet the
Virginia farmers who raise products for your table and your community. Learn how to prepare delicious Virginia foods and cultivate a lush landscape and edible garden. Real Virginia airs nationwide at 3:30 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month on RFD-TV on Dish Network and DirecTV, and on many cable outlets—check local listings. Watch anytime at vafb.com, and weekly on
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