There are 115 distinct (独特的) species of pine trees with 35 native to North America. Pines are defined as evergreens with long, needle-like leaves and are only native to the northern hemisphere. Pine trees are an adaptable and tough species that can survive in many conditions where other plants cannot. The average pine tree is 45 to 60 feet tall, but some are nearly twice as high.

Western White Pine

    The western white pine grows the tallest of any pine tree, reaching up to 110 feet in height. They have blue-green needles arranged in bundles (束) of five and produce a long cone (球果).

Bristlecone Pine

    The bristlecone pine grows slowly, reaching about 20 feet tall. It is one of the oldest species of pine.

Mexican Pine

    The Mexican pine can grow to 50 feet tall, with long, slender needles that drape (下垂) off it like a weeping willow (柳树). Often nicknamed the “willow pine”, it is native to Mexico. Its leaves can droop up to 12 inches long.

Sugar Pine

    The sugar pine is another of the large pine species, such as the bull pine, but it also has the largest cones of any pine species, at 10 to 20 inches long. It grows from Oregon to California and is often used for construction.

Jack Pine

    The jack pine is one of the smallest species of pine with rare leaves. Compared with the pines mentioned above, it doesn't seem to belong in the family. It is considered a member of the scrub-pine family; it prefers sandy soil.

    Parkside

    Pick Your Own

    Fancy some fresh fruit and vegetables? At Parkside Farm we grow a wide variety of delicious summer fruits and high-quality vegetables for you to come and pick your own. Why not pay us a visit?

     About us

    Our family has been farming at Parkside Farm since 1938. Although we no longer keep fields of wheat and other crops. We started growing strawberries for Pick Your Own back in 1979. Since then, we have made the Pick Your Own area larger and we now grow about 20 different crops.

     Opening times

    The season starts in late June, but opening hours are variable the first week. Please ring our message line to check. From July onwards, we are open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9 am to 5:30 pm (last entry 5 pm). Opening hours are variable on Sundays. Mondays CLOSED.

     Crop calendar

    Some crops may be in limited supply at certain times, so always ring the message line for daily updates before setting out.

    Strawberries: early June to mid-October                Blackcurrants:     early July to mid-August

    Raspberries: mid-June to mid-August                   Redcurrants: mid-July to mid-August

    Blackberries: mid-July to mid-October                  Plums: mid-July to early September

    Prices

    There is a minimum charge of ￡3 for each adult or child who enters the Pick Your Own area. This means that every person has to spend at least ￡3 on Pick-Your-Own fruits or they will charged this amount when they leave.

    Strawberries: ￡4.49/kg         Blackcurrants: ￡4.79/kg     Raspberries: ￡6.39/kg

    Redcurrants: ￡4.79/kg          Blackberries: ￡5.39/kg     Plums: ￡ 2.99/kg

    Find us

    Parkside Farm is in the Enfield of London, north of the city centre.

    For more information , please call our message line on 020 8367 2035 or check our website: www.parksidefarmpyo.co.uk.

    We all know that exercise is good for your health. But some kinds of exercise may be better than others.

    Running, for example, may help to protect against heart disease and other health problems. Running may also help you live longer. Researchers say it is not important how far you run. It also does not matter how fast or even how often you run. As advertisements for the running shoes Nike say, “Just Do It.”

    Recently researchers studied more than 55,000 adults. About one-fourth of the adults reported running regularly. The study found these runners were considerably less likely than non-runners to die of any form of disease, including heart disease. In fact, the runners lived, on average, three years longer than the non-runners.

    This study lasted 15 years. During that time, more than 3,400 of the individuals died. About 1.200 of the deaths were linked to heart disease, hear, attack or stroke.

    One of the researchers is a man named D.C. Lee, a professor of Iowa State University Compared to non-runners, he said, runners showed a much lower risk of dying from some diseases. “Compared to non-runners, runners showed 30 percent lower risk of death by any causes, including heart attack, stroke and cancer. Also, runners compared to non-runners showed 45 percent lower risk of death by cardiovascular diseases（心血管疾病）, including heart attack and stroke.”

    D. C. Lee and the other researchers found that speed, distance and how often one runs made little difference in reducing the risk of death. The runners in the study averaged between 10 and 16 kilometers per hour. Mr Lee said slower runners and those who only ran once or twice a week were helped nearly as much as those who ran faster and further. “And also we looked at the inning over time and we found that persistent runners（over six years）showed the biggest benefits, as well.”

    Do you love holidays but hate the fact that you put on weight (增加体重) after the holidays? You are not alone.

    Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.

    With proper planning, it is possible to control your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may help you.

    Do not miss meals. Before yon leave home for a feast(宴会), have a small, low-fat snack. This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods.

    Begin with clear soup, fruit or vegetables.

    A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full.

    Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.

    Better not have high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them.

    Choose lean（瘦的） meat. Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.

    If you have a sweet tooth, try mints (薄荷) and fruits. They don't have fat content as cream and chocolate.

    Don't let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess calories (多余的热量).

    The American dream is the faith held by many people in the United States of America that through hard work, courage, creativity and determination, they can achieve a better life for themselves. More specifically, they agree on how to get ahead in America: get a college education, find a reliable job, and buy their own house. But do Americans still believe in that path, and if they do, is it attainable?

    The most recent National Journal poll(民意测验，投票) asked participants about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goal, and whether or not they felt the control over their ability to be successful. Obviously, the results show that today, the idea of the American dream and what it takes to achieve it looks quite different from it did in the late 20th century. By the large, people felt that their actions and hard work — not outside forces — were the deciding factors in how their lives turned out. But the participants had definitely mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy.

    In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority 52 percent think that young people do not need a 4-year college education in order to be successful.

    Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a master's degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability(稳定) his parents and grandparents never did. While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of a degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new viewpoints and life experiences. Sixty-year-old Will Fendley, who had a successful career in the military and never earned a college degree, think “personal drive” is far more important than just go to college. To Fendley, a sense of drive and purpose, as well as an effective high-school education, and basic life skills, like balancing a checkbook(支票簿), are the necessary elements for a successful life in America.

    When the company was small, Google cared a lot about getting kids from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. But Laszlo Bock, Google's former Senior Vice President of People Operations, said it was the "wrong" hiring strategy. Experience has taught him that there are exceptional kids at many other places, from state schools in California to those in New York. "What we find is that the best people from places like these are just as good if not better as anybody you can get from any Ivy League school," said Bock, who authored a book titled "Work Rules!"

    So what else does Google not care about:

    Grades: Google's data shows that grades predict performance for the first two years of a career, but do not matter after that.

    Brain-teasers: Gone are interview questions such as: Why are manhole covers (井盖) round? How many golf balls can fit in a school bus? "Our research tells us those questions are a waste of time," Bock said. "They're a really coachable skill. The more you practice, the better you get at it."

    Here's what Google does care about:

    Problem solvers: Your cognitive (认知的) ability, or how well you solve problems.

    Leaders: The idea is not whether you were president of the student body or vice president of a bank, but rather "When you see a problem, do you step in and help solve it?" and then critically, "Are you willing to let somebody else take over, and make room for somebody else? Are you willing to give up power?"

    Googleyness: That's what Google calls its cultural fit. It's not "Are you like us?" Bock said. "We actually look for people who are different, because diversity gives us great ideas."

    "What's most important is that people are intellectually humble, willing to admit when they're wrong, and care about the environment around them ...because we want people who think like owners not employees," Bock said.