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Papaya tree

2016 CSA Spring May 21st Papaya

2016 CSA Spring May 21st

  • Spinach
  • Squash Blossoms
  • Kale Flowers
  • Peppermint
  • Spearmint
  • Spring Onions
  • Green garlic
  • Oregano
  • Sage
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Papaya
  • Basil

Papaya:

Papaya cut

Papaya cut

A very rare and special treat this week: papayas! This tropical fruit is grown in one of our greenhouses and is one of the first of papayas grown in Virginia. Papayas are known for being a healthy food and for containing unique digestive enzymes that help the body process proteins. Papayas contain vitamins C, A, E, K, several of the B vitamins and many minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium. As an excellent source of these nutrients, papaya can be helpful to our health in prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Being a good source of fiber, papaya can help lower high cholesterol levels and may be beneficial in prevention of colon cancer. Immune support and anti-inflammatory effects can assist in cases of asthma and arthritis.  Papayas are well known for containing papain, a digestive enzyme which is extracted for making supplements.

The simplest way to enjoy the slightly sweet and musky flavor of the creamy flesh is to cut your papaya in half and clean out the insides of any seeds or coating, then scoop out bites with a spoon. The half can also be cut into slices like a cantaloupe. If cubing for a salad, salsa, roast or smoothie, then remove the outer skin before use in your recipe.

Recipes ranged from simple to intricate with suggestions to pair with lime juice and/or mint being common, as well as ideas for salads, salsas and chutney. One salsa recipe was simply chopped onion, lemon juice, chopped papaya, diced mint and seasoning of salt and pepper. Often paired with meats like fish and chicken, it was sometimes featured in a chicken stir fry or elegantly sliced atop a filet of fish. Consider a complementary papaya salsa this week taking advantage of the onion and mint in your CSA share.

To your health and pleasure!

spinach

2016 CSA Spring May 14th Spinach

2016 CSA Spring May 14th

  • Spinach
  • Mixed Field Greens
  • Kale Flowers
  • Poultry Herbs
  • Spring Garlic
  • Spring onion bunch
  • Cilantro
  • Mint
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Thai Basil

Spinach

This green can claim a special place among vegetables in terms of its phytonutrient content. Researchers have identified more than a dozen different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents. (Some of these substances fall into a technical category of flavonoids known as methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides.) The anticancer properties of these spinach flavonoids have been sufficiently impressive to prompt researchers to create specialized spinach extracts that could be used in controlled laboratory studies. These spinach extracts have been shown to slow down cell division in human stomach cancer cells (gastric adenocarcinomas), and in studies on laboratory animals, to reduce skin cancers (skin papillomas). A study on adult women living in New England in the late 1980s also showed intake of spinach to be inversely related to incidence of breast cancer.

Excessive inflammation, of course, typically emerges as a risk factor for increased cancer risk. (That’s why many anti-inflammatory nutrients can also be shown to have anti-cancer properties.) But even when unrelated to cancer, excessive inflammation has been shown to be less likely following consumption of spinach. Particularly in the digestive tract, reduced inflammation has been associated not only with the flavonoids found in spinach, but also with its carotenoids. Neoxanthin and violaxanthin are two anti-inflammatory epoxyxanthophylls that are found in plentiful amounts in the leaves of spinach. While these unique carotenoids may not be as readily absorbed as carotenoids like beta-carotene or lutein, they still play an important role in regulation of inflammation and are present in unusual amounts in spinach.

Decreased risk of aggressive prostate cancer is one health benefit of spinach consumption that should not be overlooked when talking about the anti-cancer properties of spinach. Interestingly, in a recent study that evaluated possible prostate cancer-prevention benefits from a variety of vegetables including spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard and turnip greens, collards, and kale — only spinach showed evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer.

-excerpt of spinach profile via nonprofit George Mateljan Foundation

 

Stinging Nettle Fresh on The Farm in the Rain

CSA Spring May 7 Stinging Nettle

2016 CSA Spring May 7

  • Stinging Nettle Pesto
  • Spinach
  • Mixed Field Greens
  • Chard
  • Poultry Herbs
  • Dill
  • Mint
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Basil

Stinging Nettle Fresh:

Fresh spring surprise! Stinging nettle pesto this week for you in your CSA share. Stinging nettles are and old time food, medicine, tea  and also fiber. Personally i have heard of people using it for allergies, arthritis, anemia and urinary track health. Matthew Wood mentions stinging nettle in regards to healing the thyroid. In his book, The Earthwise Herbal, he says, “I fine it effective when the part has been paralyzed or depressed in function…It also works internally on inactive kidneys, thyroid, menstruation, hormones, nerves, muscles, and so forth, to bring them back into effective operation.” He says it is high in protein, vitamins, minerals and serves as an excellent all-around nutritive tonic, especially good for iron. One herbalist described relief from psoriasis, low energy from depleted kidneys, and gout, as it flushes out excess uric acid. Another herbalist also mentions that congestion, adrenal deficiency, hemorrhoids, and dandruff can be treated with stinging nettles. It is said that hair and nails benefit from a diet that includes stinging nettles.

Stinging Nettle Fresh on The Farm in the Rain

Stinging Nettle Fresh on The Farm in the Rain

Stinging Nettle poster

Stinging Nettle

Although stinging nettles can serve up a burning rash if brushed the wrong direction, the plant juices themselves act as an antidote to the sting, and these juices have been used for soothing skin irritations much like aloe and jewe weed.

We find fresh preparations like pesto are an easy and delicious way to include healthy medicinal and nutritious foods in the diet.

To your health and pleasure, always!