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milk Thistle

2015 CSA Fall December 19 Planet Earth Diversified

2015 CSA    Fall    December 19   Planet Earth Diversified

Final CSA for 2015 – 2016 Begins Jan 2

  • milk thistle pesto
  • arugula pesto
  • Mixed Field Greens
  • Rainbow Chard
  • Arugula Greens
  • Red Kale
  • Rosemary
  • Baby Sorrel
  • Poultry Herbs
  • Basil
  • Dill
  • Bay Laurel
  • Flat Parsley
  • Butternut Squash
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Papaya

2015 CSA    Fall    December 19 Planet Earth Diversified               

Both milk thistle and arugula pesto are included this week with your CSA share and some big Butternut Squash – they are not in the box get them separately!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3an71fzC9-o 11 minutes all about the green papaya and the ginger we have been providing as part of our research with Virginia State University.

milk Thistle

milk Thistle

Milk Thistle, which is included in your CSA share this week in the form of pesto. This plant has long been known to have healthy properties, containing silymarin, and “has no equivalent in the pharmaceutical drug world”; for over 2,000 years it has been revered as a protector of the liver. “In fact, in cases of poisoning with Amanita mushrooms, which destroy the liver, milk thistle is the only treatment option. It has been so dramatically effective that the treatment has never been disputed, even by the traditional medical community.” See the website http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-milk-thistle.html for the quoted material and more information. In the cyclical pattern that we make the pesto of milk thistle, which is generally in spring and in fall, it is savored as a seasonal tonic. You will find milk thistle in stores as high priced extracts, or supplement pills and tablets, especially of the seed, to economic dried preparation of the plant for tea. The same healing properties that the seeds are touted so much about are present throughout the entire plant. Then add the benefit of being able to include it in the diet as a freshly harvested herb by eating the pesto. If hiking or would like to nibble from environments that you consider clean to harvest from, the leaf can be folded along its spine, aligning up the thorns on the edges of the leaf and trimmed to be eaten; the leaf can be used as a rolled up treat or as a wrap in a meal. As a pesto, it can be incorporated into your diet in classic fashions such as topping pasta or spreading on pizza or tried as a sandwich spread for a new twist. Hope you all have a blessed week!

Green-Papaya-Recipe

Green-Papaya-Recipe

Kale Fruit Salad

Kale Fruit Salad

Green-Papaya-Wanda Johnson

Green-Papaya-Wanda Johnson

Basil Pesto

CSA Fall 2015 Dec 12

CSA Fall 2015 Dec 12

  • ·        Basil Pesto
  • ·        Red Kale
  • ·        Field Arugula
  • ·        Baby Sorrel
  • ·        Poultry Herb Mix
  • ·        Cilantro
  • ·        Dill
  • ·        Bay Laurel
  • ·        Flat Parsley
  • ·        2 Butternut Squash
  • ·        Sweet Potatoes

Remember Dec 19 is the last CSA for the Fall Season and CSA winter 2016 will Begin First Saturday in January

Basil pesto is our classic, long-time favorite…try using it as a spread for grilled cheese with tomato or a dollop on some pasta or pizza. Also great for a quick pan sear of beef strips to prepare for a steak salad,

Basil Pesto

Basil Pesto

venison crustinis

which is grand over wilted arugula greens or the baby sorrel. The basil pesto is special. The original. The One. Sunny anti-depressant, old world memories, and a paste for everything all rolled into one. Sea salt, virgin olive oil, and the finest walnuts marry in processing, preserved, originally with lemon. Pine nuts are nice, but the walnut is strong. This healing mixture can even be used as a poultice.

The Kale can be chopped up for a classic southern dish…fry up some onion in butter, add water and a meat, such as ham or bacon, Virginia style, or you can use leftover bone like we did in Louisiana. Leftovers recycled are how we live. Cook in your pot; add seasoning if you like, and put in your chopped kale. Cover and cook until tender. Personally, i do not prefer over-cooking as is custom. The timing is up to you.

Parsley made a splash, big time, this week as a helper when i poisoned myself with aloe. Sunny Grrl went to the hospital with suspected kidney failure. In a panic and without doctor’s lab results, i tried to entice thirst by rubbing her sore and infected teeth with the soft center of the aloe leaf. To show her it was ok as she got tired of the teeth-brushing, i ripped the rest of the leaf and bit and sucked it. Oops. Latex. Allergic. Good to find out, hell on your kidneys and the stomach and intestines. Trust me, don’t go there. So both Sunny and i had lots of parsley this week as well as fresh harvested milk thistle leaf. Both of us fully recovered quickly. Turns out her kidneys are fine. Anemia was the lab finding, plus need for elder care. Tonight everybody had liver. And parsley. Great for that medicine cabinet in your kitchen. To your health and your pleasure! J

Papaya in Greenhouse

2015 CSA Fall December 5th

Field Mix 10×10 bag
Field Chard
Field Arugula
Baby Sorrel
Poultry Herb Blend
Cilantro
Dill
Bay Laurel
Flat Parsley
Butternut
Sweet Potatoes
Green Papaya

Papaya in Greenhouse

Papaya in Greenhouse

Everybody thinks we just sit around in the snow, drinking our moonshine or power dunk into the hot tub to maintain. Well, the hot tub is the only truth about that last sentence…the heat generated externally and internally is important. Right now, my Triple Burner is out of whack because of the deadly pharmaceutical concoction the state has me on, so adding some papaya to my diet is not a bad idea because i am pre-diabetic. Here is a recipe to help you get started in exploring the fresh flavor of papaya from EPICURIOUS.COM:

  •  1/2 large pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
  •  1 medium papaya, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
  •  1/2 large cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
  •  1 11-ounce can peeled whole lychees in heavy syrup, drained, halved lengthwise
  •  1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved
  •  1/2 cup seedless green grapes, halved
  •  Papaya-Mint Sauce
  • 1/4 cup sweetened shredded or flaked coconut, toasted
  • Fresh mint sprigs

 

“Be Strong! like bull!”, you might hear my Dad say, with a twinkle in his eye, when trying something new, something questionable. Imagine embodying your favorite power animal or your favorite tree as you invigorate your entire system with healthy food…it becomes a part of you and what you think about it is important. Our thoughts matter just as much as the food we put into our bodies. So, with that in mind, karate chop your sugar, kick start your system and try some papaya this evening for a cool summer flavor from the tropical world. Turn on some calypso, kids, we are sailin’ to th Bahamas! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK1lcpf0HZM