2016 CSA Spring April 9

• Mixed Field Greens
• Field Arugula
• Baby Sorrel
• Watercress Box
• Chives
• Rose Geranium
• Mint
• Butternut Squash
• Basil
• Milk Thistle Pesto

Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle Pesto

Milk Thistle

As spring gears up, so do the greens…and the greenhouses, of things we plant and some we wildcraft, such as 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!