Pick and Choose

This is the time of the year where many of us like to pick berries. It’s a lot of fun to pick our own strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. They’re as fresh as they can be, they’re close to home, and you pick only the ones that you want.

But did you know that many of the farms around let you pick lots more than berries? For example, a farm close by called Easy Pickin’s allows customers to pick a number of fruits, including apples, peaches, plums, pears, and berries, but they also have vegetables, herbs, and flowers for picking.

Last year, I wanted to make pesto, so I drove to the farm and picked a large bunch of basil. I can design my own flower arrangement with the beautiful variety of flowers they offer, or make a crunchy salad with fresh-picked lettuce and peppers.

At one farm, I can pick baby varieties of vegetables, such as zucchini and summer squash, which are great for grilling. It’s like having a garden in your own back yard without having to do all the work! Picking your own is also more economical than buying at the farmer’s market. In addition, it allows you to get some sun and exercise and being among the plants and soil is very therapeutic.

So if you have the opportunity this growing season, visit a local farm to harvest your own bounty. It’s good for your health in so many ways. What will you get out and pick this season??

The Power of Herbs - Ginger

This week, I’ve featured 5 common herbs that are either easy to grow or fairly easy to come by and that by including then in the diet, can have a strong, positive impact on our health.

The final herb for this week is ginger. If you look at it’s nutritional profile below, you’ll notice that it is not nearly as robust as the previous herbs mentioned here this week.

% Daily Value

Magnesium 3

Potassium 3

Copper 3

Manganese 3

Yet, as an herbal remedy, ginger is reliably used to safely treat conditions such as motion sickness, nausea and upset stomach, gas, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. I think back to how many times I was given ginger ale for an upset stomach while growing up. Today, I don’t normally drink soda, but if I’m in the mood for a treat, I will buy Reed’s Ginger Beer. It’s a delicious, all natural, non-alcoholic carbonated beverage sweetened with honey.

Ginger also contains compounds called gingerols that act as anti-inflammatory agents and are believed to help relieve the pain and swelling of arthritis. Gingerols are also believed to act as potent antioxidants as well.

Ginger is a warming herb that can induce sweating and help fight an oncoming cold or flu. Try making a tea by grating a small piece of ginger then squeezing the juice into hot water. Add lemon and honey.

Here are some additional ways to use ginger:

• Powdered or crystallized and minced and added to granola
• Added into baked goods
• Sliced or chopped and added to a stir-fry
• Juiced along with vegetables
• Included with fermented vegetables

What are some additional ways you add ginger into your diet?

The Power of Herbs - Thyme

Moving on to day three of herbs, there continues to be a common theme among them and that is their amazing healing and medicinal properties. Like oregano and parsley, thyme is more than just a flavoring agent.

It has antibacterial and antifungal properties and has a long history of use for sore throats and chest congestion because of the antiseptic properties of its volatile oil thymol. It has been inhaled in steam or steeped and used for gargling.

Thyme also contains antioxidants that help to protect our cells and it has a strong nutritional profile. Two teaspoons of dried thyme provide the following:

% daily value

• Vitamin K 42
• Iron 14
• Manganese 8
• Calcium 4

It also has small amounts of vitamins A, C, folate, and magnesium. As with other herbs, we can actually pump up the nutrient density of our meals by adding fresh (and sometimes intense) flavor! I love this concept because normally we think of something medicinal or healing as not tasting nice and it’s as if nature has made it a point of drawing us to the things that will do us the most good.

Thyme has always been one of my favorite herbs to use in dried form and I frequently combine it with oregano and basil in tomato-based sauces.

Like other fresh herbs:

• it’s wonderful in egg dishes
• on meats and fish
• in soups and stews
• and chopped fine in dressings

If you like clam chowder, my brother also has a wonderful recipe that calls for fresh thyme. It’s one of the few clam chowders I’ve ever made or liked, for that matter.

Have you ever grown thyme or bought it fresh? What types of dishes do you use it for?

The Power of Herbs - Parsley

Parsley is probably one of the most widely used herbs to garnish a dish, and it does add a certain elegance to a meal. It is also a practical tool for cleansing the palate and freshening the breath after eating, so in that way, it plays multiple roles on the plate.

However, limiting parsley in the diet to a sprig at the end of a meal greatly limits its true health benefits as an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and digestion aid.

Just 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley provide the following nutrients:

% daily value

vitamin K 154

vitamin C 17

vitamin A 13

Folate 3

Iron 3

The flavenoids in parsley act as powerful antioxidants to neutralize oxygen radicals and increase the antioxidant activity of the blood. It has high levels of vitamin K, which is required for blood clotting and bone formation, the antioxidant vitamin C, and vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. Foods rich in this nutrient are linked to a reduced risk of atherosclerosis, diabetes, and colon cancer.

Parsley contains volatile oils including myristicin, which have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in the lungs of animals. Myristicin also activates glutathione-S-transferase, which works with glutathione to prevent damage done by oxidized molecules. The oils also work to protect against the harmful effects of compounds referred to as benzopyrenes found in cigarette smoke, charcoal grill smoke, and fried foods.

Here are some easy ways to get the full benefits of parsley:

• Add fresh, chopped parsley to scrambled eggs or omelets
• Sprinkle it onto grain dishes near the end of cooking
• Flavor sautéed vegetables
• Include it in soups and stews
• Mix it into salads
• Use it to make pesto

What are your favorite ways to use parsley??

The Power of Herbs - Parsley

Parsley is probably one of the most widely used herbs to garnish a dish, and it does add a certain elegance to a meal. It is also a practical tool for cleansing the palate and freshening the breath after eating, so in that way, it plays multiple roles on the plate. However, limiting parsley in the diet to a sprig at the end of a meal greatly limits its true health benefits as an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and digestion aid.

Just 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley provide the following nutrients:

% daily value

• vitamin K 154

• vitamin C 17

• vitamin A 13
  

• folate 3

• iron 3
  

The flavenoids in parsley act as powerful antioxidants to neutralize oxygen radicals and increase the antioxidant activity of the blood. It has high levels of vitamin K, which is required for blood clotting and bone formation, the antioxidant vitamin C, and vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. Foods rich in this nutrient are linked to a reduced risk of atherosclerosis, diabetes, and colon cancer.

Parsley contains volatile oils including myristicin, which have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in the lungs of animals. Myristicin also activates glutathione-S-transferase, which works with glutathione to prevent damage done by oxidized molecules. The oils also work to protect against the harmful effects of compounds referred to as benzopyrenes found in cigarette smoke, charcoal grill smoke, and fried foods.

Here are some easy ways to get the full benefits of parsley:

- Add fresh, chopped parsley to scrambled eggs or omelets

- Sprinkle it onto grain dishes near the end of cooking

- Flavor sautéed vegetables

- Include it in soups and stews

- Mix it into salads

- Use it in pesto

What are some of the ways you like to use fresh parsley??

The Power of Herbs - Oregano

The idea of oregano probably brings up images or thoughts of the dried herb flavoring spaghetti sauce and other Italian dishes and we probably don’t think about it as a source of healing powers. But oregano offers a wide variety of disease-fighting properties. It acts as an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, and an antimicrobial/antibacterial agent.

Its volatile oils thymol and carvacrol are potent inhibitors of bacteria and thymol and rosmarinic acid, also found in oregano, act as strong antioxidants that help to prevent damage done by free radicals. In fact, oregano’s antioxidant capacity is even stronger than blueberries! Yet, how many of us think about ways to include oregano into our daily diets?

Although oregano is best eaten fresh for better flavor, just two teaspoons of dried oregano provides the following micronutrient profile:

% daily value

Vitamin K 23

Manganese 8

Iron 7

Dietary fiber 5

Omega-3 FA’s 5

Calcium 4

Vitamin A 4

Vitamin C 3

Although I’m not one to pick apart foods for their nutritional value and would rather look at them in terms of their overall nutrition, I list the above nutrients to demonstrate how powerful oregano is as a source of valuable vitamins, minerals, and even fats. Can you see the value of including herbs in meals on a regular basis? Oregano enhances our health while adding flavor and aroma at the same time. There isn’t a multivitamin out there that can do that.

To take advantage of oregano’s powers, experiment with it by adding it to any dish you would normally add herbs:

- combine it with other fresh herbs in egg dishes,

- add it to sauces and soups,

- mix it into vegetables,

- use it in marinades and dressings

Can you think of another use for oregano, either fresh or dried? I’d love to hear your favorite dishes that include oregano!!