June 14, 2011

June 14, 2011
Sometimes (oftimes) I wonder what is the point? Of growing these vegetables. Especially these obscure vegetables -- callaloo, cilantro and radishes. After all, how many times have you made a special trip to the "grocery store" to buy radishes? Probably not once. And yet, how many times have we taken a "supplement" to make sure we're getting Vitamin C, B, D, A, whatever. And how much have we spent on those supplements? What does a bottle of Vitamin C cost? (Well, $9.99 and up at the Vitamin Shoppe.) But what about B-6, riboflavin, thiamin and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and copper. Plus phytochemicals like indoles which are detoxifying agents and zeaxanthin,lutein and beta carotene which are flavonoid antioxidants. How much would that cost? (At the Vitamin Shoppe?) A lot more. And yet that is what is contained in the lonely radish.
(Please see the recipe page on www.hesperidesorganica.com).

• Radishes are very low calorie root vegetables; contains only 16 calories per
100 g. They are very good source of antioxidants,minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber.
• Fresh Radishes are rich in vitamin C; provide about 15 mg or 25% of DRI of vitamin C per 100 g. Vitamin C is a powerful water soluble anti-oxidant required by the body for synthesis of collagen. Vitamin C helps body scavenge harmful free radicals, prevention from cancers, inflammation and helps boost immunity.
• In addition, they contain adequate levels of folates, vitamin B-6, riboflavin, thiamin and minerals such as iron,magnesium, copper and calcium.
• Radishes contain many phytochemicals like indoles which are detoxifying agents and zeaxanthin, lutein and beta carotene which are flavonoid antioxidants.

So how awesome is that? Very. I believe that it's so much more simple than we have been led to believe. It's all about the food. Well, maybe a little bit of meditation (or whatever stokes your boat (I'm always mixing metaphors)thrown in. But while "they" will have us watching Dancing With the Stars or American Idol (I don't think the the CSA members are big fans) or debating the merits of organic vs. non-organic (bigger CSA fans but is there even such a distinction?) we are moving on. To new ways of eating (there's nothing like weeds aka callaloo) and new ways of conducting business (no, thank you Wal-Mart, you may pretend to buying "local" but we are the real deal). And it is more work. For all of us. But it's worth it. On a personal level. And on a global level. I think food can solve it.

After air (still hopefully not in short supply) and water (I think we have the means of purifying enough water for the world (I would gladly give up a lot just for this), food is where it's at. And in this week's share will be (unless it changes like it usually does):

mint (or some herb)
garlic scapes (see recipe page and blog hesperidesorganica.blogspot.com)
garlic
callaloo
green onions
broccoli raab
mustard greens
radishes
cilantro (see recipe page)
2 lettuce
parsley

Enjoy!

Lisa, Lauren & Jacob

"Eating pungent radish and drinking hot tea, let the starved doctors beg on their knees.” -Chinese Proverb