living EarthWild: July 2011

Ahhhh plants!
In all shapes and sizes and colors!

There is nothing like the growing season to inspire, music, poetry, art, cooking and more....

My heart begins to beat a little faster in early April, when the plants, usually daffodils or crocus begin to poke up through the ground.

It's as if my whole world is righted again,

and I hear angels singing

I even have the urge to frolic outside barefoot, even when its not quite warm enough to do so

via flickrhivemind.net

From April to November, here in Boulder, CO there is a weekly Farmer's Market

"The market" (as it is called by the locals) is full of local organic produce.

Enough to make your eyes pop out of your head (in a good way), and to get your salivary glands flowing.

I get excited to see what is in season, starting with the tiny lettuces and other greens in early spring to the mouthy abundance of late July with its burgeoning beets, bright green fava beans, succulent corn, bursting cherries, vermillion and amber carrots, big toothy kale varieties, and so MUCH more!
sigh.

Even winding into the fall with pungent garlic and storage potatoes, roasted chilis and bosomy squash.

~AMORE~

It's thrilling isn't it?

To eat produce just picked, so fresh the zucchini is oozing with water droplets when you cut into it, and the tomatoes so fresh and plump you can actually taste the sunshine. I'm tellin' ya....

It goes without saying that plants can be food AND medicine and often both at the same time. Here is a very short tour of a few of the seasonal plants available at the market right now...enjoy.

Beets!

"The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly is more feverish but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious"-Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume

Beta vulgaris

Beets have the highest sugar content of all vegetables
Chard is a beet thats grown strictly for its leaves
In Roman times beet juice was considered an aphrodesiac
Beets treat anemia, are antiinflammatory, help purify the blood and help dissolve kidney stones
They cleanse the liver, alleviate constipation and promote menstruation
The leaves are an excellent source of folic acid and Vitamins K and A

Fava Beans!

This is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables.

Fava beans were an Old World mainstay.

Fresh Fava beans have a rich buttery texture and a sweet earthy and slightly bitter flavor. They may be cooked whole and eaten like green beans, if under 3 inches. The larger beans (like the ones pictured here) must be shucked then peeled and cooked.

Vicia faba

Store fresh Favas in a paper bag (no plastic)
The beans improve blood circulation and water metabolism
They are rich in L-dopa a substance used to treat Parkinson's disease and to increase libido.

Basil!

Ocimum basilicum

Also called Tulsi or Holy Basil
It's name comes from the Greek, basileus, and means "king"
Mosquitoes, house flies and cockroaches don't like the scent
A native of India, it is a popular tea ingredient and memory tonic in the West
It supports kidney, liver, stomach, spleen and large intestine functions
The essential oils in Basil have potent antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral and antimicrobial properties

More beneficial properties of basil:

Considered an aphrodisiac, it is also used to treat mild depression, headache and menstrual pain.

It calms the nerves, aids memory and digestion, treats fevers, constipation, nausea, insomnia, fatigue, colds and flu.

Storage: Keeps well in a glass of water on the counter, rather than refrigeration.

Mushrooms!

Lentinula edodes

Mushrooms draw upon that which is decaying: in the body mushrooms are said to absorb and then eliminate toxins.
These toxins include undesirable fat in the blood, pathogens and excess phlegm in the respiratory system.
They are high in protein and a good source of vitamin B2 and zinc.
They enhance the flavor of any savory food they are cooked with.
Boosts weakness and exhaustion and chi