Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 5-4-2013
As always, try new foods with caution, and in small amounts. Also, please note that some herbs-foods may have some interactions with some pharmaceuticals. If you use meds, Go to http://www.drugs.com/ to check them out.?
News from the garden: The gardens growth slowed down quite a bit with the SNOW AGAIN! I said that the nettle stingers may go only in one direction. I have since actually looked, at it looked like they went all directions. Whoops 🙂 Tomatoes, broccoli and cucumber are hardening off. Looks like like we’ll be direct sowing squashes and cucumbers this year. The ones I planted have petered out, not sure why. Strawberries are blooming. This week we’ll be giving nutrition facts! Specifically, vitamin A.
The Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) is 4,000-5,000 IU
All produce this week is organically grown in my garden in town, as always thus far this year, with exception of some of the braising mix, which has been organically grown in my garden at my grandparents in the country.
Carrot: I am including the greens, as they are extremely nutritional. You can use them to make broths.
1 medium carrot contains 11,000 IU
Braising mix: Contains Red Russian Kale, Mustard Greens, Chard (red and green), and Beet Greens.
1/2 cup Kale contains 4,600 IU, and 1/2 cup Mustard greens has 4,000 IU
Salad mix: Contains encore salad mix, wood sorrel (the lemony), and baby mustard (the spicy). Violet flowers are also included.
1 cup packed Leaf lettuce has 1,000 IU
Spinach: growing fairly well ?
1/2 cup steamed spinach has 7,300 IU
Tea herbs:
lemon balm: You can put lemon balm with hot water to make a relaxing tea or add to
salad.
Culinary Herbs: Oregano, thyme, parsley, and Japanese green onions. Chop green onions and add to salads or soups.
(WikiFact for Oregano: Oregano’s most prominent modern use is as the staple herb of Italian-American cuisine. Its popularity in the US began when soldiers returning from World War II brought back with them a taste for the “pizza herb”,[8] which had probably been eaten in southern Italy for centuries. There, it is most frequently used with roasted, fried or grilled vegetables, meat and fish.).
A great way to store your herbs for long term use is to keep them in their paper bag on the counter, and let them air dry on the counter. For short term, just store in fridge.
Flowers: Lilac (purple buds), daffodil, and star of Bethlehem (white).