I signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at one of the local farms near me. I signed up for a number of reasons.
1) It does help my local farmer as I am eating local foods!
2) At my CSA I can also get fresh-from-the-chicken eggs at a reasonable price
3) the day I signed up was the last day of a sign up special and I need to save money where I can.
4) I needed to eat more vegetables and thought this would help me to do that
5) the up front paying for my CSA has all my vegetable and egg purchases taken care of for the entire year and at a very reasonable cost
But those were the side issues for me. Don’t get me wrong I think they are all important, but they were not the main reasons I signed up for a CSA.
Being a new widow has played havoc on my eating and cooking. Right after The Patriarch’s death I lost all appetite for food and had to force my self to eat the little I did. That was good for my waist line, but not necessarily for my health.
I had weighed myself 12 days before my beloved died. It was not an unexpected number and was far too high. By the time the day of the funeral arrived I was down 10 pounds from that previous reading.
About a month ago I came to realize I was feeding my family far too many pre-packaged foods. Yes, there was a time where the convenience foods were quite necessary… till I got my bearings. I understand that. For me that time has passed and I wanted to cook a bit more and eat healthier.
That was my number one reason for my CSA sign up. I wanted to guilt myself into cooking and eating healthier. Once I picked up our weekly share, if we didn’t eat it we’d have lots left over when it was time for the next week’s share!! I would HATE to throw food away.
I also needed more… normal mama kinds of activities. Simple cooking and baking. I can do that. I am ready for that.
I had the Trim Healthy Mama book for a while before I read it. I started to implement a THM meal here or there in the midst of our initial grief. I am now ready for more planned, more focused THM eating.
We’ve gotten lots of radishes in our share and I discovered that you can eat the greens! I never knew. So that got me to thinking of how to use them in some kind of salad. I found someone had already dome something similar and this is my THM tweaked version.
Radish Greens Salad
serves 4 – 6
INGREDIENTS:
- Greens from 2 bunches of radishes, washed and julienne cut
- 3 stalks green garlic, sliced thin using some of the green and with a bit of pink Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 onion, cut in thin rings then quarter the rings
- 1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed well (make sure they do not have BPA in the can)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- zest of 1 organic lemon
- 6 – 10 drops YL Lemon essential oil or to taste (we LIKE lemon!!)
- (the ONLY safe to ingest EO is Young Living, see why here, how to get them here)
METHOD:
- Wash, dry & slice the radish greens.
- Make the dressing by mixing the YL Lemon EO, 1/2 the lemon zest and olive oil.
- Add to the radish greens the onions, the other 1/2 of the lemon zest and garbanzo beans.Mix and pour the dressing on each serving to preserve the freshness of the stored salad.For crossovers you can add 1/4 – 1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or datesFor variety you can add sliced almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans or any seed of choice, about 1/3 cup or sprinkle on top of individual portion.
So how did it taste? It was really good! Arrow liked it too. I was amazed to find that the radish tops are even better nutritionally than the roots!
I found this information at everynutrient.com
Radishes and their greens provide an excellent source of vitamin C. Radish leaves contain almost six times the vitamin C content of their root and are also a good source of calcium. Red Globes also offer a very good source of the trace mineral molybdenum and are a good source of potassium and folic acid. Daikons provide a very good source of potassium and copper.
Radishes, like other member of the cruciferous family (cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts), contain cancer-protective properties. Throughout history radishes have been effective when used as a medicinal food for liver disorders. They contain a variety of sulfur-based chemicals that increase the flow of bile. Therefore, they help to maintain a healthy gallbladder and liver, and improve digestion. Fresh radish roots contain a larger amount of vitamin C than cooked radish roots. Radish greens, contain far more vitamin C, calcium, and protein than the roots.
What is your favorite way to eat radish tops?
Join me on the THM Eating 30 Day Challenge!!
Blessings, ~Aunt Mae
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