Season's Eatings: What's Fresh Now?

In these United States, Memorial Day weekend heralds the unofficial start of the summer season. Communities will gather to pay tribute to the men and women of our armed forces with parades, prayer services, and the placing of flags in local cemeteries. Grills will get fired up as families and friends host backyard cookouts.

But here in the arctic tundra, Memorial Day weekend also means the long-awaited opening of the farmers markets. YeeeeHaw! No more tasteless produce. No more eating fruits and veggies that have traveled further than I've traveled in a lifetime (and I've done a lot of traveling!). Think I'm kidding? Check out this oldie but goodie from the archives: Does Your Food Travel More Than You Do?

So, What's In Season in Your Region?

Exact crop availability and harvest times vary year-to-year, but this summary will give you an idea of what to look for now in your neck of the woods. You can also look up produce availability by state at Field to Plate.

The Northwest

Arugula, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Chard, Cherries, Collard Greens, Edible Flowers, Fennel, Fiddleheads, Kale, Lettuce, Mint, Morels, Oregano, Potatoes, Radicchio, Radishes, Rhubarb, Rosemary, Sage, Scallions, Sorrel, Spinach, Thyme, Watercress, Zucchini

The Southwest

Apricots, Avocados, Blackberries, Carrots, Cilantro, Chard, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Kale, Lettuce, Nectarines, Oregano, Peaches, Peas, Sage, Snap Peas, Sorrel, Spinach, Summer Squash, Sweet Onions, Tomatoes, Zucchini

The Midwest

Arugula, Asparagus, Beets, Cabbage, Chard, Collard Greens, Fava Beans, Fennel, Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Parsley, Parsnips, Radishes, Rhubarb, Spinach, Turnips

The South

Asparagus, Beets, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Green Beans, Lima Beans, Okra, Peaches, Plums, Pole Beans, Spinach, Strawberries, Summer Squash, Sweet Onions, Valencia Oranges

The Northeast

Arugula, Artichokes, Asparagus, Chard, Fava Beans, Fiddleheads, Garlic Scapes, Green Onions, Lettuce, Mint, Nettles, New Potatoes, Parsley, Parsnips, Pea Greens, Rhubarb, Spinach, Thyme

Purchasing food close to the source ensures freshness and a smaller impact on the environment since fewer resources are used to transport the food from farm to table, but that's not the only reason I love shopping at my local farmers market.

"Knowing where your food comes from can change your life." 

~ Alice Waters

Truer words were never spoken. Wanna change your relationship with food? Meet the farmers who grow it!

How Green Does Your Garden Grow?

Conventional farmers apply chemical fertilizers to soil to grow their crops and use insecticides and fungicides to get rid of insects and disease. They'll typically control weed growth by applying synthetic herbicides.

The Environmental Protection Agency considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides and 30% of insecticides to be carcinogenic. Yikes! I don't like those odds, do you?

Aside from pesticide contamination, conventional produce tends to have fewer nutrients than organic produce. On average, conventional produce has only 83% of the nutrients of organic.

Organic farming differs from conventional farming in the methods used to grow crops. Organic farmers build and feed soil with natural fertilizer such as compost. To control insects and disease, an organic farmer will employ natural methods like insect predators. For weed control, organic farmers use crop rotation, hand weeding, and mulch.

Now listen, just because you're shopping at the local farmers market, doesn't necessarily mean that all the produce you see is organic. But here's the thing: the folks who grew it are standing right in front of you, so ask.

The Dirty Dozen

The  Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been publishing guides to the "dirty dozen" of the most pesticide-contaminated foods since 1995, based on statistical analysis of testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The dirty dozen list only reflects measurable pesticide residues on the parts of the foods normally consumed (meaning, after being washed and peeled). But, according to the EWG, consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% just by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and veggies.

Thanks to our liver, which serves as a super filtering system, we can all handle a certain amount of chemicals and toxins while still remaining reasonably healthy. But, what happens over time is the liver becomes overwhelmed. This happens much more rapidly in young children.

We can help our liver function more efficiently by adding in an assortment of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains to our daily diet. At the very least, we'd be wise to avoid the dirty dozen by purchasing those items organic.

Download your own Shopper's Guide To Pesticides and keep a copy in your wallet. Visit Local Harvest to find a farmers market near you. As my friend Penni in Tulsa says, Know Your Farmer - Know Your Food.

So, tell me, what will you be buying at the farmers market this holiday weekend? How will you celebrate Memorial Day?

What's Really Behind Your Food Cravings?

I've written before about Changing My Relationship With Food and how the process was key in my recovering from morbid obesity. One of the things I discovered along the way was that food cravings are physical.

Physical cravings are our cells crying for the nutrients they need. Sadly, we often respond to this urge by eating highly processed and refined foods which only promote further malnourishment.

Yup, that was me. Tipping the scales at over 300 pounds, yet starving. I used to think the four food groups were Starbucks, chocolate, cheeseburgers and French fries.

While I was transitioning from the Standard American Diet of packaged and processed foods to a diet high in raw, living foods, I went through some periods of strong cravings. {To get a sense of what my transition looked like, you can read A Day In The Life}

Early on, my body craved wild-caught Alaskan salmon daily. After several months of detoxifying my system of food additives and preservatives, I couldn't get enough beets. Morning, noon and night, all I wanted for about a week was beets. Crazy, since prior to that, you couldn't pay me to eat them.

There were a couple of weeks I remember, where the only greens I wanted were mustard or turnip greens. I have to be honest here and tell you, for most of my life I didn't even know what mustard and turnip greens were, much less eat them.

I still experience cravings and have learned to listen to my body. If watermelon is what my body desires, I eat watermelon. Craving kale, I'll make a large green smoothie.

Anyways, all this is to say that I was recently reading a terrific book by naturopathic doctor Colleen Huber, Choose Your Foods Like Your Life Depends On Them, and was pleasantly surprised to find this:

Food Cravings

Nifty, huh? This is only a partial listing. You can see the whole chart of Food Cravings here.

So, tell me, what food has your body been craving lately? Will you reach for a healthy alternative instead of the bag of Doritos?

Healing Our Planetary Waters

I am water

irresistible.

No obstacle can stop me,

I go over

under

around and through.

I change forms

to steam or ice

or rain.

I bring life

wherever I go.

I touch everyone

I meet.

❧❀❧

It's been a week of wild storms in these parts. Thunder, lightening, high winds, and rain. Torrents of rain.

Internet access has been spotty. I've been able to jump on for an hour here, an hour there, before the network connection would get knocked out again.

This certainly isn't the post I had planned for today. But in light of the water falling from the sky and the devastation that spreads daily through the oil-slick waters of the Gulf, this is what I'm being called to share with you.

These 13 indigenous grandmothers are near and dear to my heart. I hope that you can receive their request with an open heart, answer their call, and share their message with your loved ones.

We, the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, 

ask you to join us on May 18, 2010


CONSCIOUS PARTICIPATION IN HEALING
OUR PLANETARY WATERS

OUR MOTHER EARTH NEEDS YOUR HELP

Along with many peoples all around the globe, and many water prayers this spring, we are calling for a
 MASSIVE GLOBAL EFFORT.

Our main intention for this healing is to return the waters to their original pure crystalline blueprint, and to add to their abundance for the nourishment of ALL living things on the planet.

Pray in your local waterways, at the rivers or lakes or streams. Or pray with a bowl of water in the middle of your cities.

“We are Water Babies.
Do not to forget to say thank you every day
for the water you drink,
the water you bathe in.
Without our Mother water we would not survive.”

~ Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim, Takelma Siletz, Oregon

Grandmothers will be holding Water Prayers in the following places on May 18, 2010:

• African Rainforest, Gabon – Grandmother Bernadette Rebienot
 

• Great Lakes, USA – Grandmother Rita Blumenstein
 

• Mountains of Oaxaca, Huautla de Jimenez – Grandmother Julieta Casimiro
 

• Desert of the American Southwest – Grandmother Mona Polacca
 

• France – Grandmother Flordemayo


• Black Hills of North America – Beatrice & Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance


• Plains of North America, Montana – Grandmother Margaret Behan
 

• Hood River, Oregon – Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim
 

• Nepalese Himalayas – Aama Bombo
 

• Brazilian Amazon – Grandmothers Maria Alice Freire & Clara ShinobuIura
 

• Tibetan Ceremonies in Canada – Tsering Dolma Gyaltong
 

• Mahia, Aotearoa, New Zealand – Ambassador Pauline Tangiora

At the same time, people will be praying at nine specific bodies of water around the planet using crystalline energy:

• Lake Tahoe, California
• Lake Titicaca, Peru
• Lake MacKay, Australia
• Lake Chad, Africa
• Lake Bikkal, Russia
• Lake Kissyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan
• Lake Geneva, Switzerland
• Lake Superior, Minnesota
• Colorado River Complex

“Water reflects the human soul. 

If you say, ‘thank you’ to water, it will be reflected in 
the form of beautiful crystals 
overflowing with gratitude in return.” 

~ Masuru Emoto, The Secret Life of Water

For further information, please visit the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers or Golden Eagle Ceremonies.

A Feast For The Eyes: Spicy Carrot Cuc Salad

Sometimes, looking is enough.

 And, sometimes, you just have to give in to temptation.

Friday Food Porn

Doesn't this salad just scream, "Spring!" 

Mmm, makes me want to rush out to the local farmers market (which opens this weekend, thankyougod!) and snatch up some fresh-picked cucs and carrots.

Speecy spicy sauce? Bring it on! I looooooove me some Thai food.

Feast your eyes on this Veganlicious dish and other sexy recipes prepared by the lovely Selene, just another girl obsessed with yummy,  healthy food.

Live a little. It's the weekend.

Review: Get Naked Fast!

At 247 pounds, Diana Stobo was plagued by pain and physical discomfort. After years of struggling with body image, health issues, and the addictive food cycle, Diana became sick and tired of being sick and tired. She decided to take her health into her own hands.

Displaying a list of No's prominently on her fridge – No Sugar, No Wheat, No Dairy, No Alcohol, No Caffeine, No Meat – Diana "got naked" and watched her life and her health quickly transform.

In her own words, "Getting Naked means stripping down and simplifying the nourishment that you put in your body. I use the term Naked instead of Raw because we are often set up for failure if we strictly limit ourselves to just one thing."

Diana shares her simple and flexible philosophy in the recently published Get Naked Fast: A Guide to Stripping Away the Foods That Weigh You Down.

The basis of her approach is eliminating refined sugars, wheat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine and meat, and in the "Know No's" section, she offers a sensible overview of how the different foods affect the body.

I found the information easily digestible. There are no "shoulds" or "should nots." She even addresses common questions:

Q: I'm addicted to coffee and can't start my day without it. What should I do?
A: If this is the one vice you have while alleviating all the other toxins from your body, then have your cup of joe and enjoy it.

Q: What happens when I'm hungry?
A: It's simple, you eat.

I so resonate with her start-where-you-are approach. By taking things one step at a time and allowing your system to gently detox, you'll soon see the benefits of Getting Naked. Watch as your energy starts to increase, your skin clears and brightens, your eyes sparkle, and you begin to effortlessly shed unwanted weight.

Diana breaks it all down for you. She'll teach you how to makeover your pantry and explore food substitutions as you begin to Know the No's. Simple replacements like almond milk for cow's milk, or sprouted whole grain flourless bread for your usual wheat bread can make a big difference to your body.

And for those of you who gotta have that cup of joe, she suggests substituting Euromild™ Acid Free Coffee for your daily caffeine fix. Sweeteners, condiments, alcohol, it's all laid out. She makes it super easy to make out your new grocery shopping list.

So, what to do with your newly restocked kitchen? Get Naked Fast and start playing with your food!

Diana's created delicious and simple recipes for Naked Nourishment. Most prep times average between 5 and 15 minutes.

I like to start my day with freshly extracted green juice, but many folks like to begin their day with something hearty. How's Fresh Apple Muesli with Maple-Pecan Cream or Hot Quinoa-Cranberry Cereal grab you? Maybe an Easy Almond Date Milkshake or Julius Kefir Smoothie is more your thing.

Soups, salads, wraps, hearty stews, sweet treats and beautifying elixirs, it's all here for you to explore. And let's not overlook the eye candy. Each of Diana's easy-to-make delicious recipes is accompanied by her mouth-watering photographs. Yum!

Listen, I've been there, Diana's been there. There comes a day when you just have to say, "Enough. It's time to break this endless cycle. I need to make a change." Do it! Don't wait another day. Your transition to good health, feeling and looking better than you've felt in years, doesn't have to be this giant leap. Start where you are.

Need some hand holding? This is it. Diana's created something tangible you can use and follow. So Get Naked Fast and watch as your life transforms and you take on the glow of health, vibrance and beauty.

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You can also find Diana online at her website, on Twitter, and on Facebook.