Re: Kale, and locally grown / seasonal food

Thanks Jackie, I am also into growing my own (but yet to do that) and buying locally grown seasonal food (since I believe our bodies have adapted to eat such food and it bests suit us according to the time of year). I bought Kale for the first time today. Anyone who has seen the above videos will know exactly why I did that.

I discovered eattheseasons.com (USA/Canada) and eattheseasons.co.uk (UK) and was pleased to see that Kale is in season in this current month of January. From the archive at that site:

eat kale

Kale is a very handy ingredient for seasonal eaters as it is one of the few green vegetables that is more abundant and flavorful during the coldest months of the year. It can be substituted for cabbage or spinach and makes a fine side dish when blanched and sautéed with garlic (a little soy and a sprinkling of chopped, roasted nuts is a lovely addition). It also makes an excellent ingredient in hearty, warming soups such as Scotch Broth and the traditional Portuguese dish Caldo Verde (see PICK OF THE RECIPES).

HISTORY

Kale has been cultivated for over 2,000 years. In much of Europe it was the most widely eaten green vegetable until the Middle Ages when cabbages became more popular. Historically it has been particulary important in colder regions due to its resistance to frost. In nineteenth century Scotland kail was used as a generic term for 'dinner' and all kitchens featured a kail-pot for cooking.

BIOLOGY

A member of the same family as the cabbage - Brassica oleracea - most of the kale eaten in this country is curly leaved and belongs to the species acephala. Flat leaved kales are also grown but tend to be tougher and are now used mainly for animal feed.

NUTRITION

Kale is a nutritionally rich food containing:

• vitamins A, C and E

• a substantial mineral content including manganese, iron, calcium and potassium

• phytochemicals such as sulphoraphane (linked to cancer prevention)

So I am happy to find I picked the best time to start experimenting with Dr Fuhrman's ideas, and equally pleased to see it has been the staple diet of my ancestors for 2000 years. Hardly any wonder they never suffered from cancer, they were far more in touch with the planet than we are these days, and we need to take some lessons from them. I'll probably be taking some of Joel Fuhrman's cookery tips and making Kale soup tomorrow. Don't they say soups are OK to break fasts? Because this looks pretty appetizing to me.
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