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Organic Golden Milk Turmeric Recipe
Deland
Flagler Organics is very excited and so pleased to be able to offer residents of Deland a new local pick up site for our fresh organic produce. Now each week, like so many other communities in Northeast Florida, Deland residents have a pick up site just minutes from their downtown. Of course those that wish to continue with door step delivery of organic produce can, but we think this is a great way to share and help everyone save time, money and gasoline.
One of the reason Flagler Organics has reached so many in only a few years is because of the sense of community a pick of site creates. Members are able to meet each other and share recipes and more importantly, make new friends that have a common goal of eating organically. We truly believe that no other choice you make, than that of eating organically, effect our environment, local and globally.
We are always trying to bring the very best organic produce to our members. We have several local farms that provide awesome local produce like persimmons, red kale, special bib lettuce, broccoli “to die for” and chestnuts. Did i mention the best Ruby Red Grapefruits in Florida? Well we think we have it along with beautiful Red Naval Oranges, and Satsuma Tangerines.
We also have great relationships with farmers in Georgia. Really many of the Southern Georgia farms are so much closer than those in South Florida… well even though they are in a different state, we feel Georgia farmers are local too. Additionally, in the summer months we purchase from many different states on the Eastern Seaboard. And we firmly believe in Washington and Oregon for apples, Michigan and Wisconsin for cherries and stone fruit. We understand the need to support local farmers, but between Florida’s growing seasons, we purchase from many other states and countries that we know are reliable with their organic farming practices. We check our growers.
As always, if you live in Deland or have family or friends in that area, let them know that this wonderfully new way to purchase fresh organic produce is now available to them.
If you are new to Flagler Organics, here are a few links for you to visit.
Ayurvedic Perspectives on Dandelion Greens
Ayurvedic practitioners have been observing the effect of food on people for more than five thousand of years. There is a saying anything can be medicine and anything can be poison, you just have to know how to prepare it. Each person has his or her own constitution and should eat according to guidelines that bring that individual towards their own individual healthy balance.
Both Roots and Greens are used in Ayurveda, each part of the plant has a different effect on the body and are connected to different body tissues. This scope of this article is just for the greens.
Ayurvedic texts consider Dandelion Greens to have many benefits including:
- Alterative
- Diuretic
- Lithotriptic
- Laxative
- Blood cleansers
- Bitter Tonic
- Detoxifies the liver, gallbladder
The Modern View:
Dandelion Greens are mostly considered weeds in the west. They are also bitter to the taste, a taste which is sorely lacking in the western diett. Other than coffee very little bitter foods are eaten in America. Ayurveda suggests that all 6 tastes be eaten regularly, maybe that’s another reason for coffee to be so popular, I also supect that black and green teas also start out with the bitter and astringent tastes raising their popularity in the west. Dandelion greens are low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.
Liver Benefits : Current research is showing benefits to the liver from its particular type of sodium which may help reduce inflammation in the liver.
Sugar Metabolism Information: Dandelion Greens contains Inulin, which converts to fructose in the presence of cold or hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Fructose forms glycogen in the liver without requiring insulin resulting in a slower blood sugar rise.
Important Nutrients:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Thiamin
- Riboflavin
- Vitamin B6
- Calcium
- Iron
- Potassium
- Manganese
According to Dr. Mercola’s website these are addition benefits to Dandelion Greens
- Dandelion is beneficial to digestion and is an antiviral that may be useful in the treatment of AIDS and herpes
- It may also be useful in treating jaundice, cirrhosis, edema due to high blood pressure, gout, eczema and acne
- Dandelion is also used to treat and prevent breast and lung tumors and premenstrual bloating
- Dandelion greens are high in vitamin A in the form of antioxidant carotenoid and vitamin C
Modern research is coming to similar conclusion about Dandelion Greens as Ayurvedic physicians who wrote about Dandelion attributes around 1,000 BCE.
In addition to listing the benefits of Dandelion, Ayurvedic Practioner’s have also described who benefits most from which particular food based on your Dosha. Which does not translate into English very well. The easiest way to remember is “body type” or “organizing principles”. Let’s expand body type to include mind, body, emotions and spiritual tendencies.
Without going into specifics about the Doshas (we’ll do that in another post), these are the guidelines for Dandelion Greens, with a disclaimer. ALL FRUITS and VEGETABLES especially organic are good for all Doshas. It’s just that some are more easily digestible for certain Doshas and some increase or decrease desirable or undesirable qualities. These qualities can be adjusted with proper food combination, spices and correct preparation for the specific Dosha.
Rasa रस (Taste): Bitter, Sweet
Virya विर्य (Affect on Digestion): Cooling
Vipaka विपक (Post Digestive Affect): Pungent
Action: Alterative, Diuretic, lithotriptic, laxative, bitter tonic
Vata वात: Increase – Due to its main Rasa रस (Taste) Bitter Modify by adding ghee, butter or oil when eating to make this easier for Vata वात dominant people to digest.
Pitta पित्त: Reduce
Kapha कफ: Reduce
Acid/Alkaline Scale …. Alkaline
Dandelion Greens usually are available in late winter (depending on your location), and spring. These are the perfect times of the year to include them into your diet. According to Ayurveda these are the Kapha times of the year when mucus accumulates in the body. Dandelion is perfect for helping reduce kapha.
To find out more about Ayurveda, foods and nutrition keep checking back regularly.
Alkalizing Organic Dandelion Stir Fry
Ayurvedic Perspectives on Eggplant
Ayurvedic practitioners have been observing the effect of food on people for more than five thousand of years. There is a saying anything can be medicine and anything can be poison, you just have to know how to prepare it. Each person has his or her own constitution and should eat according to guidelines that bring that individual towards their own individual healthy balance.
The Modern View:
Eggplant is an excellent source of digestion-supportive dietary fiber and bone-building manganese. It is very good source of enzyme-catalyzing molybdenum and heart-healthy potassium. Eggplant is also a good source of bone-building vitamin K and magnesium as well as heart-healthy copper, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, and niacin. Eggplant also contains phytonutrients such as nasunin and chlorogenic acid. Eggplant also contains phytonutrients such as nasunin and chlorogenic acid.
Brain Food : Research on eggplant has focused on an anthocyanin phytonutrient found in eggplant skin called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. In animal studies, nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. Cell membranes are almost entirely composed of lipids and are responsible for protecting the cell from free radicals, letting nutrients in and wastes out, and receiving instructions from messenger molecules that tell the cell which activities it should perform
Modern research is coming to the same conclusion about eggplants as the Ayurvedic physicians who wrote about the artichoke’s attributes around 1,000 BCE.
In addition to listing the benefits of Eggplant, Ayurvedic Practioner’s have also described who benefits most from which particular food based on your Dosha. Which does not translate into English very well. The easiest way to remember is “body type” or “organizing principles”. Let’s expand body type to include mind, body, emotions and spiritual tendencies.
Without going into specifics about the Doshas (we’ll do that in another post), these are the guidelines for the Eggplant, with a disclaimer. ALL FRUITS and VEGETABLES especially organic are good for all Doshas. Its just that some are more easily digestible for certain Doshas and some increase or decrease desirable or undesirable qualities. These qualities can be adjusted with proper food combination, spices and correct preparation for the specific Dosha.
Rasa रस (Taste): Astringent, Bitter
Virya विर्य (Affect on Digestion): Heating
Vipaka विपक (Post Digestive Affect): Pungent
Action: Kindles Agni अग्नि, Helps detoxify the colon
Vata वात: Balance
Pitta पित्त: Increase
Kapha कफ: Balance
Acid/Alkaline Scale …. Slightly Alkaline
Eggplant is high in oxalic acid, which causes the formation of calcium oxalate crystals so it should not be eaten by those with kidney or gallstone problems.
To find out more about Ayurveda, foods and nutrition keep checking back regularly.
Mollie’s Quite Surprising Mashed Parsnips
Organic Cabbage Rose Juice
From “Raw Food Juice Bar” book
By Philip McCluskey & Natalia KW
This juice is both gorgeous and delicious. Bright purple cabbage adds a huge nutritional boost to your traditional carrot-apple-ginger juice. The more fruit & veggie color I can bring into my diet, the better I feel!
Makes 16 oz.
- 1/2 small organic purple cabbage
- 3 Organic carrots
- 3 Organic Granny Smith apples
- 1-inch to 2-inch knob of Organic ginger
Prep and wash all ingredients. Juice and serve.
Elegant Juicing Solutions for Every Day
Simple Sustainable Solutions are best. Simple and sustainable types of solutions help people be their best.
Juicing is a trend that’s been going on in health food for a few decades which is now mainstream. At first the only names attached to Juicing were people like Jack LaLaine, Gabriel Cousins and Gary Null. More recently celebrities have embraced juice fasting as a way of life, even Mc Donald’s is selling smoothies. I don’t want to equate a McDonald’s smoothie to a fresh fruit or vegetable smoothie but I’m saying that smoothies and juicing are now incredibly main stream.
There three main benefits to blending, juicing and drinking fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Virtually every health authority recommends that we get 6-8 servings of vegetables and fruits per day and very few of us actually get that. Daily juicing is an easy way to virtually guarantee that you will reach your daily target for vegetables as well as adding a wider variety of fruits and vegetables to your diet.
- Juicing helps you absorb more nutrients. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. This limits your body’s ability to digest, absorb and assimilate foods and nutrients. Juicing can help to “pre-digest” foods for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition.
- Juicing helps you to take in good healthy foods when there is no time for a sit down meal.
The three challenges to blending, juicing and drinking fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
- Juices must be organic. By increasing the quantity of nutrients you receive from using increased quantities of fruits and vegetables it is only reasonable to assume that you are increasing the amount of pesticides and chemicals that are taken in when juicing non-organic fruits and vegetables.
- Vegetable Juice is Not a Complete Meal. Smoothies, both Fruit and Vegetable have very little protein, virtually no fat and no roughage, by themselves are not a complete food. Juices really should be used in addition to your regular meals not in place of it. So unless you are undergoing some special fasting or detoxification program it is probably unwise to use juicing as a meal replacement.
- Proper combining for best tasting and most beneficial juices or smoothies. With all the benefits of juicing there are some people who simply don’t digest, assimilate and absorb the juices very well or have specific health issues where certain juices are not advisable. The reasons for not being able to digest food are long and lengthy, Ayurveda has an extensive list of why individuals are unable to digest foods, including juices, most of which have to do with body constitution, food combination, lifestyle and dis-ease conditions.
- If you are one of those people who have issues with digestion and want to have the benefits of juicing it is not necessary to stop/or not start juicing, an ayurvedic practitioner can help you adjust your juice choices for optimal digestion, absorption and assimilation.
4. Difficulty in finding large variety of fresh organic produce specific for your constitutional type without spending a fortune. Challenge solved… Flagler Organics has created the Juice Box membership. Many of our members are now getting their regular membership basket for cooking as well as a weekly Juice Box. The weekly Flagler Organics Juice Box membership allows our members to purchase organic fruits and vegetables for customized juicing.
Flagler Organics Juice Box is a simple sustainable solution for you and your family to start having juices in your diet on a regular basis.
Ayurvedic Perspectives on Artichokes
Ayurvedic practitioners have been observing the effect of food on people for more than five thousand of years. There is a saying anything can be medicine and anything can be poison, you just have to know how to prepare it. Each person has his or her own constitution and should eat according to guidelines that bring that individual towards their own individual healthy balance.
Ayurvedic texts consider artichokes, including the leaves, to have many benefits:
- Aphrodisiac
- Diuretic
- Breath freshener
- Deodorant.
- Blood cleansers
- Cholerics
- Improves bile production and secretion
- Detoxifies the liver and the skin.
The Modern View:
Artichokes are low in calories,with only 60 calories for one medium cooked globe and fat-free. It is a natural diuretic, a digestive aid,and provides nutrition to health-promoting bacteria in the intestinal tract. Some studies suggest that fresh artichokes help control blood sugars in diabetics and lower cholesterol levels thus warding off arteriosclerosis. Although artichokes have a high amount of natural sodium, they are still lower than most processed foods, and a real good source of fiber, potassium and magnesium. Some claim an extended period of eating artichokes when in season will result in a cleaning and detoxification of the body.
Liver Benefits : Current research is showing benefits to the liver from cynarin, a compound found in the artichoke’s leaves. Silymarin is another compound found in artichokes that has powerful antioxidant properties and may help the liver regenerate and heal the tissues.
Nutrient Rich : Artichokes are nutrient dense, so, for the 25 calories in a medium artichoke, you’re getting sixteen essential nutrients!
Important Minerals:
- magnesium
- chromium
- manganese
- potassium
- phosphorus
- iron
- calcium
The artichoke provides 6%of the recommended Daily Value of phosphorus, 10% of magnesium, 8% of manganese,10%of chromium, 5% of potassium, 4% of iron and 2% of calcium and iron.
As a part of a well balanced, high- fiber diet, artichokes can help reduce the risk of certain types of heart disease,cancers and birth defects.
Modern research is coming to the same conclusion about artichokes as the Ayurvedic physicians who wrote about the artichoke’s attributes around 1,000 BCE.
In addition to listing the benefits of Artichokes, Ayurvedic Practioner’s have also described who benefits most from which particular food based on your Dosha. Which does not translate into English very well. The easiest way to remember is “body type” or “organizing principles”. Let’s expand body type to include mind, body, emotions and spiritual tendencies.
Without going into specifics about the Doshas (we’ll do that in another post), these are the guidelines for the Artichoke, with a disclaimer. ALL FRUITS and VEGETABLES especially organic are good for all Doshas. Its just that some are more easily digestible for certain Doshas and some increase or decrease desirable or undesirable qualities. These qualities can be adjusted with proper food combination, spices and correct preparation for the specific Dosha.
Rasa रस (Taste): Astringent, Sweet
Virya विर्य (Affect on Digestion): Heating
Vipaka विपक (Post Digestive Affect): Sweet
Action: Diuretic
Vata वात: Increase – Due to its main Rasa रस (Taste) Astringent Add- ghee, butter or oil when eating to make this easier for Vata वात dominant people to digest.
Pitta पित्त: Reduce
Kapha कफ: Reduce
Acid/Alkaline Scale …. Slightly Alkaline
To find out more about Ayurveda, foods and nutrition keep checking back regularly.