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The timing of Memorial Day's a marker of many things as we move through the year, not the least of which is the beginning of the farm market season, or as my friend Mike is fond of saying, Memorial Day's the real beginning of summer.
This is the week New Jersey's Farmer's Markets and Farm Stands begin to open up in earnest. The few that have been open and carrying mostly produce from other areas are now supplementing with their own local inventory, and others are opening in earnest for the first time this season. From Blairstown to Pennington to Cape May, early June is the start of the season. Visit Natural Jersey's Farmer's Market Listings to see where you'd like to start your exploring this season!
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 Spring in New Jersey is a relative term for many reasons. Usually wet, it's common for folks to feel like there's been no spring at all, but of course, that's what spring's all about. There is also enough of a temperature difference between the southern and northern ends that South Jersey can be as much as a month ahead in the growing season. Despite the differences we can all look forward to the same spring produce.
Greens such as lettuce, spinach and parsley are all great spring fare, and the selection & storage is the same. Greens are best in the spring before they bolt or get tough, and will keep best if free of bruises, cuts and mold. The best indicator of healthy fresh greens is good color and a crisp unwilted look,they should also smell fresh! Greens should be washed in cool water to rinse off the grit of sand and dirt that is likely to have splashed onto it during the spring rains. They can be gently dried between paper towels and stored in the refrigerator. They can keep up to a week if fresh and dry, but are usually best in the first 3 days or so. If you're interested in foraging for your own local greens, ramps and dandelions are also plentiful this time of year. Dandelion leaves should be picked when they're still small and the flowers haven't developed. They can be eaten raw or steamed, boiled or sauteed just like any of the other spring greens. If this idea interests you I recommend getting a good illustrated book on wild food foraging to help you identify edible plants in your area. Bon appetit! I finally did it, I got myself a real juicer! I am absolutely loving it and so glad that I broke down and got one. Juicing is one of the healthiest things you can add to your diet. I thought I would have to pay several hundred dollars for a good one, so I never really put the investment on my wish list. Now I have great healthy juices, and super veggie crackers from the pulp!
I invested in a Vitamix Blender many years ago, and while I would occasionally make myself a healthy vegetable and fruit juice in it, a blender like the Vitamix (wonderful for everything else, including making soups , smoothies and ice cream!) doesn't separate the pulp from the juice, so a green drink can get very thick quickly. Sometimes you want a juice without the pulp. If you're interested in getting a juicer and you expect to juice a lot of greens, your best buy is a masticating juicer. These juicers, such as the Omega 8006 or the Hunom 100, crush the food and then juice it, resulting in more juice. A centrifugal juicer is good for juicing if you are primarily juicing fruit. They will also work with greens, they just don't juice them as thoroughly. I did some web surfing on a whim one day and realized that some of the more reasonably priced juicers, from $60.00 - $150.00 range, were actually getting some pretty good reviews. I settled on a centrifugal model ,the Hamilton Beach 67650 Big Mouth Pro .This juicer is everything I had hoped. Easy to put together, use and clean. Some reviewers were concerned about the noise, I don't think it's noisy at all. Of course I'm used to my Vitamix, which can sound like a jet taking off. So far I've juiced fruit and vegetables including carrots, greens and apples without any problem. The pulp that's extracted is very dry showing what a good job it does, and a great addition to my compost!The very best part is how healthy the juice is. Want to to diet? Replace a meal with low calorie, high vitamin and mineral juice (after consulting with your physician of course). Fighting a medical issue? Supplement your medical treatment with a juice recipe targeting your problem. Want to improve your general health? Infuse your body with easy to digest vitamins and minerals from fresh organic produce. Such a simple way to improve your health. Juicing is a great way to use all the wonderful produce available at our summer farm markets. Juicing breaks down the food so the nutrients are more easily digested and absorbed. It's also a great way to get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, especially if you normally have trouble fitting them into your daily diet. One study in 2006 at the University of South Florida showed people who drank three or more 4-ounce glasses of fruit or vegetable juice each week were 76 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who drank less. The high levels of antioxidants (in the form of polyphenols) found in fruits and vegetables may protect brain cells from the damage that's suspected of causing the disease, according to author Amy Borenstein, Ph.D After tossing the pulp into my compost for a couple of weeks I was contemplating this great fine dry vegetable mix and the light bulb went off. Why not dry them to make crackers! So now I save the pulp and add a little sea salt and whatever spices I feel like that day, and dry it into little round crackers for virtually calorie free snacks. You can put them on a lightly oiled or non-stick cookie tray and put them in your oven for several hours. Two hours usually works in my oven. Here's some more information and a recipe. A great place to start is Sandra Cabot's Raw Juices Can Save Your Life!: An A-Z Guide to Juicing. This great little book has recipes for specific health concerns such as headaches, weight loss and fibromyalgia. You can easily create your own recipes based on her chart showing the benefits of different fruits and vegetables. Some people prefer a drink with the fiber of a healthy green smoothie rather than a juice. Dr. Oz is a proponent, as is Robyn Openshaw AKA Green Smoothie Girl. There's loads of information on her website. She also has a complete package to get you started on your road to green smoothie health, "12 Steps to Whole Foods Complete Course" including a Manual, Recipe Collection, Journal, CD's & DVD's. Here are some other sites with more information and recipes: The Best of Raw Foods Living and Raw Foods Juicing Energise for Life Downloadable Green Smoothie Girl Recipes What is probably the last of the snow is melting here in northern NJ. Since we've "sprung ahead" and the days are staying lighter longer it's not unusual to see someone doing some tentative clean up in their yard in the evening hours. On the weekends I'm starting to hear the sound of chainsaws announcing yard clean up as we get ready for the warmth of summer. As my thoughts turn to the pleasures of summer, I can't help but to think about the glories of getting fresh local Jersey tomatoes, corn and berries.
If you've ever thought of joining a Community Supported Garden, this is the time to do it. CSG's have a limited number of shares, and their regular members are going to make sure they have their share reserved. If you join while there are still shares to be had you can look forward to a weekly supply of fresh produce. Of course, the volume and variety is predicated by the weather, putting you back in touch with the growing seasons. CSG pick-ups usually include not only vegetables in season but may include herbs, fruit, honey or even baked goodies depending on the nature of that particular CSA. They each have their own personality that spawns a mini-community surrounding the rhythms of the summer harvests. If the idea of "sharing" a garden intrigues you, take a look at the Community Supported Gardens listed here and see if there isn't one near you that you'd like to look into joining. If you don't see a CSG that seems to meet your needs, then you can look into to New Jersey's Farm Stands and Farmer's Markets in your area. In a few weeks the markets will be starting their seasonal sales giving us another opportunity to get healthy local food. There's also a delightful feeling of freedom to spend some time on a weekend or a weekday evening exploring the aisles of a local farmer's market. Like planning a garden or cleaning up the lawn, researching local options for fresh food and marking it on the calendar is a renewing ritual of spring. |
Natural JerseyNaturalJersey.com was created in order to have a place on the web where we can all share the great green & natural health resources in NJ. I hope you find it a never ending resource when you're looking for health-minded local businesses. Support
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