What’s New this week?
Lemons are at their juicy best from winter into early summer so check out some of our regular produce stalls for lemons. Jenny Unwin has lemons and limes plus other citrus from her backyard at her community citrus stall at the entry to the market – on the path as you walk in.
We love avocados especially at this time of year as we have been through a period without them. We also love them for their heart health benefits so now to know more about how the foods we eat can help our health here are some tips about leafy greens for gut health.
Foods to feed the gut
There is so much to love when it comes to leafy greens but how do leafy greens help the gut? “Your gut is more than just the food processing plant for your body—it has major implications for your appetite, your immune system, and even your mood. Leafy green vegetables help to increase the (healthy) microbiome and shift the metabolism” says Dr Mullin
He says that“The gut is one of the controlling influencers of the body,” says Dr. Mullin. There are connections between the gut and the brain, the gut and the liver, the gut and the kidney, and other body systems, Dr. Mullin explains. He lists all kinds of diseases, ranging from diabetes to autoimmune disorders and adds, “It seems like you name it, they all start in the gut.”
If you are interested in knowing more about your gut and its influence on your health please consider visiting Rodale Wellness and/or Mercola.com on the links included below.
Mustard greens (seedlings available from Farmers Choice at the market each week) are known to be great for their memory and concentration boosting capacity (no wonder I love it) as they are packed with the amino acid tyrosine. Rodale also tells us that “a recent study conducted by the U.S. Military found that soldiers who ate tyrosine-rich meals before taking a test had a boost in their memory and concentration.”
Peppery rocket gives you a great calcium boost and every bite adds magnesium to your daily intake. So while there is plenty at the market make a rocket salad a daily treat. I love it with shredded chicken, a sprinkling of crushed pecans (from Nudgel Nuts), diced Lebanese cucumber and red capsicum and sprinkled with olive oil (Spice Palace) and balsamic vinegar plus some lightly crumbled goats cheese from Nimbin Valley Dairy.
(Many more details about this topic on:
http://www.rodalewellness.com/food/healthy-foods-gut
http://www.rodalewellness.com/health/how-gut-drives-your-bodys-health
http://www.mercola.com
Nuts
Nuts are loaded with anti-inflammatory fats so if you swap these for unhealthy saturated fats found in a bag of chips or many commercial quick nibbles. Opt for a handful of nuts. Pecan and macadamias from Nudgel Nuts are a great addition to any meal or between meal snack.
The farm stalls carrying leafy greens including rocket are:
- The Gourmet Salad Hut (rocket, watercress and many more)
- Bio Organic Farm + Sylva Lining Organics, Cecil Farm and Gourmet Salad Hut all carry coriander at the moment.
Recipe of the week:
Rocket, feta, pecan and beetroot salad.
Ingredients:
- A good sized bunch of rocket and other mixed salad greens (I love to include torn coriander, mint and cos)
- Half a large beetroot cubed
- one orange
- A good handful of pecans
- Goat’s feta (2 chunks from Nimbin Valley Goat’s Feta) or their “smooth cow” cow feta
Method:
Tear rocket and other greens (as desired) into a bowl
Roast small cubes of beetroot in coconut oil and when slightly cooled add to the greens.
Add orange segments cut into pieces.
Toss lightly then dress this with a citrus/olive oil dressing and crumble feta over the top and sprinkle with slightly broken pecans.
Simply divine!
Community support: This week come and listen to botanical artist and horticulturalist Julia Hancock will be talking about her latest project based on the plan for a botanical garden to be developed in Luang Prabang in 2017. She is holding a sale of her work to raise funds for this Botanical Garden in Laos.
To see more details please visit last week’s post.
Stallholder Update:
Spice Palace – is away this week only – so no olive oil.
Yogi Nectar – will be absent during August due to family circumstances.
Blueberries returning in late August or September
Entertainment: Tamara Cox
Weather: A sunny day with a chilly 3-5 degrees start up to a maximum of 17-19 degrees this week so it should be a beautiful morning and an invigorating start.
Produce of the week (newest season produce is in bold):
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Beans
- Broccoli
- Cabbages
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Corn
- Cos lettuce
- Cucumbers (Lebanese)
- Custard apples
- Fancy lettuce
- Fennel
- Leafy greens – lots if variety including herbs, kale, swiss chard and many more.
- Lemons
- Limes
- Mandarins
- Oranges
- Passionfruit
- Red Papaya
- Sweet potatoes
- Sprouts
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
Seasonal Produce List Updated:
Vegetables
Beans (+organic), Beetroot (+organic), Broccoli, Cabbage, Capsicum, Cauliflower, Chard (organic), Chilli, Cucumber (+organic), Corn (+organic), Eggplant (+organic), Garlic (+organic), Herbs (basil + organic basil, coriander, ginger, rocket, turmeric and more), Kale (+organic), Lettuce (cos organic), Fancy Lettuce and mixed salad greens, Micro greens (+ wide variety of organic such as alfalfa, barley greens, sunflower, broccoli, chick pea), Mizuna, Onion (+organic), Pak Choi (organic), Potato (Sebago) , Pumpkin (+organic), Salad Mix, Silver Beet, Sprouts (+organic), Spinach (+organic), Sweet Corn, Sweet Potato (+organic), Tatsoi (organic) Tomatoes (+organic), Taro, Watercress, Wheat grass, Zucchini (+organic).
Fruit
Apples, Avocados, Bananas (Cavendish, Lady Fingers and Little Gem), Blueberries, Dragon Fruit, Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Mandoes, Oranges (organic), Passionfruit, Paw Paw, Pears, Rock melons, Strawberries, watermelons.
Nuts
Pecan nuts and macadamia nuts (back in April)
Dairy
Cows milk, cheeses and yoghurt, kefir.
Goats milk and soft cheeses, kefir
Honey
Raw unprocessed honey, creamed honey and creamed honey with cinnamon! And bees wax candles also.
Breads
A variety of artisan sour dough breads baked with organic flours and flavours that use local market products including macadamia nut bread!
Meat
Beef, lamb and pork (All Natural Meat Company), Salami (Nimbin Valley Diary)