Benefits of Broccoli + Recipes + Farm Visits

Benefits of Broccoli + Recipes + Farm Visits

What’s New this week?broccoli-19337364

So many of our winter vegies offer widespread health benefits and broccoli is one of these health boosting foods so – enjoy lots of farm fresh broccoli. I love garlic steamed broccoli (a small amount of water, oil, crushed or thinly sliced garlic and salt and steam for a couple minutes) until broccoli is bright green; and Broccoli, Slithered Almonds and Pancetta– (see recipe below).

Research is now showing that broccoli offers an extensive range of health benefits: Mercola.com says these are “seemingly endless”. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, can enhance detoxification, provides digestive and cardio vascular support, assist with improving blood pressure and kidney health and it offers cancer prevention plus many more benefits. For details on these benefits please visit

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/09/broccoli-benefits.aspx

Here are some cooking tips: Support your nourishment by cooking broccoli on a low cooking temperature in a range that includes the steaming temperature of 100°C for 5 minutes at the most. The fibrous stems can take longer so I like to slice these separately and keep them small to cook with the florets. Or sometimes I cut lengthwise slits in the stems. I like the leaves in my green smoothie as these contain concentrated amounts of nutrients. Broccoli is an excellent source of nutrients including vitamin K, vitamin C, chromium, and folate, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, choline, vitamin B1, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), potassium, and copper. Broccoli is also a good source of vitamin B1, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, zinc, calcium, iron, niacin, and selenium. It is also a great source of fibre.

Other forms of broccoli you may also want to enjoy are raw broccoli (in a salad) and broccoli sprouts. Some of the nutrients found in broccoli—like vitamin C—are especially concentrated in broccoli sprouts. Dr Mercola says ‘Fresh broccoli sprouts are FAR more potent nutritionally speaking than mature broccoli, allowing you to eat far less in terms of quantity to get key therapeutic compounds like sulforaphane.’

Farm stalls carrying broccoli include:

  • Bio Organic Farm1907490_984494004934704_1485373567431586577_n
  • Cecil farm
  • Jumping red Ant and
  • Sylva Lining Organics

Sylva Lining Organics regularly offers broccoli sprouts if you a keen to try these. The Gourmet Salad Hut also carries these.

If you are wanting to read some of the latest research on broccoli benefits – references are available at: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9#howtouse

Two FREE farm walks NEXT WEEKEND.

If you would like see the way your produce us grown on the farms that you purchase from then this is a wonderful opportunity. Details are: 

  • Saturday 25th July: Ian and Sylva at Sylva Lining Organics at Euengella are hosting a farm walk at 12.00 noon. For more details about what will be discussed please see last Monday’s post.

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  • Sunday 26th July: Des and Donna at Cecil Farm Doon Doon are hosting their farm walk at 11.00am (not 10.00 as advertised list week.602664_472689416120512_505263078_n

Stallholder updates:

Back this week are: Nudgel Nuts and Chai Harem.

Also Quarterdeck Organic Citrus IS returning for a couple weeks with Emperor mandarins. Mandarin-Emperor-1625Narbey’s Best Avocados are also carrying Emperor mandarins. These mandies have excellent flavour and are easy to peel. However the occasional one can be a little dry if delayed picking.

(Photo from Daley’s Fruit Trees website)

Grassroots Sugar Cane Juice

Don’t forget to pop along and try some sugar cane juice from IMG_1718  

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Coming soon:

Otto Saek from Blueberry Fields has contacted me to let me know that he will have fresh blueberries at the market in about one month.

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Recipe of the week:

Broccoli, Slithered Almonds and Pancetta

Ingredients

  • 400g broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 20g butter
  • 4 slices pancetta, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • grilled meat or poached fish, to serve

 Preparation method

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add broccoli and cook 2-3 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook 1-2 minutes or until golden and crisp. Stir in drained broccoli and almonds. Toss until warmed and evenly coated in butter/oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve with grilled meat or poached fish.

http://food.ninemsn.com.au/recipes/ibroccoli/8346566/broccoli-with-almonds

Entertainment: Broadfoot 10410309_797479246974859_2913933615791870920_n

 

Produce of the week (newest season produce is in bold):

  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Beans
  • Broccoli
  • Broccoli sprout
  • Cabbages
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Collard greens
  • 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

Seasonal Produce List Updated:

Vegetables

Avocados, Beans (+organic), Beetroot (+organic), Broccoli, Cabbage, Capsicum, Cauliflower, Chard (organic), Chilli, Cucumber (+organic), Collards )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, Taro, Watercress, Wheat grass, Zucchini (+organic).

Fruit

Apples, Avocados, Bananas (Cavendish, Lady Fingers and Little Gem), Blueberries, Custard apples, Dragon Fruit, Grapefruit, Kiwi Fruit (organic), Lemons, Limes, Mandarins, Oranges , Passionfruit, Paw Paw, Pears, Rockmelons, Strawberries, Watermelons.

Nuts

Pecan nuts and macadamia nuts – April to December

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)