Welcome to your fourth week of the 2016 Winter CSA Session! This week’s box is full of nutrient dense foods to satisfy your winter health needs. Winter greens provide you with an adequate amount of Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as plenty of minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Rainbow chard has been proven to be special with its colored stalks which contain the same inflammation suppressing and detoxifying phytochemicals as beets, while Brussel sprouts aid in lowering cholesterol and providing DNA protection. When put together, whole, natural foods can work wonders on your body!
This week’s share also contains something that may or may not be new to you – Sunchokes. Otherwise known as Jerusalem Artichokes, sunchokes are a root vegetable that grow well in northern climates. However, they have no relation to the artichoke, and are in fact the root of a sunflower! Full of iron, potassium, thiamin, and high in inulin (a prebiotic dietary fiber), this diabetic friendly carbohydrate is extremely versatile in cooking. They are similar in texture and consistency to a potato, but hold a sweeter, nuttier flavor. The carbohydrate makeup of a sunchoke is composed of inulin, so they have a low glycemic effect and do not impact blood sugar. They can be eaten raw (shaved into a salad or julienned into a slaw perhaps), sliced and roasted like potatoes, or pureed into a creamy soup. *Note: The fiber in sunchokes is indigestible, so rather than being broken down by digestive enzymes, it is broken down by probiotic bacteria in the intestines. When consumed in large amounts, inulin is known to cause gas. One way to combat this is to add Kombu to your sunchokes upon cooking. Kombu will aid the break down of raffinose sugar (the culprit behind the flatulence) in cruciferous veggies, beans, and sunchokes!
Hope you enjoy!
Jubilee Farm 