Gardening Green

Our Daily Green has been somewhat remiss in blogging duties. The weather and garden have been far too tempting. The first photo is from yesterday's bounty. Clockwise beginning at noon: wild blackberries, jalapeno and hot Italian peppers, beefmaster tomato, sweet hungarian peppers, genovese basil, plum tomatoes, blue lake green beans.  We thought we'd share a few tips for your fresh produce and some of the nutritional benefits as well. 

• Blackberries: selenium, vitamin C and fiber
• Jalapeno peppers and hot peppers: capascin (which is what makes them hot) helps with sinuses, migraines and blood pressure, high in vitamin C and antioxidants
• Tomatoes: Excellent source of lycopene, high in vitamin C
• Sweet peppers: Potassium, vitamin A, and calcium
• Basil: high in beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin K
• Green Beans: high in vitamin A, vitamin K, and fiber

Fresh foods also reduce our exposure to BPA plastics. In fact, according to several studies cited in April 2011's Psychology Today,

A study by the Breast Cancer Fund and the Silent Spring Institute published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that food packaging is a major source of hormone-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and plastic softener DEHP, and that a fresh food diet can reduce levels of these chemicals by half in just three days.

Today, breakfast was unsweetened Greek yogurt, local honey, and wild blackberries. Local honey is a folk remedy for seasonal allergy relief. We choose to sweeten with honey as it is relatively unprocessed and natural.

Additionally, honey contains vitamins B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Honey also contains antioxidants and vitamin C.

If you don't have a garden, you still can enjoy fresh food from a local farmer or farm market. To find one near you, simply enter your zipcode in Local Harvest's comprehensive site.

(we also want to point out that our copper strainer and botanical bowl were thrift shop finds, our favorite way to shop in a green way!)

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