Real Food Friday: Drink Your Greens

Everyone knows that all those veggies of the green variety are good for us, but some of us love our greens more than others.

Take my cat Spike for example, the only part of my weekly organic fruit and vegetable delivery (bursting with green goodies) from Urban Harvest that impresses him is the raw Gort's Gouda. But let's be honest, I am not sharing that with him, it is far to delicious to share. Even if he gives me that look. Okay, maybe just this once...

Now that spring is upon us, the Farmers Market Market in Kelowna is back outside! My partner and I also recently signed up for Urban Harvest, an organic fruit and vegetable delivery service that is really my favorite new obsession. Needless to say, we have had a fridge fully stocked with lots of different greens for the last few weeks.

There is a local forager named Scott Moran that sells a wide variety of wildcrafted greens (and mushrooms) through Urban Harvest as well as at the Farmers Market. Some most of us are familiar with, but others are new to me and most of the general public. This is a really neat way to learn more about what our enviroment naturally offers us if we just know how to look for it! Some of the foraged greens I have been using to shake up my morning shake are:

Cat Nip: A member of the mint family, it is famously known for exciting cats, though has a sedating effect on humans. In eurpoean folklore, it has been traditionally used to calm the body and mind. It also has diuretic properties.

Dandelion Greens: These power greens are quite possibly the most nutritious greens that you can buy. They aid in detoxification of the liver, support digestion and reduce swelling and inflammation. They are extremely rich in Vitamin A, K, Calcium as well as Iron.

Lambs Quarters: A member of the Goosefoot family, it is also known as wild spinach. It is rich in vitamin A and C, as well as calcium and is a mild laxative.

Stinging Nettle: This pokey plant was traditionally used as a spring tonic to aid in a sort of "spring cleaning" of the body after eating a heavy diet throughout the winter. It is a slow-acting herb that gently cleanses the body of metabolic waste. It's iron content makes it a wonderful blood builder, especially for women. Its high vitamin C content, aiding in the actual absorption of iron. It is a diuretic and because of its toxin-ridding activity, it is recommended to help ease symptoms of PMS.

Peppergrass: Also called Mustard Greens as it is part of the mustard family, these plants are rich in Vitamin A, B and C and also contain a considerable amount of trace minerals. The seeds are said to stimulate the production of digestive juices.

Watercress: This plant is extremely nutritious. It has 312% of your daily value of vitamin K. It is very high in Vitamin C and Vitamin A. It is also very high in the important trace mineral manganese that acts as a cofactor for antioxidants enzymes that suport bones and teeth. Its high levels of B vitamins keep your cellular metabolic functions operating as their peak performance.

With all of these wonderful spring greens, I have been maing a smoothie that I have been calling the Foragers Greens.

You can play with using different combinations, but here is one that I have been really enjoying.

Foragers Greens:

- Lambs Quarters

- Stinging Nettle

- Catnip

- Dandelion Greens

- Kale

- Rainbow Chard

- 1 Bartlett Pear

- 1 Green Apple

- Sqeeze of lemon

- Small chunk of Ginger

- 1 small turmeric root

- Bee Pollen

- Chia Seeds

- Hemp Hearts

- Milk Kefir and/or plain yogurt

- a small splash of real apple juice

- cold alkaline water

Blend it all up!! I used enough of everything to pretty much fill my Vitamix, and it ends up making enough for two 1 litre mason jar smoothies, one for now and one for my day at work .

Drink your spring greens and feel the good vibes and bursting energy!

Cayla Lou <3

#smoothie #greens #forage #local #vitamix #pears #apple