by Lisa Kivirist
summer garden copiousness Usher in a sense of irony for us hobby James Leonard Farmer : The time of year when we are up to our ear in wise , tasty , nutrient produce is also the busiest time of year when our garden- and farm - chore lists run long .
To rephrase Charles Dickens , summer peculiarly ranks the “ good of times and worst of times ” for farmers . We ’re surrounded by saucy green groceries , but we do n’t have time to cook it .
If you take the same glide slope to summertime eating as you do in your garden — have a architectural plan and be prepared — you’re able to eat well all season long .
Just as you plot in former natural spring how many quarrel of potatoes to plant , thoughtful planning for what you ’re go to eat that day ( and week ) ensures healthier dining . Such provision does n’t take to take much time or effort , yet it goes a long way to take advantage of acme summer flavors .
want another reason to eat sizable during the interfering growing season ? care for your consistence enables you to keep up with the strong-arm demand of farm liveliness .
“ When summer chores summit in demand on one ’s body , Fannie Merritt Farmer need to prioritize take care of themselves , particularly remembering to make levelheaded food choices , ” advises Angie Tagtow , an environmental nutritionist based in Iowa and a leading advocate defend public access to refreshful , affordable , sustainably raised food . “ Develop an eating plan that works for you , keeping nourished while choose advantage of the healthy bounty in your garden . ”
Take the Boy Scout glide slope to eating this time of year : Be prepared and have a plan . Here are some tips to get you begin :
Eat Fresh and SimpleIdentify what will be in copiousness in the garden each week , and plan your main meals around those item . It sound like canonic advice , but this can be a primal variable in eat healthy during the peak summertime season .
“ new foods contain the highest nutritious value , ” aver Tagtow . “ No matter what form of food conservation you use , from freezing to canning , nothing beats the nutritional power punch in local produce harvest from your own garden . ”(Read otherfarmers ’ tipsabout eating fresh foods.)Sundays can be a good day to plot your fresh - eat on plan for the week , taking advantage of the slow weekend before Monday ’s busyness kicks in .
What will need harvest home and what are you in the temper to eat ? Focus on showcasing the full-bodied flavors of advanced garden truck , and you ’ll obtain you do n’t need to spend much time in the kitchen . Save the complicated casseroles and soufflés for the wintertime months when you have more time to relish something slow - simmering on the stove .
“ Most of my family ’s summertime meals are quite unproblematic and take lilliputian time to prepare , ” state Deb Eschmeyer , an Ohio farmer who raises the bulk of her green groceries needs in her own garden . “ From fresh greens to a perfectly ripe Lycopersicon esculentum , garden - brisk flavors often savor easily just on their own . ”
To make a more complicated dish , use Sunday afternoon and cook a double great deal so you ’ll have leftovers throughout the week .
My married man , John , is our phratry ’s pesto shaper . He ’ll make a big batch , reap two 5 - gallon buckets of basil . He ’ll pluck the leaves , wash them and then prepare apesto batch , freeze some and setting aside a sealed container to expend as a sandwich circularize or on top of noodle — well-off , flavorful and nutritious to eat throughout the week .
Sometimes I get into “ squirrel mode ” and focus on tamp food off and preserving the crop instead of savor the fresh bounty when it ’s available .
For example , we have about two weeks on our Wisconsin farm when the strawberry plot goes disturbed . I get so busy freeze and making jamming that I forget to fulfil my fresh - berry cravings . Some of these precious green groceries items , like strawberries , get for only a brief sojourn ; I need to remember to take full advantage and use this time to make impertinent hemangioma simplex pancakes , strawberry and ointment , and strawberry and rhubarb pie .
impart ProteinThink of protein as fuel for your muscles . When we wake up sore after a day of power weed , we vividly treasure the authoritative theatrical role muscles play in run our farm .
“ call up to tot up protein to your meal to provide necessary nutrients for your muscles , ” says Tagtow . “ While most of our summer eating comes direct from our garden , protein may be the item you purchase and add to your meals , such as high mallow , nuts , meats , yogurt and tofu . ”
you may add protein to your repast by cast away nuts into a salad , add cheese slice on top of unfermented tomato wedges and serving crunchy pea plant pods with a yogurt dip .
Eat BreakfastFor multiplication , mothers have been nag kids to eat something to pop the day , and there ’s a sound nutritional reason for that . Breakfast serves as our “ fuel for the twenty-four hour period , ” and should include a combining of complex carbohydrates , protein and fat to provide balanced nourishment while slow up down digestion , enabling you to palpate full longer .
Choose lucre made with whole grain since these have more fibre and nutrients than item made from white , refined , process flour .
Eliminate those 10 o’clock hunger pangs when you wipe out a well - design breakfast , such as : Carb : wise fruitProtein : yogurtFat : granolaCarb : whole - wheat toastProtein and fat : earthnut butterCarb : whole - wheat tortillaProtein and productive : jumble orchis and shreddedcheese
design for SnacksHowever you slice it , farmers need spare snacks to get through a busy summertime day . remember of a bite as an spare vim boost — a female parent load of nutrient to fuel you until the next meal .
Planning ahead take a crap all the difference between having goodish fuel options or strike into the dark side of snacking , grabbing whatever processed , refined detail is lying around the kitchen .
Aim for carbohydrates and protein compounding in your snacks , tapping into that same idea for breakfast . Homemade trail mix is a great bite option and can easily be made forward of time and put in in the pantry for later . Commercial , pre - made track mix often habituate additive and preservatives .
A healthy combination of good fiber and ripe blubber , homemade lead mixing can be tailored to your preference and tastes . Try desiccate some yield from this year ’s garden ; hemangioma simplex work well . ( Try theFarmer Fuel Trail Mixfor a great snack.)Drink WaterYou remember to water the garden . Do n’t leave to keep yourself hydrated , too .
Continue drinking water throughout the day , especially when you ’re working outside in the hot Dominicus . Use a untainted - blade or aluminum water bottle . These eliminate nursing bottle dissipation ; jillion of credit card bottles finish up in landfill annually . Take a small tank of water bottles to the field with you , and you ’ll have prosperous access to tonic , cold water just as the mercury peaks .
fend off drinking water straightaway from the garden hose . “ As the hosiery model alfresco and bake in the Lord’s Day , toxin can leach out from the hose into the water , ” explain Tagtow . “ Keep it safe , and use a water nursing bottle fill with kitchen tap urine . ”
Another tidy water tip : Remember to prove your well water supply annually to ensure safe crapulence water . Focusing on healthy summer eating celebrates the philia of farm life : Caring for the ground while still caring for yourself add up to the magical “ good life ” we amount to the farm to find . savour the season , with a little planning and protein on the side .
About the author : Lisa Kivirist is the co - author ofECOpreneuring(New Society Publishers , 2008 ) andRural Renaissance(New Society Publishers , 2009 ) and is a W.K. Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow . you’re able to come up her eating pea plant pod off the vine on her Wisconsin farm and B&B , Inn Serendipity . This article first appeared in the July / August 2009Hobby Farm Home .
