Got To Eat Your Greens

One of the best things about summer eating is the abundance of fresh greens - they are in virtually every corner of the farmers markets (I love Skibbereen market) and usually picked fresh that morning. There is no excuse, especially not during these few summer months to not eat enough green vegetables.

Then, there is one other simple fact here - these are basically just weeds and will grow nearly anywhere, in anything. I have pots of them outside my door - rocket, mizuna, cress and stir-fry mixtures along with select herbs I would use frequently such as dill, coriander and basil. 

Rocket leaves

Mixed Salad Leaves in Pots

In my garden I have a cold frame (easily made from old windows) that is also growing a few other often needed kitchen goodies such as leeks, swiss chard, beet leaf, peas, and more stir-fry greens. Even in my herb garden (also protected) there are spring onions, Welsh onion, wild rocket, cress and chicory - all edibles for a quick stir-fry or salad. 

One of the large cold frames 

These greens and herbs will be more protected as the months change and we should get an extended growing season for the vegetables inside their little shelters. They are also easy to maintain being basically only a raised bed with a border around it, slugs have been minimal (we have plugged the gaps) and right now they do not need to be covered.

But, this is not all that I wanted to say about greens and fresh vegetables, oh I could go on! Because this is important, the one thing that my body always craved even when I wasn't really listening back in the days of my mis-spent youth and non-health, was something green, fresh and picked from the ground.

The amount of vitamins and minerals in these little leaves is astounding, we simply cannot go without them for long and expect to maintain even minimal levels of gut health and general maintenance function. Even the dogs and cat (and all other creatures I am sure) eat their greens and can be seen munching away on blades of grass and even my rocket. 

Today, take some steps (if you haven't already) to get seeds, and a pot or a patch of ground and get growing - in a very few days you will be eating your own little leaves that will repair, re-build and replenish your system while tasting great at the same time.

This is so easy to do, it is shocking that we are not all brilliantly healthy from eating mountains of green leaves and vegetables. If you get tired of salad or don't really like them cold, throw any green leaves in with other vegetables and do a little stir-fry a couple times a week. 

Mixed greens and purple cabbage stir-fry

Your body will thank you for all of the green energy!

April

More greens growing behind the cold frame