It's February in Michigan. And winter just keep dragging on. It's that time of year when I'm tired of looking at icicles hanging from the eaves and tramping through dirty snow. I like to sit in front of the woodstove, pouring through seed catalogs and wondering what I should grow in our little acre. Normally, I'm thinking of summertime, with luscious tomatoes and golden squashes on the vine. I don't usually think about, "What will I want to eat this winter?" But that's what I'm thinking today. Maybe I should be growing the best foods to eat this winter.
I think I should be growing more beets. Beet greens are lovely in a spring salad. And I love making "Sweet Beets" for my family. They're like Harvard beets but they're not pickled. They sit in a thick sauce, made from beet and orange juice, with a little honey and touch of lemon zest. It's a great side dish once in a while. But I'm taking a 2nd look at beets because I've just discovered they're high in nitrates, which means they help transport oxygen to my brain. A recent study from Wake Forest University showed that people who eat foods high in nitrates showed greater activity in their frontal lobes. That's the part of our brain where we make moral decisions. So that grabbed my attention right away. Plus the authors suggest that nitrates may help to ward off dementia in the 'golden years.' I've seen what dementia has done to my mother, so that's definitely something I want to stay clear of.
Then there's cauliflower. I loved this veggie as a kid, especially when I could cover it with a thick, cheesy sauce. But lately, I've been passing it by to eat broccoli, which I love any way I find it. But I think I need to take a 2nd look at cauliflower because it's loaded with tryptophan. No other veggie comes close. If you're fighting insomnia or dragging yourself from home to work or vice versa, it could be you're low in tryptophan. This essential amino acid plays a big role in balancing mood and sleep patterns. And even better--it helps to curb our appetite! Wow! Definitely a friend if you're trying to shed pounds in the winter like me.
Of course, there's my all-time favorite--garlic. I can't imagine cooking without it! Every soup, casserole and pasta dish must have a sprinkling of this delicious seasoning. It's a must in my Picket Fence garden. And my favorite way to eat garlic is freshly roasted on a cast iron griddle or minced in a handy garlic press. Fresh is so much better, not just for taste but also what it does for my family's health.
You see, garlic is one of those amazing vegetables that can keep winter colds away. It has an ingredient called allicin which seems to stimulate the production of white blood cells. The more white cells we've got going for us, the stronger our protection against winter colds and viruses. It's nice to know that something I love to eat anyway is so good for me!
When I sent my seed order in last week, I wasn't thinking about what I'd like to eat next winter. These cold winter days, when I tend to hibernate inside, have really opened my eyes. I think I better make some more room for cauliflower and garlic in my kitchen garden.
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