consciouseating
steps will prevent mold. If you don’t eat them within a few days, repeat the vinegar wash.
Eat Seasonally, Eat Locally, Eat Healthy–
Strawberries and Pecans by Dr. Samadhi Artemisa, Ph.D., A.P.
Y
ou know how when you’re a little kid everything seems bigger? I wish you could have
seen the huge strawberry fi elds in New York when I was growing up. I would go to the U-Pick with my family for our summer ritual when the strawberries were in season. We would pick so many that the entire kitchen smelled like a strawberry paradise. In my youth eating seasonal food was fun and exciting and now years later I have realized the importance of buying food from local farms and the positive ef- fect this has on our local economy. I love to celebrate the wide variety of foods that grow here in Central Florida and straw- berry and pecan season is upon us.
STRAWBERRIES SELECTING
I suggest buying organic whenever possible. Non-organic strawberries
are one of the Environmental Working Group’s most highly pesticide-sprayed produce items. Download a free list of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ go to
www.ewg.org We do have some certifi ed-organic strawberries growing right here in Central Florida. Select strawberries that are red from the tip of the fruit to the stem. Avoid packages that have mold, damaged berries or leaking strawberry juice. Strawberries are fragile and they can deteriorate quickly. The following rinsing guidelines will help your berries stay free of mold and stay fresh longer.
RINSING AND STORING Fill a large bowl with strawberries and water. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Soak your berries for ten minutes and then pat them dry. Refrigerate in a container with a paper towel lining the bottom. These two
30 Central Florida natural awakenings
FREEZING As a strawberry lover I stock up when Florida strawberries are in season. I enjoy using frozen berries in smoothies, to top a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal in the morning and just plain ol’ strawberries in a bowl. Strawberries are one of the easiest items to freeze. After the vinegar and water rinse mentioned above, pat your berries dry and spread them on plates or trays that will fi t into your freezer. Freeze them overnight and then transfer into freezer-safe containers or bags. If you place berries directly into bags or containers without fi rst freezing them on trays, they will clump together and it will be diffi cult to take out a serving. When frozen with the tray method the berries will be easy to serve as they won’t be stuck together; you can take them out of the bag one at a time.
PARTS USE Obviously the fruit is edible but so are the leaves and fl owers. I am a big fan of using the entire plant when it is safe to eat it; however, strawberry leaves are very plain and dry. I will toss them into a smoothie or add them to a salad to take advantage of the chlorophyll and B Vitamins they contain. They also have a mild diuretic effect. Although the fl owers are edible with a pleasant fl avor, I prefer not to eat them because I’d rather have berries! On fruiting plants fi rst a fl ower appears which gets pollinated by bees, wasps or butterfl ies. After successful pollination the fruit forms. If the fl owers are harvested there will be no fruit. If you have the opportunity to snack on a strawberry leaf or fl ower, I encourage you to give it a try; it is good to get to know your food.
HEALTH BENEFITS Strawberry seeds provide a small amount of protein and fat as well as ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant and anti-cancer nutrient. You have to break open the seeds to get these health benefi ts. Chew your strawberry seeds thoroughly or blend them to maximize your nutrition. Strawberries are high in Vitamin C, folate, manganese and copper, qualifying them as excellent blood builders.
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