Whether from cold frames, greenhouses or winter gardens, now that the days are cooler, an abundance of leafy greens are ready to harvest. Between our CSA box and the farmer’s market, we’ve been enjoying a lot of fresh kale, cabbage, broccoli and romaine lettuces for the last two weeks.
Growing Leafy Greens
Most leafy greens, like kale, spinach or lettuce are easy to sow directly into the garden in early Spring. They generally prefer cool weather, and a little frost makes greens like kale taste even sweeter. Most leafy greens also grow well in cold frames, giving you a steady supply of fresh veg all winter long. The warmer the weather gets, the more likely your greens are to bolt to seed and become bitter, so make sure to get your seeds or seedlings into the ground as early as you can. Warmer weather also bring little, white cabbage looper moths, which lay eggs that hatch into dozens of caterpillars that can take out your whole crop of greens overnight! It’s a good idea to cover leafy green crops with a row cover to keep away the munchers.
Nutrition
Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other benefits. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.
Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own. Recent research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important than we once thought (the current minimum may not be optimal), and many people do not get enough of it.
Vitamin K:
- Regulates blood clotting;
- Helps protect bones from osteoporosis;
- May help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques;
- May be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis; and
- May help prevent diabetes.
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with coconut oil, butter or fat.
Greens have very little carbohydrate in them, and the carbs that are there are packed in layers of fiber, which make them very slow to digest. That is why, in general, greens have very little impact on blood glucose.
Selection and Storage
The fresher your spinach and other leafy greens are, the more nutrients they contain. Within just a few days, levels of antioxidants and folate begin to plummet. Eat your greens within four days of being harvested for maximum nutritional benefits.
If you don’t garden, your best bet for fresh greens is a local farmer’s market, followed by the grocery store. Ask what day(s) they put out fresh produce, and add a recurring reminder to your calendar so you always know on what day to buy the healthiest greens!
If access to fresh produce is a challenge, reach for the frozen stuff, which retains much of the original nutritional value from the time it was frozen.
We try to eat a meal centered on leafy greens once a day. This is one of my favorite recipes for kale—which I don’t ordinarily enjoy eating, but this recipe makes it delicious. A serving of this slaw provides 8 grams of protein, more than 20% of the RDA for calcium, folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and vitamin B6, plus all the vitamin C, K and beta carotene you’ll need for the day. It’s a good source of iron and zinc too.
Kale and Bok Choi Slaw with Spicy Sesame-Ginger Dressing
adapted from Raw Food Revolution
Dressing
- 1/4 cup raw tahini
- 1 Tbsp. pure water
- 1 Tbsp. light miso (preferably unpasteurized with live cultures)
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. powdered mustard
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
- Pinch of cayenne
Salad
- 2 cups kale leaves, firmly packed, cut into thin ribbons
- 1-3/4 cups thinly sliced bok choy, packed
- 1 tomato, finely diced
- 1 apple, finely diced
- 1-1/2 Tbsp. red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts (optional)
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended.
- Place the kale in a large bowl and massage it well for a few minutes to soften. The kale should take on a “cooked” appearance and reduce dramatically in volume.
- Add the remaining salad ingredients to the kale. Then add the dressing and toss well.
- Best served within 3 hours, but it can also be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The slaw will release some liquid when it is stored, but it will still taste good.
- Enjoy!
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop!
