Greens for Winter Wellness

12 Feb Greens for Winter Wellness

It’s a gray February and we’re smack in the middle of winter, the colorful and nutritious Blooming Glen Farm bounty providing only a distant memory of warmer and tastier times… sigh. This time of year can be a real downer!  Lucky for us, there’s an easy way to boost our winter wellness while we await the new CSA season: Greens, glorious greens.

We’ve espoused the value of greens here before, and we’re happy to do it again. Simply put, there’s no better or easier way to boost your diet than to add some dark, leafy greens. They provide cancer-fighting vitamins and minerals, the fiber we need for heart and digestive health, and assistance to our body’s detoxification processes. All of which helps us feel lighter, gives us energy, and protects our health, making them an important element to winter wellness.

Of course, nothing beats Blooming Glen Farm greens- they have some limited offerings at the Easton Farmers Market winter mart, but during this coldest time of year, if your farms or markets don’t have any, supermarket offerings will do ;). Common varieties of greens found at the grocery store include collards, kale, mustard greens, arugula, spinach, escarole, and Swiss chard. Here in the blog, you can check out several greens recipes, listed below. There’s also a great “Guide to Leafy Greens” at RealSimple.com, and an informational post on greens (nutrition and variety info, how to select, store and prepare, links to recipes, etc.) on the Guidance for Growing website.  Surf the resources and recipes and commit to adding an extra serving of greens to your diet to help ward of the winter blahs!

Blooming Glen Farm Beet greens recipes:

• A Spicy Green Wrap that uses arugula.
• Herbed Pork Chops and Dijon Swiss Chard — the name says it all!
• This “Greens 101” post has a recipe for a green smoothie and a basic raw kale salad.
• You can add any green to this Chickpea Flour Crepe with Savory Veggies recipe.
• A bright and cheery Escarole Salad with Fennel and Orange.
• This Spring Stir-fry with Tatsoi and Turnips works in the winter, too!
• A refreshing Lemon and Leek Salad.
• This Fall Minestrone soup will warm you up.
• Another soup to warm you up, Escarole and Orzo Soup with Meatballs.
• This breakfast also makes a great lunch or dinner, Superhero Breakfast: Swiss chard, Fresh tomato and Egg.

Post and photos by Mikaela D. Martin: Blooming Glen CSA member since 2005, board-certified health counselor, and co-founder and -owner of Guidance for Growing, an integrative wellness practice in Souderton. Read more about healthy eating and living on her site, http://guidanceforgrowing.com!