Earthmama and others---- a smoothie snafus!

[violetgirl]

Hey Everyone,
Sorry I didn't reply quickly (sorry earthmama!) but my computer bit the dust and I had to deal with that annoying problem over the last few days. Anyway, I live outside of Saratoga Springs, NY, at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Very beautiful, awe-inspiring nature here! Anyways, in reference to my smoothie snafus---- a useful tip for all: I love green smoothies, but I think the trick to enjoying them is to stick with the milder greens: baby spinich, chard, romaine. I bought some arugula the other day, and my green smoothie was strong enough to make my teeth curl!(LOL). Oh well.......

[RawTruth]

A good remedy is to use just a little of the stronger greens -- arugula, mustard greens, etc. -- along with the milder. That way we're still getting the variety that Victoria says is essential, but we don't walk around all day with a puckered-up face!

[Autumn]

I don't know what you'd consider collard greens, but I used them quite frequently and I can hardly taste them in the smoothie. Of course I'm using the ones we grow, which are considerably milder than what you'd find in the market.

Is parsley considered a "green"? I thought it was just a garnish, with little nutrient.

[CAdreamer]

I think the difference in home grown greens and store bought is significant....especially when picked fresh and used almost immediately. Those in the store of have an older, stronger, and seven sometimes bitter taste. Since moving to Central Oregon, we haven't found produce to be as consistently fresh.

I went to a natural foods store yesterday, but didn't buy the greens because they looked too old. I did buy a bunch of Russian red kale which looked and felt very fresh...I guess it's a 'green' even if it was dark purple...

[RawTruth]

Parsley has lots of nutrients. It's one of those greens that have been relegated to the background when it has star quality itself -- kinda like when lettuce is used as a bed to rest the "real" food on. Green for Life shows the nutritional analysis, and it's amazing.

[Autumn]

Thanks for the info. I need to get that book, pronto. :)

[rawpriestess]

Well, I think arugula is an herb not a green.

I certainly wouldn't make an entire salad out of it, in fact I can't stand it and it grows wild where I live, so we plow it under like a weed, but our gardeners love it, so we let them take it home, then I saw some in the store, for a baby package of just a few leaves, it was $2.00

WOW, I couldn't believe it, but then all the herbs were that expensive, and we just go out in our yard and pick them.

Oh, well, I strongly suggest all people do all they can to grow their own herbs and greens, but I always thought greens were basically a milder type of leaf.

I have found that the greens that we grow are much milder than anything in the store, plus they are all organic.

[RawTruth]

Victoria writes in Green for Life that greens have been miscategorized as vegetables, and claims that they're an entirely different food group. She differentiates among plant foods, separating greens from roots (carrots, beets, daikon, etc.), flowers (broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, etc.) and non-sweet-fruit (cucumber, zucchini, squash, tomato, etc.). Fruit is another whole subject, of course.

She proposes that we "separate greens from vegetables, now and forevermore. Greens have never received proper attention and have never been researched adequately because they have been incorrectly identified as vegetables. The name 'dark green leafy vegetables' is long and inconvenient to use, similar to 'the animal with horns that gives milk.'"

She also lists the "greens that [her] family has been rotating in [their] diet during the last year" which are subcategorized but still all are considered greens:

Greens
arugula
asparagus
beet greens (tops)
bok choy
broccoli
carrot tops
celery
chard
collard greens
edible flowers
endive
escarole
frisee
kale (3 types)
mizuna
mustard greens
radicchio
radish tops
romaine lettuce, green and red leafe (no iceberg or light colored leaf)
spinach

Weeds
chickweed
clover
dandelion (greens & flowers)
lambsquarters
malva
miner's lettuce
plantain
purslane
stinging nettles

Herbs
aloe vera
baby dill
basil
cilantro
fennel
mint
parsley (2 types)
peppermint leaves
spearmint

Sprouts
alfalfa
broccoli
clover
fenugreek
radish
sunflower

I think, like all things, it's a matter of taste whether someone enjoys an arugula salad or not. They've been on the menu of fine restaurants for years, at least in California and New York, and Trader Joe's sells organic arugula for salads by the bag. So, some folks must like it.

[Ariannah]

A good remedy is to use just a little of the stronger greens -- arugula, mustard greens, etc. -- along with the milder. That way we're still getting the variety that Victoria says is essential, but we don't walk around all day with a puckered-up face! Once, I put 3 huge mustard leaves in a smoothie, and after the first sip, thought my throat was on fire! I dumped the whole blenderful down the sink, and had parsley instead (grin).

[RawTruth]

Oh no!! :eek: Yep -- that'd do it!! One mustard green ... or maybe, two if I also add in fresh ginger which somehow counterbalances it ... is my limit along with other mild greens like spinach or spring mix or even romaine.

[earthmama]

Hi, Violetgirl, thanks for the info about N.Y. we have looked in the past at the Thousand Islands area, and are now looking in the Western part of the state. We have planned to move back to Tenn. but after reading about pollution in the state, we started looking for less polution(we are VERY chemically sensative) We currently live in Fla. surrounded by orange groves that get sprayed freguently, makes us very ill. I'm hopeing raw will help some with that, but removing ourselves from the situation in addition I think will be best. My daughter and I have CFS, and I stuggle to fix meals for us all.I think I may have to start out simple instead of fixing recipes, cause I just don't have the energy to do more. I have a couple of hours in the morning that I can do things then I'm shot. haven't made it to 100% yet, I get tired and just eat what ever I'm fixing for everyone else, not good!!! Still I'm eating more raw than I ever have, and I'm not giving up. Working on whipping that last supper syndrome.LOL. Loved the smoothie mishap story, I haven't branched out too much yet, mostly spinich and kale for me. gotta add some variety. Thanks again, I'm really jealous of you guys up north with the seasons and all. Hope by this time next year I'll be up there with you. Blessings Earthmama

[Sharon in Colorado]

Don't underestimate celery people. It provides wonderful organic sodium and is great as a sports drink too.