When I was ten-years-old, we moved back to Prescott, Arizona and away from the lush garden, fruit trees and road side produce stands that provided the bulk of our diet in the San Joaquin Valley. We also bought our first television set and suddenly Saturday mornings were all about cartoons. My favorite was Popeye and his ever ready magical can of spinach. I was absolutely certain that eating canned spinach would give me super strengths to fight off the bad guys and rescue myself from danger. My mother fixed it often, and boiled it to death with a little apple cider vinegar served with a sliced boiled egg on top. I loved it. Many years later, when I was served raw spinach in a salad, I thought it was the strangest lettuce I had ever seen.
And what did I have for breakfast on those Saturday mornings, well I drank Tang of course. If it was good enough for the astronauts, it was good enough for us. And Trix cereal would be consumed by the box load because everyone knew, “Silly Rabbit, that Trix are for kids!”
Our Prescott garden was reduced to tomatoes, onions, carrots and squash. A special treat, was taking a ride to Chino Valley to buy some sweet corn, yum! When winter rolled around, green beans and peas were a frequent offering, cooked to mush with lots of Parkay margarine, salt and pepper. Mom was proud of the newfangled inventions of margarine that needed no refrigeration and seemed to never spoil.
Salad usually meant company was coming. It consisted of chopped iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, lots of miracle whip with that special sprinkle of Lowry’s seasoning salt that mom kept in the back of the cupboard next to the stove.
So how do I get my greens today? They are fresh, often raw, taste amazing and are plentiful in our house. My sweet hubby has transformed splinters, scrapes, bruises, recycled lumber, and a few swings of the hammer that didn’t hit the nail into an enchanting garden. He is on his way to replacing our daily trips to the store for produce with the harvest he has loving coaxed out of this Texas tundra. OK, out of the organic soil he bought at Lowes, but that just didn’t sound as romantic.
I still see spinach as my super power to make me strong. Greens contribute to my overall health in so many ways, providing vitamin C and phytochemicals that provide protection against major chronic diseases, it is the topic of volumes of research covering brain health, prevention of type 2 diabetes and fighting cancer. The attribute we covet the most in this house is the nitrates our body converts into the nitric oxide and then releases into our endothelium to keep all the pipes clean and our blood chugging along freely. As I’ve learned of the benefits, we have added arugula, swiss chard, kale, collard greens and sprouts to our weekly menus for flavor and nutrient density. What are your favorite greens?
“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink… At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.” (Daniel 1:12&15 NIV)
“Popeye was right when he bragged that he was strong to the finish because he ate his spinach. Dark-green leafy vegetables are the healthiest foods on the planet.” (Micheal Greger, M.D., FACLM – How Not To Die)
“Whether you just want to live a long, healthy life or you’re hoping to make it until Silicon Valley figures out how to ensure your immortality … a diet rich in leafy greens can help – a lot.” (Ocean Robbins, Co-Founder and CEO of Food Revolution Network – Real Superfoods)
Yours for a Joyful Journey,
Joyice
Lacinato Kale, Broccoli, and Arugula are our favorites.
Yep, all great ones!