גידולים אורגנים מנטף

Chlorophyll and other pigments11-12-11

נכתב ע"י maggie בתאריך 11 בדצמבר 2011

Dear Friends,
A new delivery of turmeric and Ginger has been received; it is very seasonal so this is the time.

Leaves: green and other colors

I'm guessing that once, before the era of computers, buildings, and modern transportation, when almost everyone worked outside and food was mostly fresh or perhaps a little self-preserved, weather was a daily topic of conversation. Today, many of us spend much of the day in air-conditioning. Even some crops nowadays grow in temperature-controlled environments, and conservation and transportation options are overwhelming.

Before cultivated agriculture, leaves were used by humans for various purposes. They were collected for food, woven into mats, ropes, baskets, and sandals, used to build houses and for clothing (e.g., Adam and Eve). Leaves are rich, nourishing, and strengthening, and almost always contain a considerable amount of iron, calcium, and vitamins C and A.

In the garden any change in weather is noticeable and has an impact. The last few weeks were unusually cold which caused slow growth. This week we will receive baby plants, that I ordered a few months ago, and there is nowhere to plant them because other crops that grew especially slowly, did not ripen when I expected they would, and were not picked and sent to you yet......

In the morning, when we start work, we are covered with many layers and hats and look for physical work to keep us warm. The garden is soaked well and I hope we can say goodbye to our irrigation system for a while ...

Appropriately for winter we will continue with our healthy green parade
In nature, leaves have different shapes, sizes, thicknesses and textures, but mostly are green. The pigment responsible for the green greens is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll receives the light of the sun and starts the photosynthetic process, but it is not the only pigment found in leaves. There are also other pigments such as: orange - Carotenoids, red violet - anthocyanins. These pigments are responsible for the beautiful autumn colors during exfoliation. In some plants, the cooling causes a decrease in creating chlorophyll, allowing other pigments to overcome the other green and show their stunning colors.

We usually hear about the pigments of plants because of their contribution to our health, to people. Actually, they are in the plant for it's benefit, not ours. So let's understand how these pigments are so good for us and for plants ...

Green chlorophyll is that which receives the light of the sun and drives the whole process of photosynthesis, to produce energy and transfer it to all parts of the plant. For us, the structure of chlorophyll is very similar to the structure of the pigment that forms hemoglobin and therefore is readily absorbed in the blood, cleanses and clears it. Chlorophyll improves the health of existing cells, it contributes to the regeneration of new healthy cells and inhibits the growth of unwanted bacteria and absorbing materials that are not good.

The yellow/orange pigments - extend the range of light absorbed in the plant and increase the rate of photosynthesis and its efficiency. In addition they add protection from radiation to the plant. Amongst the orange-yellow family the most known are especially the: lycopene, which acts similarly in our bodies and protects our skin from exposure to radiation. It also prevents free radicals from oxidizing other cells in our bodies. Beta carotene that transforms in our bodies to vitamin A and is essential for our vision and the functioning of mucosa and skin in the body. And Lotaene protects our vision from excessive radiation and protects the health of blood vessels and heart.

Anthocyanins, purple-red pigments, provide the plant with protection from UV radiation. When the plant is in a vulnerable state, like when the leaves are very young or it is too cold to grow, production of the pigment increases to provide more protection. Therefore, young growth of leaves sometimes seems purplish-red and so do the amazing autumn colors. For us, anthocyanins are very efficient antioxidants in our bodies.

This weeks' family is the Chenopodiaceae family (beets):

beets with their leaves is actually Swiss chard,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swiss chard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and spinach

 

 

 

 

 

 

A shame to waste every drop - very relevant here!

All members of the family are suitable in a fresh salad or cooking - and you can switch between them freely. Soup, quiche, omelets, lasagna, fillings, and cooked salads....

The leaves are rich in vitamins. Heating, exposure to light and air and "drowning" in water causes some of the vitamins to decompose, oxidize, and disappear from the leaf. To make the most of your leaves:
- Always store them refrigerated before preparing.
- Wash them just before use, when they are whole.
- Eat them fresh and/or shorten the cooking time.

It is better to steam the spinach than cook it. Cooking spinach for over 4 minutes will reduce the level of folic acid to half!
The iron existing in spinach is in a soluble form, so when spinach is cooked, the water contains the iron and other good materials. You can drink the water or use it in soups or baking.
The volume of spinach, and also other greens, shrinks to about half or a third when steamed and therefore I give large amounts. Do not panic. You get good fresh completely organic greens, and the sooner you eat them, the richer and more nutritious they are.
Remember to keep them dry in a sealed bag to prevent drying out at the bottom of the refrigerator, where it is colder.

To your health
and to sun and rain
Maggie and the garden and market crew.And expected in this weeks baskets:

Israeli Dutch cucumbers???not for sure

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Parsley

Cabbage

Fennel

Beets

green onions

Some avocado

Bunch of radishes Daikon

Kyle

Larger ones also

Roqette

Potatoes

Mustard

And another thing

 

Fruit baskets

Bananas,

Apples and citrus fruits