Greens, Greens, Greens!!!!!!

I love this week's share because it is sooo green! Did you know that green vegetables are the #1 missing food in Americans diets these days? Their calorie density (calories per pound) is really low and they offer so many extra benefits to your body. Blood purification, improved liver, gall bladder and kidney function, and on and on. Greens are more than just lettuce for salads!



Today I am going to look at kohlrabi, mustard greens and Hakurei turnips.



Kohlrabi

Doesn't it seem like cabbage has a lot of relatives? Well, kohlrabi is another cousin. It may be a little alien-spaceship-like to us, but it is the most common eaten veggie is Kashmir. Kohlrabi is a German word, from Kohl - cabbage, and Rabi - turnip.

One cup of kohlrabi will provide almost 100% of your daily vitamin C intake! It is also cleansing and helps your cells detoxify. Cleansing is a natural process that our bodies do on their own, but with toxins in close to everything we come in contact with, it is important to give it a hand when you can. And the green veggies definitely help this!

Mustard Greens

When not being sauteed and eaten, mustard greens are sometimes used to extract heavy metals from soil in hazardous waste sites. These greens have a high tolerance for toxins and store the hazardous substances in it's cells. It is called Phytoremediation and I think that it is pretty cool and tells a lot about this vegetable's ability to cleanse our bodies. If it can remove hazardous waste, think about what it can remove from your body! (Is that gross? Sorry... I think it is so interesting and perfect in a very natural way!!!)

Mustard greens have a huge concentration of antioxidants - cancer prevention! Also vitamins B6, C and E, folic acid, calcium, carotenes, manganese, copper, and fiber.

Hakurei Turnips

What's with all of these vegetables having multiple names??? Hakurei turnips - aka the Japanese turnip and the salad turnip or kabu....OK enough already. These things are clean, white and great eaten raw! Which by the way will keep the most nutrients in tact. Speaking of nutrients, turnips in general are a good source of vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, manganese, pantothenic acid, and copper. Turnips are considered a "starch vegetable", BUT with only 1/2 the calories of a potato.

Don't throw away the greens! They are a great way to get your daily fix of vitamins A, B6, C, E, folic acid, calcium, copper, fiber, and manganese!

Hakurei turnips are said to be the best tasting and smoothest of the white turnips, so eat them up while they last!