By now, we probably know the importance of eating what’s local and in season. Lucky for us, we have two excellent sources for local, seasonal, and some organic produce literally a stone's throw from the studio—Whole Foods Market and the Sarasota Farmers Market, which is in full bloom.
Ryan Duncan of Jubilee Organics, an all-organic farm located in Northwest Bradenton, reminds us about the importance of eating locally and informs that a large percentage of nutrients are lost just after hours of fruits and vegetables being harvested.
Imagine what happens to those strawberries or that bag of spinach on the grocery store self that originates from California. It travels a long way on a truck to a nearby store and that’s before it’s been processed and packaged at a distributing facility.
This time of year there is an abundance of squash available. Another not so common vegetable is Kohlrabi. This is a root vegetable in the cabbage family that may be prepared in numerous ways. Kohlrabi is similar in texture to a radish without the spiciness, but rather a slightly sweet flavor. Because it’s in the cabbage family you will get a taste of that familiar flavor, almost broccoli-like.
It’s high in vitamin C and potassium. Double bonus! Vitamin C this time of year is essential with the winter cold/flu season just around the corner. Another reason vitamin C is especially important is the flux of seasonal visitors this area attracts coming in from northern parts of the country and possibly transporting cold and flu germs with them that have been circulating in cooler climates.
The fall issue of Edible Sarasota just hit the shelves—you can pick up a free copy at Whole Foods and other places around town. In it you can find a wealth of information on locally-sourced food in our area and they featured Kohlrabi. You can find delicious and easy recipes on their website that you can try at home using seasonal ingredients.
One that stood out was the Sweet Potato Gratin recipe, which may be a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving table this year.