Living this troubled time is a challenge. With news broadcasts telling us pollinators are declining, food availability threatened, budgets tightening as food prices rise, and meanwhile experts telling us we get nutrition from food. Getting the most out of our food budget has quickly become a priority. Cooking with nutrition in mind is the focus of our cookbook: From a Little Garden: Over 300 Delicious Nutritious Recipes. Despite common belief, it can be quite simple to provide a healthy menu plan without a lot of extra shopping and expense. In fact, you can save quite a bit of money just by being a little smarter and less wasteful.
Let’s start with the most common mistake, overcooking. Overcooking vegetables or any food drastically reduces nutrients. So choose to steam your vegetables, rather than boil them, and cook them gently, so the vegetables are still textured and a bit stiff.
Avoid heating food in the microwave: it is very easy to gradually cover and heat leftover food; cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake in a 300-325Ëš oven for 20 minutes or so. The food will have the same texture as if it were freshly made and will retain the flavors. If you must use a microwave, heat only to the point that it is warm enough, but not too hot.
The skins and seeds are packed with fiber and nutrients, so removing them is counterproductive. For tomato sauces, use a blender to smooth out the skins and seeds. If you make your own juice, you have some pulp left over after juicing. Purchase a food dehydrator so that you can use the dehydrated pulp in different ways. In the case of vegetable pulp, dry and blend until you get a powder that you can later use to thicken soups, stews, and casseroles. The pulp of the fruit can be sweetened with honey and made into a delicious fruit leather, or the pulp can be dried and blended into a powder for use in smoothies.
Humans aren’t the only ones who benefit from these powdered mixes, either. Dogs love these dehydrated mixes, we simply add half a scoop of the powder to their food, add a little hot water and allow to cool before feeding.
Food will lose nutrients as soon as it is harvested and will continue to lose nutrients as it ages. Growing your own food in soil that you have built and amended is a great way to ensure that your food has the optimal amount of nutrients. However, buying locally at farmers markets can give you almost the same value. For centers where neither of these are options, there are always retail stores that buy locally grown food. Choosing these options ensures that your food is as fresh as possible.
