Harvest in the Raw

Cool Your Jets this Summer with Local Raw Cuisine
By Julie Daniluk

Not too long ago, exotic meant food that was flown in from as far away as one could imagine. Our plates overflowed with lamb from New Zealand, truffles from France, and bananas from Mexico.

Then an extraordinary thing happened. With the help of eco-conscious media and the hard work of pioneers like Lori Stahlbrand and Mike Schreiner from Local Food Plus (www.localfoodplus. ca), we started to understand that the best tastes in the world are grown in our own back yard. It’s even more exotic because we only get it for the precious few moments that it is fresh from the vine. Canada’s incredibly short growing season has us all rummaging through our grandma’s cupboards for mason jars and recipes on how to preserve our heritage harvest of zebra tomatoes!

The term “Locavore” was coined by Jessica Prentice on World Environment Day 2005 to describe and promote the practice of eating a diet consisting of food harvested from within an area commonly bound by a 160 km radius. Recognizing the foods from our locality instills a sense of connection and responsibility to our community.

The typical plate of food now travels an average of 2,400 km! We have paid for this globalization of the food supply with serious consequences for the environment such as air pollution, global warming, the ecological costs of large-scale monoculture and genetic modification, the loss of family farms and local community dollars.

In the greater bioregion of southern Ontario one can eat like royalty every summer day on locally grown and produced food. From dozens of local small farms come the likes of grass-fed beef, hormone free milk, sustainable chickens, naturally raised lamb, organic fruit, heritage vegetables, wild mushrooms, and let us not forget the nectar of the gods – Niagara wines!

Summer is a wonderful time to focus on raw salad recipes because the heat makes us crave the expansive and cooling nature of fruits and a rainbow of veggies. The following “Detox Menu” is also vegetarian because by eating lower on the food chain there is less concentration of environmental pollutants like pesticides and heavy metals like mercury.

RECIPES

Liver Cleansing Beetroot Salad

Beets are a known liver cleanser and a good source of iron that carries oxygen in the blood, helping you to stay energized.

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene that the body converts into vitamin A, the nutrient responsible for encouraging rapid cell turnover in the lungs. Vitamin A also increases the number of infection-fighting cells, natural killer cells, and helper T-cells. This recipe can be made ahead to marinate and blend flavours. The lemon juice and olive oil help to break down the veggies for easier digestibility.

1 grated beet
1 grated carrot
1 green apple chopped
1 oz. pumpkin seeds (lightly toasted for extra flavour)
2 Tbsp hemp seed oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Grate root vegetables and chop almonds in half. Chop the apple into 1/2 inch or 1 cm cubes and coat in lemon juice to avoid browning. Toss all ingredients into a bowl and add unrefined olive oil.

Great addition: Consider adding 1 clove of fresh chopped Garlic to boost the anti-fungal action of this recipe!

Mint Julep – An alkalizing energy drink
(Yields two 16 ounce servings)

Mint grows everywhere in Ontario. It is a wonderful carminative herb that soothes the digestive system and eases muscle cramps. Cucumber is a very energetically cooling plant, which is perfect for our screaming hot summer days. Drink this down when the heat has you running to the sprinkler with the kids!

1 organic English cucumber, peeled and chopped
3 Tbsp fresh mint leaves – finely chopped
2 cups water
1 Lemon freshly squeezed
Place the cucumber, mint, lemon and water in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with mint and serve.

(Note: Cucumber is from the melon family and even though it is very cleansing for the kidneys, it is important to enjoy this beverage away from other food to assure proper digestion.)

Dandelion Salad with Hemp Dressing

Don't spray your back yard with pesticides because you will destroy hundreds of liver cleansing green leaves ready to eat! The leaves of the dandelion plant are a wonderful liver and kidney cleanser. This is a popular salad in Italy.

2 cups chopped dandelion
1 chopped pear or apple
1/2 cup local strawberries or raspberries
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
(See Dressing below.)

Hemp Seed Dressing

Hemp is one of the easiest seeds to source locally. Tasting similar to pine nuts and sunflower seeds, hemp seeds can be used in any recipe. Because it is not processed with other tree nuts or peanuts it is much safer for people with allergies.

Hemp seeds are a wonderful source of immune balancing zinc and plant sterols. Zinc also increases killer cells and helps white cells release more antibodies. A study of over 100 employees of the Cleveland Clinic indicated that zinc decreased the duration of colds by 50%. Zinc increases the number of infection-fighting T-cells, especially in elderly people who are often deficient in zinc, and whose immune system often weakens with age.

Vegetarians may need as much as 50% more zinc than non-vegetarians because of the lower absorption of zinc from plant foods, so it is very important for vegetarians to include good sources of zinc in their diet (25 milligrams a day). A word of caution: too much zinc in the form of supplements (more than 75 milligrams a day) can inhibit immune function.

In terms of nutrient content, shelled hemp seed is 35% protein, 45% fat, and 11% carbohydrate. Check out www.hempola.com for more details.

1/2 cup hemp butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp spring water
1-1/2 Tbsp local honey
1 Tbsp tamari (soy sauce) optional

Note: If allergic to soy use 1 tsp umeboshi plum paste and a pinch of sea salt instead (a wonderful salty and sour plum from Japan that is healing to the stomach).

Kale Pesto

Kale, a member of the cabbage family, is a wonderful source of Calcium and Vitamin K. Its greatest asset includes its ability to withstand frost and grow during the early Canadian winter, making it the last local green to disappear from the produce cooler.

Garlic is a powerful immune booster that stimulates the multiplication of infection-fighting white cells, boosts natural killer cell activity, and increases the efficiency of antibody production. The health properties of garlic are due to its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin and sulfides. Garlic may also play a part in getting rid of potential carcinogens and other toxic substances that can dampen our immunity. Hot foods such as garlic, chili peppers, hot mustard, radishes, pepper, and onions contain substances called “mucolytics” (similar to over-the-counter expectorant cough syrups) which liquefy thick mucus that accumulates in the sinuses and breathing passages. Be sure to check the country of origin before purchase to avoid garlic that has traveled over 10,000 km.

1 bunch kale
2 Tbsp hemp oil
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp fresh basil
1 lemon, juiced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

Add the ingredients to a food processor and whip with an S-Blade until finely chopped. Spread on live pizza crust or raw flax crackers made by Terra Tree Foods at local farmers markets and The Big Carrot Natural Food Market.

(Note: Note, this recipe is shown in the photo with local tomato sauce from Ontario Natural Food Co-op and local grated zucchini.)

Frozen Local Berry Sorbet

Blueberries have 87 mg of vitamin C per cup, which tops the list of immune boosters for many reasons. Vitamin C increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies and increases levels of interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces, preventing the entry of viruses. You don't have to take in massive amounts of vitamin C to boost your immune system. Around 200 milligrams a day seems to be a generally agreed-upon amount and one that can be automatically obtained by eating at least six servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

3 cups frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries)
1/2 cup local honey (a little more if you like it sweet!)
1 to 2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice

Take berries out of the freezer and let sit at room temperature until soft. Use a food processor or blender to puree all ingredients until smooth. Place in a clean container or freezer jar about 3/4 full and freeze solid. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before you wish to eat.

Gazpacho: The Ultimate Cooling Soup

Tomatoes and cucumber are very cooling, according to Chinese Medicine. When the heat waves strike in July and August, it is wonderful to rely on these natural coolants to help you dispel excess body heat. Serve in shot glasses at your next patio party for a fun appetizer.
Yield 2 cups (double if you would like to make enough for a family)
Serves 2

3 local tomatoes (Try ‘Zebra’ tomatoes or other heritage varieties for an amazing sweet flavour)
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/4 of a cucumber, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro or parsley
2 Tbsp of hemp or olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
Place all ingredients into a food processor fitted with an S Blade and blend until soupy. Some like their soup smooth and others chunky, so experiment until you find what works for you.

Chill soup in the fridge before serving to accelerate the cooling effect! Garnish with extra chopped cilantro and strips of bell pepper.

Strengthen Your Community

When making a local food purchase, you strengthen your community by investing your food dollars close to home. If you are interested in celebrating the local food cornucopia, your first goal is to select foods from within a 160 km radius of your home. If this is not possible, attempt to eat foods that come from within our diverse province, country, or are purchased directly from small-scale farmers elsewhere in the world to ensure biodiversity and healthy farming villages (certified fair-trade for example, www.transfair.ca). Happy Feasting!

Julie Daniluk is a holistic nutritionist and co-operative owner of The Big Carrot Natural Food Market. She is writing an allergy free cookbook called Meals that Heal due out this fall. Check out www.juliedaniluk.com and www.thebigcarrot.ca for more tips and recipes. She is a self-confessed pineapple addict but otherwise is working hard to reduce her food miles.