Category: Seasons

Fizzy fermented pine needle drink

Make this delicious fermented winter drink! Edible pine needles have a wonderful minty, citrusy flavor and pair well with some lemon juice. When the pine needles are mixed with water and sweetener like sugar or honey, the natural yeasts on the needles initiates fermentation. During this process, the yeast on the pine needles consumes the sugar and bubbles are produced making a fizzy drink.

Pine needles are edible! You can use any pine needles, just make sure they are edible and are free of pesticides. Most pine trees are suitable; however, it is important to exercise caution when eating pine needles, as some species may contain toxins or irritants. Needles of pine trees like Norfolk Island Pine, Yew and Ponderosa Pine are not edible. I used needles of White pine trees.

Needles of edible pine trees are a living medicine chest. They are particularly useful for anyone who is in the forest, whether living there or just going out on a day-hikes. It is good as a first aid remedy, treats respiratory problems and can be used as food. In addition, it can help musculoskeletal problems, promotes digestion and can help with mental, physical fatigue. Oh and let’s not forget about its vitamin and mineral content! This is truly an amazing remedy!

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

  • 16 oz mason jar
  • a good handful of edible chopped pine needles of your choice – I used white pine needles.
  • 1-2 Tbsp sweetener of your choice like sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey. (Sugar substitutes like stevia, erythritol will not work).
  • spring water
  • Lemon juice (optional)

DIRECTIONS

  • Collect the pine needles. You can wash them if you think they are dirty but is not necessary otherwise.
  • Fill your jar with the chopped needles and add water leaving 1 inch of space open on the top for the bubbles to form.
  • Add sweetener of your choice.
  • Stir the content to distribute the sweetener to allow the fermentation process to occur.
  • Now leave the bottle in a warmish place that is not too hot or cold. The counter in the kitchen would be fine.
  • Let it ferment for 2-5 days, less in the summer more in the winter. When you can see bubbles formed on the the top, the drink is ready. Strain and you can start drinking it.
  • If not consumed right away, store the strained liquid in the refrigerator.
  • Serve with lemon juice.

Enjoy!

Photo and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

Source: Matthew Wood: The Earthwise Herbal

Festive Plum Gnocchi With Poppy Seeds (Szilvás gombóc)

Hungarian plum gnocchi (szilvás gombóc) is basically a dish made with plums wrapped in dough made with mashed potatoes. It is often served as a second dish after a heavier soup but can be a dessert as well.

This dish is a little variation to the recipe that most people use in Hungary. I added poppy seeds instead of bread crumbs to coat the balls. In Transylvania, plum gnocchi is often still coated with poppy seeds.

Poppy seeds are popular at Christmas time as they are full of flavor and are supposed to be calming and nourishing as well. Oh one more, Hungarians believe that poppy seeds are supposed to bring good luck for the new year.

Also, I used prunes instead of fresh plums because fresh plums are not available right now. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference.

These 2 changes to the recipe would make this otherwise already fabulous dish a perfect dish for the holidays.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
  • about 1 lb russet potatoes (4-5 potatoes)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 18 sweet prunes – depending on the size

Coating

  • 2 cups poppy seed, ground
  • 1 cup walnuts (finally chopped)
  • 10 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon or apple pie seasoning
  • 6 Tbsp sugar
  • pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS

Place the potatoes with the skin on in a large pot. I like to put them on a metal steamer with ‘feet’ so the vitamins and minerals don’t leach into the water and so they don’t soak up too much water. If the potatoes are too wet, the dough will need more flour and will be harder. Add cold water to the pot with a little salt. Bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low. Cook them with the lid on for about 45 – 60 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Peel them while they are still hot but you can handle.

Puree the potatoes while they are still warm, I was able to do it as soon as the peels were taken off. I used a potato ricer. I put the potatoes through the larger holes of the ricer, then the smaller ones. It is worth investing in a potato ricer if you want a nice and soft dough. You can use a potato masher too, I have used it before and did a good job too. Let potatoes cool to room temperature.

Add flour, salt, 1 egg, 1 Tbsp of butter to the mashed potatoes. Mix and form into a ball shape. Do not over do it. The dough should not be wet but should stay in one piece. Make sure your potatoes are at room temperature. If they are warm they will take up too much flour. You can use the fridge for 5-10 minutes minutes if needed. (Before adding more flour, cool the dough in the refrigerator).

Let the dough rest for 1 hour on the counter.

Meanwhile, soak the prunes in water to soften them. Set aside.

Melt the butter on low heat and add the poppy seeds stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Make sure the butter doesn’t burn. Add the cinnamon, sugar and chopped walnuts. Mix. This will be used to coat the balls.

Also, mix the 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt for the stuffing. This will be used when the balls are served.

Fill a 5 quart pot with about 3 quart water. Bring to a boil with a little a little salt.

After 1 hour, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Cut the dough in half. Place one of them on a flat, floured surface. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Cut out about 9 squares about 3 inches wide and 1 cm thick.

Squeeze the liquid out of the prunes from earlier step.

Assemble the balls. Place one of the dough squares into your palm. Put a plum in the dough. Fold corner by corner gently tucking the stuffing inside and then roll it to make a ball. Do this with each square. Coat them in flour. Please look at the pictures for clarification.

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Take the other half of the left over dough and repeat rolling the dough and making little squares. Just like earlier, fill the squares with the prunes. Do this procedure until all the dough is used up.

When the water starts boiling, you can drop the balls in the water one by one with a slotted spoon. Try to gently stir them to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

When the dumplings come to the surface, cook them for about another 5 more minutes and remove them with a slotted spoon. 

Coat the dumplings with the poppy seed mixture that you prepared earlier and roll them around until they are well coated. 

Serve warm with a little vanilla sugar, cinnamon sugar or honey. Or all three.

Enjoy! Jó étvágyat!

Recipe, photo and text by twincitiesherbs.

Eating with the Late summer season (no recipes)

INDIAN SUMMER

It can get a bit challenging to say goodbye to all the fun we had in the summer, canoeing down the creek, hopping on our bikes to get to our favorite ice cream shop or just spending endless hours outside in the warm weather. Yes indeed, it can get tricky for some of us to let go. But we have a few weeks to do it! Now we can enjoy the warm weather without the heat and maybe even the mosquitoes. It kind of feels like we are rocking on a sailboat on calm waters during a sunset. But at the same time it would be wise to start thinking ahead. Yep, there is that nip in the air in the morning … the cold weather will be coming!

This transition is considered to be a short season and has been recognized by many different cultures. In the United States, it is called Indian summer, in China, the Earth season and in Hungary, old women’s summer (vénasszonyok nyara). Seasonal transitions are important to be aware of as they can be challenging on our bodies. It is worth paying attention to, especially if you are prone to problems now like having excessive mucus, digestive problems, feeling of heaviness/edema, tiredness, metabolic problems, low self esteem or craving sweets.

The ancient Chinese have observed this short time period, the Earth season (Wu Xing, 地球), to be different from all the other four seasons. This is the time of stillness when everything seems to just stop. The heat of the summer is gone, our busy lives are finally slowing down and activity becomes effortless. It is associated with stability, patience and thoughtfulness. It is the time to stop and observe abundance around us and things we have created. As the days are getting shorter, we are moving from the time of abundance and expansion to focusing inward and cessation of abundance.

In Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with a natural element so the Indian Summer is paired with the Earth element. Also, each element has corresponding western organs. The western organs of the Earth element are the Spleen, Pancreas, Stomach and they control the muscles and mouth. (I capitalized the organs because in Chinese Medicine, it is more like an organ is considered to be the organ itself and in its energetic functions as well).

Let’s look at the nature of the Stomach and the Spleen/Pancreas. The Stomach likes to be be cool and moist. It starts breaking up the food it receives and passes it for further digestion. The Spleen and the Pancreas on the other hand, like to be warm and dry. Their main job is to further work on digestion and nourish the body. The Spleen has other functions including its role in the immune system that is important especially in the fall. The Pancreas releases digestive enzymes and also is involved with regulating the blood sugar.

Just like Mother Earth in nature, our Earth element is responsible for nourishing the body. Digestion is important all year around but especially during this time to ensure that we can ease into the cold months. There is a branch in Chinese medicine that believes the Earth element is the most important for good health. Yep this season is all about eating good, healthy food. Remember this is the Harvest season.

The flavor of the Earth element is sweet. These foods are meats, dairy, and complex carbohydrates including grains, vegetables and legumes. This flavor enters and nourishes the spleen/pancreas. It has a harmonizing effect on the body exactly what we need now. This flavor is great to have any time of the year but especially important right now. However, the sweet flavor also has a tendency to cause dampness and to slow down the body; therefore, pungent flavored foods like onions, ginger are also recommended at this time. (Just on the side, exercise has similar effects).

Choosing your sweet foods wisely is also important. I should mention that the sweet flavor should not be overdone especially by individuals who tend to gain weight and retain water easily. This is also true for the pungent spices, they should be consumed in moderation to make sure that heat does not stay trapped in the body. Definitely practice moderation. Of course, over-processed foods should be avoided.

All the vegetables that grow right now are great. If you go to the farmers’ market you will see eggplants, beets, cabbage, celery, chard, cucumber, lettuce, potatoes, mushrooms, squash, sweet potatoes, yam, bitter melon. Fruits are apples, tomatoes, pears, grapes, plums. Nuts are walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, chestnuts, sesame seeds.

To harmonize with this season, it is wise to make changes to our cooking style. The emphasis should be on moderation and creating simple, harmonizing dishes with ingredients that attune with the Earth element: round, mildly sweet, yellow or golden in color. Feel free to use herbs that help digestion like dill, oregano, ginger, anise, caraway seeds, cumin, fennel seeds, lavage etc. Also, try to avoid foods that are complicated with too many ingredients or are heavy, greasy and too spicy. In other words, we need to help our digestion so we can move into the new season effortlessly. Also, it is nice to start including more warming foods in our diet like winter squashes.

If you are looking for dishes to make during the Indian Summer time period, please, click on the Indian Summer ‘keyword’ on the right and you should get all my recipes or see a few from last year below.

Plum gnocchi

Turkish stuffed eggplants

Vegetarian moussaka

Spaghetti squash stew

Maroccan eggplant stew with garbanzo beans

SOURCES

  • Paul Pitchford: Healing with Whole Foods
  • Art: Sailing by the shore by Leonid Afremov

Text by twincitiesherbs.com

Eating with the summer season

SUMMER

Here is the season that we have been waiting for since the winter solstice! In the spring, we witnessed the buds emerging on the plants and maturing into full grown plants … oh and the days getting longer and warmer. Now finally we can appreciate what nature can give: warmth, light and food. This is a great time to get outside and socialize. You can travel and eat the abundant fruits and vegetables or just have fun. Also, we can take an advantage of all the gorgeous flowers blooming outside.

In Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with a natural element so summer’s element is Fire. Also, each element has corresponding Western organs. The Western organs of the Fire element are the Heart and the Small Intestines and in addition, the Pericardium and the Triple Warmer are included. Also, this element contains the Mind that might be a rather difficult concept for Westerners. (I capitalized the organs because in Chinese Medicine, it is more like an organ is considered to be the organ itself and its energetic functions).

One of the elements in nature is Fire, in fact, it is probably the most important one for our survival. Fire or warmth is essential to keep the body going, our metabolism and our whole body depends on it. According to Karl Jung, Fire is needed to have clear perception. Also, “psychotherapists believe that ‘cooking’ is important for meaningful changes to occur in their patients”. In fact, “throughout the history of humankind, the symbol of Fire has always been synonymous with life”.

In Chinese Medicine, the Heart, the Emperor of our body, is not necessarily treated directly as it depends on other organs for its nourishment. Basically, you are to take care of your body in order to keep the heart healthy. For prevention, we are supposed to attend to all the other organs all year around to help the Heart function properly.

It is believed that if the Heart is not happy, nobody is happy. So let’s see what would be ideal for a happy heart. The heart needs to be warm, neither cold or hot. The biggest issue during the summer months is the heat so avoid getting overheated during the summer and getting too cold during the winter. In general, we should be eating cooling foods like all the summer fruits and vegetables. For instance, the Chinese eat mung beans to keep the body cool. Just a side note, we need to be cautious about cooling the body too much as it can affect our digestion. Water can put out the fire.

Let’s look at how we can nourish the Heart. All cooling foods especially the brightly colored fruits and vegetables are great. In Chinese Medicine, the red color is associated with the Fire element. It is believed that consuming foods that are red (watermelon, strawberries, red beans, goji berries, red peppers, chili peppers, hibiscus flower) and heart shaped foods (chickpeas) are beneficial for the heart.

Another factor that can influence our Heart is our emotions. Emotions out of balance can negatively effect the Heart. Furthermore, the Heart’s energy tends to move downward from the Mind that the bitter flavored foods support. However, avoid eating too much bitter foods in the summer as this flavor tends to be drying. Moderation is the best! (Summer bitter foods include all whole grains, bamboo shoots, celery, dill, lettuce).

The Small Intestine helps the body sort through important information and toxic information. So the healthy Small Intestine helps us in letting go of unneeded things in our life and by the same token an unhealthy Small Intestine will accumulate toxins leading to the pollution of our body, mind and spirit.

We can certainly nourish the small intestines with food. It is part of the elimination system so food would be important. Fiber rich foods will make the intestines work more efficiently and hence result in a more efficient absorption of nutrients. Foods like nuts and seeds can supply this necessary protein and fiber. Of course, any kind of whole grain is helpful as well in providing fiber.

In addition, it is summer, so we can take an advantage of all the fruits and vegetables, they are an excellent source of fiber. Probiotics such Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium can be beneficial for the small intestines as well which can be found in yogurt, kefir and fermented foods.

Also, to help calm the mind and deal with the heat of the summer, it is recommended to eat a more simple diet with light foods and avoiding complicated dishes. Oyster shells, whole grains, mushrooms, barley, oats, cucumber, basil, mulberries, lemon, ghee are especially useful.

The flavor of the summer is bitter and it is recommended to eat bitter foods because it brings energy from the brain, the mind down to the lower part of the body. (Summer bitter foods include all whole grains, bamboo shoots, celery, dill, lettuce).

To work with the summer season, mainly its heat, we need to make some changes to our cooking methods. Of course, eating some raw foods is great; however, cooking some food is still recommended supplementing the raw foods. Cooking should be quick on high heat.

Add hot, pungent foods to your meals . In hot climates, it is customary to add lots of hot peppers to open up the pores and release the excess heat from the body. (Of course, this should be done with some caution as too much hot pepper can injure the stomach). Also, try to minimize heavy foods to avoid sluggishness.

SOURCES

Paul Pitchford: Healing with Whole Foods

Gary Dolowich: Archetypal Acupuncture

Art: Unknown

Written by twincitiesherbs.

Eating with the spring season

SPRING

No season brings more anticipation than spring … seeing how nature is slowly waking up and enjoying watching the plants grow. Spring is my favorite season. It is miraculous how the scenery quickly changes from snow and mud to luscious greenery. We can finally sit outside, eat fresh plants and wear lighter clothing. I feel that spring gives my creative energy a nice boost …

Spring is an important transition time of the year when we are moving out of the cold winter time into the hot summer time. It is true as they say spring comes in as a lion and leaves as a lamb. If we prepare our body in the winter, our immune system will be able to handle the changes easier. In addition, it is important to work with this transitional season so we can cope with its harshness easier and can enjoy the heat of the summer later.

In Ancient Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with a natural element so spring is associated with the Wood element. Also, each element has corresponding western organs. The western organs of the Wood element are the Liver and the Gall bladder along with the organs that they control: the Eyes and the Ligaments. (I capitalized the organs because in Chinese Medicine, it is more like an organ is considered to be the organ itself and its energetic functions).

However, Chinese Medicine is not just concerned about the physical body, it believes that our spiritual health is also important. The health of our Wood element can greatly effect this higher self and vice versa. It enables us to make plans, have a clear vision and allows our energy to move freely in the body. In other words, eating well during the spring can have an effect on the spiritual aspect of a person.

Our body should be flexible like a tree in the spring wind both mentally and physically. A healthy tree can easily yield to any wind and not fall over. We try to create this in our body by nourishing the liver and giving our body a break from all heavier, fatty, denatured foods, chemicals and intoxicants.

The energy of spring is more ascending and expansive like the new shoots on the plants. In a similar fashion, the liver’s energy tends to move upwards and is more active. To create this outside climate inside our body, Chinese Medicine recommends that the diet be the lightest of the year and to eat more sweet and pungent flavored foods. More complex carbohydrates like grains, cereal grasses, legumes, seeds, young beets, carrots along with all new spring foods are great sweet foods. Pungent cooking herbs like ginger, garlic, scallions, basil, fennel, marjoram, caraway seeds, dill, bay leaves are great to help the liver’s active energy.

As I mentioned earlier, we need to give our liver a break from heavier foods. As spring arrives, we naturally tend to eat less. In fact, people have been traditionally doing their fasting early spring to make a smoother transition into spring and be able to cope with summer’s heat later. Many cultures do their annual fasting in the spring that is around what is known today as Ash Wednesday in Christianity until Easter or around the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox. The detoxifying process can be a very spiritual experience as well.

The bitter, sour and detoxifying foods can help this fasting process. Bitter foods are burdock root, dandelion root/leaves, artichoke, lettuce, spinach, asparagus, amaranth, quinoa, alfalfa, radish, citrus peel. Foods that detoxify and cool the liver are mung beans, celery, seaweed, lettuce, cucumber, watercress, tofu, millet, chlorophyll- rich foods, mushrooms, rhubarb stem/root. Also fresh, oats, sage, fennel, pine nuts, flax seed oil are also beneficial for the liver.

In addition, small amount of vinegar or lemon have all three properties. For instance, people often drink a little lemonade in the morning with maple syrup or sugar (but not honey!) and cayenne pepper to get the liver ready for the day. (Caution: do not take too much vinegar or lemon, as you can achieve the opposite effect). The juice of one lemon is great.

Our eating and cooking habits should change as spring moves in. Food should be cooked quickly at higher temperatures in other words the quick sauté method is preferred. Also, it is best to eat dinner earlier than during the winter months. I would say dinner should be done by 6-8 pm. According to Chinese Medicine, Liver time when our liver is the most active is between 11 pm and 1 am so our food should be digested by this time so the liver can do its jobs more efficiently … and it has 100+ jobs that it does regularly …

Spring is definitely the time when we eat less and eat lighter foods. In general, the liver likes to be cool and well nourished. We should be minimizing salt, fats, meats and eggs and eat more vegetables and grains. Of course, all over-processed foods should be avoided. Just like we do spring cleaning in our homes, we need to ‘clean’ out the inside of our body.

Source

  • Paul Pitchford: Healing with Whole Foods
  • Art: Unkown

Eating with the winter season (no recipes)

Winter is rather a complex and mysterious season. It is more like cold and darkness desiring warmth.

When I’m out in the woods in the winter, it is so quiet, I can hear every step, every movement. I always wonder about what is inside the Earth and deep inside the lakes. It is almost like you can hear it. It is so mystical. Where are all the plants and animals? As a great Hungarian poet, Petöfi Sándor put it “Nature doesn’t die, it is just sleeping”.

Winter is an auspicious time of the year for sure. In the absence of many distractions, our life quiets down. We naturally tend to turn more inward and spend time in the quiet. With the scarcity of warmth and light, we start acknowledging them more. We bring them into our lives by making bon fires outside, lighting candles or by sitting by our fire places.

In Chinese Medicine, each season is associated with a natural element so winter is associated with water. Also, each element has corresponding western organs. The Western organs of the Water element are the Kidneys and the Bladder and in addition, the Adrenals’ and the Sexual organs are also included. (I capitalized the organs because in Chinese Medicine, it is more like an organ is considered to be the organ itself and its energetic functions).

Let’s look at what the Kidneys do in our body. The Kidneys provide warmth and moisture and are the source of vitality. In addition, the Kidneys ‘govern’ water metabolism and control’ the Bladder. Salty (pork, salt, sea weed, barley) and warming foods (squashes and root vegetables) support these functions. For vitality, it is essential to avoid too much stress and try to rest more, curl up on your sofa and read a book or do whatever your heart is desiring.

It is important to keep the Kidneys healthy during the winter months so they can perform these functions now and later the year. Major consideration for the winter months are cold, dryness and stress. It is a great time for eating nourishing, warming foods like bone or vegetable broths, meats and beans especially kidney, aduki and black beans. The Chinese and many other cultures take their nourishing, rejuvenating herbs at this time. As we are preparing for the holidays poppy seeds, walnuts and pork come to my mind.

In addition, the following foods are also great to nourish the kidneys: millet, barley, mung bean, potatoes, spirulina, cheeses, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon bark, cloves, onions, quinoa, lamb, salmon, trout, wheat berry, sweet rice, animal kidneys, almonds, royal jelly, bone marrow soup, butter, ghee, chicken liver, chestnuts. Oh and let’s not forget the cranberries!

Paying attention to our cooking and eating methods could help us get through the harshness of the cold winter easier. Just like the trees that move their sap deep down and inward, so too energy in humans should have the same movement. The flavors of the winter, bitter and salty (of course in moderation) should facilitate this sinking, downward moving and storing energy.

The bitter foods help the body’s energy to sink downward and get the body ready to store food. Winter bitter foods are oats, rye, quinoa, kale, celery, turnips, cranberries, citrus peels. Salty foods are able to move energy inward concentrating warmth inside while keeping the outside slightly cool. Salty flavor also keeps the kidneys stay moist and healthy so they can promote fluid metabolism. Salty foods include pork, barley, seaweed, salt.

Winter cooking method should focus on storage and moving energy inward. Mainly cook your foods longer at lower temperatures and use less water. Try to avoid ice, raw and greasy foods, excessive salty and bitter foods and over-eating.

If you are looking for dishes to make during the winter, please, click on the winter ‘keyword’ on the right and you should get all my winter recipes.

Sources

  • Paul Pitchford: Healing with Whole Foods
  • Art: Unkown

Eating with the fall season

AUTUMN

As the fall season is arriving, I feel like a little squirrel trying to get ready for the colder months: eating the colorful fruits and vegetables, preserving foods, making last minute repairs and just mentally getting ready. By now we are aware that the summer is gone and a new season is coming with all its beauty and challenges. It was the Autumn Equinox a couple of days ago, when the days and nights were equal and from now on the days are going to get shorter and colder as well.

Autumn is a very special and unpredictable season. Every year, I marvel the beautiful vibrant colors of Autumn, the leaves on the trees and the vegetables on the table. It is the ending of a cycle and we know that all those leaves will turn into something new in the spring. Robert Frost’s poem sums up the Autumn season for me beautifully.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay. 

When I walk through the forest in the fall, I feel so peaceful. This is a time of tranquility when we start turning inward, a great time for spirituality. In the absence of creating new things, we can now focus on the importance of our existence, our spirituality. In Chinese Medicine, ” Metal symbolizes the spirit that brings meaning and purpose to existence”. We can support our Metal element and this spiritual process with foods as well.

In Ancient Chinese Medicine, the fall season belongs to the Metal element. Like every element has corresponding Western organs, the Metal element’s organs are the Lungs, the Large intestines and ultimately the Skin. If you experience problems during this season for instance having frequent colds/flus, dryness, skin problems, excessive mucus, try to pay attention to your eating habits as well. If the metal element is strong, the Qi, the life force will circulated easier and can help our body stay health.

“Everything in nature contracts and moves its essence inward and downward. Leaves and fruit fall, seeds dry, the sap of trees goes into the roots”. Bitter and salty foods in moderation help support this energy movement. Bitter foods are dark green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach. Salty foods are seaweed, salt.

Let’s look at the nature of the Lungs. The Lungs like to be moist and warm. Moistening foods can help the Lungs stay healthy (spinach, barley, millet, pears, apples, almonds, eggs, home-made soy products, seaweed, flax seed and a little salt). Of course, the warming foods of the season are important for the Lungs as well (squashes, carrots, parsnips). In addition, the Metal element is associated with the color white and supporting foods like leeks and white onion are important.

As I mentioned earlier, this season is also associated with the Large intestine so it is wise to include fiber rich foods for the colon … and yes … in addition this is the season of letting go … letting go of things that no longer serve us physically and mentally. Beneficial foods are pulp of fruits, indigestible portion of foods, the bran of grains, cell walls of vegetables.

The flavor related to the Metal element is pungent. The pungent flavor is both protective, dispersing and cleansing for the Lungs and the Colon, exactly what they need now. To stay healthy, the stuck energy in the Lungs and Colon need to be dispersed. Pungent foods include all white vegetables, onions, garlic, hot peppers, chilies, cabbage, turnip, ginger, horseradish, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In addition to pungent flavored foods, it is also recommended to eat sour foods in moderation to balance out the Metal element of the body. Sour foods are lemon, vinegar, sourdough, leeks, aduki beans and fermented foods. You can add some pickles or kimchi to your meals.

In addition, golden-orange vegetables have protective benefits for the Lungs and the Colon as they are rich in beta-carotenes (provitamin A) content. These foods include carrots, winter squashes, pumpkins, broccoli, kale, turnip, mustard green.

Let’s remember this is the Harvest season! “We must be aware of its abundant yet contracting nature” that can be accomplished by eating more heartier and astringent foods. Astringent foods for the fall are cranberries, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, rosemary, turnip, potatoes, chestnuts, walnuts, pears, apples, spinach, burdock root, buckwheat, millet, buttermilk, whey, kale, chard, lavender, rose, grapes and many types of beans and lentils including black, mung and aduki beans, tur dal, urad dal etc.

To attune to the fall season, we need to make some changes in our eating and cooking habits. So we have grown all the foods that will be used now but we have to be thinking of the weather getting colder too. Also, we need to pay more attention to cooking now as more complex dishes are needed compared to the summer quick foods. Cook with less water at a lower heat for a longer period of time. It is getting colder so try to eat more heartier soups and warming dishes instead of the salads.

If you are looking for dishes to make during the fall season, please, click on the fall ‘keyword’ on the right and you should get all my fall recipes.

Sources

Written by twincitiesherbs.com.