One major reason I joined the CSA and decided to make
changes to my eating habits was to improve my health. While doing research and
trying to find the right things to add (or remove) from my diet, I noted that
inflammation would be triggered when I ate a lot of nightshade vegetables
(which were pretty much my favorites). Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and
potatoes (not sweet potatoes)
are all nightshades and while they don’t trigger my inflammation when I have
them in small doses, they can surely flare it up if I eat a lot of these
vegetables.
I am linking an article that explains the rationale behind
this here - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321745#anti-inflammatory-foods-
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/whats-the-deal-with-nightshade-vegetables/
This week, the vegetable box came with beautiful tomatoes
and while I will be eating some of them, I thought I would use this opportunity to share
with neighbors and let them know about the CSA. I will also share some
recipes for traditional sauces that are made with tomatoes that are nightshade
free. Hope you give them and try and enjoy experimenting with other vegetables
and flavors. Also, this is a great way to add more nutrient dense items to
sauces for your family.
So, if you can have as many tomatoes as you would like,
Tomato Confit is my favorite way to prepare them and add them to any recipe
that you may be preparing. I use this when I have a lot of tomatoes in hand to
preserve or if I want to give a fancy gift to someone. It is super easy to make
and feels special when you share some in a mason jar, sometimes I mix it with
garlic and switch herbs depending on what I have on hand. See recipe from Teri
Turner from Nocrumbsleft site here - https://nocrumbsleft.net/2016/02/10/tomato-confit/
On
the other hand, if you need to be off tomatoes or limit your intake,
here is an alternative to marinara sauce that 's not only delicious
but nutrient dense and very easy to make. You can make a big batch and
freeze
it as well. I love this sauce! I use it for pasta or lasagna and it has
lots of
nutrients from the carrots and beets. Feel free to experiment with the
seasonings to change to your liking, see recipe link here https://healmedelicious.com/classic-nomato-sauce-aip/
You can enjoy your tomatoes or find ways to satisfy your
cravings without them, in the end, enjoying more vegetables and experimenting
with them is the best culinary experience you can have while using all the CSA
veggies.
*****
Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html