Tomato or Nomato? by Jenny Pena

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.

 

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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