Photo by simple.human.bean
A few weeks ago, I began volunteering at Agua Dulce (http://aguadulceaustin.com/), a sustainable urban organic farm that utilizes an aquaponic system to grow much of their produce. Right when you walk into the greenhouse at the farm, you are overwhelmed by the vast shades of green. I never thought lettuce and herbs could be so beautiful.
I added “farmer girl” to my resume to get more in touch with the earth and my food. Agua Dulce is run by a few dedicated guys who truly believe in their mission--providing local healthy food to the community while reducing the carbon footprint and growing in an environmentally conscious way. Each Monday, I work with one of the owner’s of the farm as he directs a few of us to harvest the greenhouse lettuces with care and precision. My hands are covered in dirt as I gently cut the stems from each lettuce head almost as if I’m pruning large green roses.
When I’ve completed my work at the farm, I am gifted with fresh vegetables and lettuces for the time I’ve spent working there (seems like I got the better deal!). The farm is a treasure trove of delectable edible finds and lucky for me, I leave with vegetables that I’ve never seen before!
This week I received Tatsoi, aka mustard spinach, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy, an Asian green packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. Tatsoi is in the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family (mustard/cabbage family), specifically in the species Brassica rapa. Cruciferous vegetables contain a naturally occurring phytochemical called sulphoraphane, an inducer of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes which aid in cancer prevention, protects against oxidative stress and tissue damage, inhibits the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in vitro, and may be a possible therapeutic tool to protect against vascular damage in diabetes (part of this is due to its ability to suppress TNFalpha induced expression of adhesion molecules). Beyond sulphoraphane, Tatsoi has more vitamin C than an orange and it’s calcium content rivals milk. I can’t think of a much better veggie...a pretty amazing plant all around.
So how did I eat this nutritious plant? Well, because it tastes a lot like spinach, I lightly sauted it with cabbage and onions in olive oil. It has a mild mustard flavor, but the bitterness is negligible. I also added some leaves to my salad with sardines on top for some extra omega-3s.
I hope I’ve convinced you to go outside your comfort zone, and grab some of these guys at the grocery store or farmer’s market. WORTH IT.
References
Colonna, E., Rouphael, Y., Barbieri, G., & De Pascale, S. (2016). Nutritional quality of ten leafy vegetables harvested at two light intensities. Food Chemistry, 199702-710. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.12.068
USDA. Nutrient database for standard reference. Available from: <ww.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp> Accessed 13.02.18.
Yamagishi, S., & Matsui, T. (2016). Protective role of sulphoraphane against vascular complications in diabetes. Pharmaceutical Biology, 54(10), 2329-2339.