How (& Why) To Eat More Vegetables

Winter Vegetables

By Joe Cowan

Director of Operations

We strive to eat as many different vegetables in as many varieties and colors as we can. During the long winter months in Maine, where fresh produce is very difficult to find, instead of importing produce from California or abroad, I opt for locally produced lacto-fermented vegetables and different flavors of sauerkraut. There are numerous farms and microprocessors close by us here in Maine. So, we have a large selection of flavors to choose from. Some of our favorites include red cabbage and garlic, sweet apple and pink sauerkraut, fermented beets, and a “Mermaid’s Blend” made with cabbage, carrots, and kelp, just to name a few. There are also a number of different flavored lacto-fermented hot sauces to choose from that round out our diet of vegetables. Additionally, Dr. Cowan’s Garden vegetable powders make it easier for us to eat a sufficient variety of vegetables throughout the year, especially our vegetable blends, such as our Threefold Slightly Sweet, Savory and Spicy, our Low Oxalate blend and our Root Medley.

The choice to eat locally produced fresh produce is an important one. The quality of something grown nearby, by someone you know personally, cannot be replaced. I belong to a CSA from Winslow Farm in Yarmouth, ME. The shares aren’t ready until roughly June, and even that is pretty early depending on weather. But in all, we are committed to consuming fresh and local vegetables, and increasing what we preserve from the harvest to fill the winter gaps.

We are in the process of writing another e-book, for publication later this year, on the subject of making the most from the harvest. If you have any suggestions or would like us to include specific techniques or recipes, please feel free to message me at joe@drcowansgarden.com.

Featured Recipe for Passover

With Passover coming at the end of the week, I’ve included a recipe below for making your own Matzo.

Sourdough Passover Matzo

Ingredients

400g sourdough starter (flour and water)

100g all-purpose flour + extra for dusting

300g water

10g Kosher salt

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Set a timer for 18 minutes. In a large bowl, mix the sourdough starter, all-purpose flour, water, and salt. Knead well for 5 minutes.
2. Cut into four dough balls with a bench knife, and roll around in extra flour with a rolling pin, as thin as possible, and then pierce with a fork. This should take 8 minutes.
3. Bake each one on separate baking sheets for 5 minutes. Don’t worry if they don’t look as uniform as factory made Matzo. As you can see from the photo, I didn’t have time to pierce them with a fork and they stuck a little bit.
4. Remove from the oven and share with friends and family, or save them for your Passover Seder.