Homegrown superfoods part 2
Superfood, superfood, superfood. You usually hear this term in connection with avocados or goji berries. And while there's certainly some truth to that, we shouldn't forget the price we pay for buying and consuming these supposed superfoods. So we thought we'd take a look around our own gardens and see which superfoods are native to our area. We already covered AM superfoods inPart 1 , and here's the sequel.
Nuts
I am: nutty ;-) crunchy, creamy
This is my superpower: I contain valuable polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, and minerals like calcium. So, I'm a pretty good source of protein.
Here's how you can enjoy me: I make a good, healthy snack between meals, but I also taste great in muesli, salads , smoothies, and much more. If you blend me with oil and water, you can then use me in sauces and spreads.
Physalis
I am: aromatic, sweet, sour and beautifully round :-)
This is my superpower: My orange fruits are full of vitamin C, iron, B vitamins and beta-carotene.
Here's how you can enjoy me: You can snack on my fruit straight from the bush. You'll know I'm ripe when the lantern surrounding my fruit turns light brown and has dried out. If you want to enjoy me during the winter, you can preserve my fruit using a dehydrator.
Purslane
I am: soooo delicious! You don't believe me? Well, then try me!
This is my superpower: I contain truly miraculous ingredients like vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids. I also contain vitamins A, B, E, iron, and zinc. Pretty versatile, right?
Here's how you can enjoy me: Fresh, I'm a great ingredient in mixed salads . Or you can cook me like spinach .
Quinces
I am: sweet and slightly bitter
This is my superpower: I'm rich in vitamin C and potassium. When winter approaches, I'm your natural cold blocker.
Here's how you can enjoy me: I honestly don't taste that great raw. But cooked down into juice or jam, I'm delicious. Kids especially love me as jelly.
rhubarb
I am: sweet and sour
This is my superpower: I contain valuable fruit acids, lots of vitamins and two superpowers with K: calcium and potassium.
How you can enjoy me: Although you can't eat me raw, there are still many ways to use me: cooked as porridge or compote, in cakes, in tarts or made into jam.
Sea buckthorn
I am: fruity; slightly sour aftertaste
This is my superpower: Vitamin C. I have a lot of it in me. Also a little vitamin B12 and essential oils. This is how I skillfully strengthen your immune system!
Here's how you can enjoy me: You definitely shouldn't eat me raw. But I taste delicious boiled down as juice or made into jam.
Jerusalem artichoke
I am: earthy
This is my superpower: I'm "the potato for diabetics" because I contain inulin and am very digestible. Furthermore, my superpowers, betaine, choline, and saponins, can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Here's how you can enjoy me: You can eat me raw or cook me like potatoes.
Last but not least: wild herbs
Even in the wild parts of the garden, there are true superfoods to which we should definitely pay more attention. We describe some of them in our article "Wild Defenses: Superfoods from Nature." Did you know, for example, that nettles contain more vitamin C than citrus fruits? So it's worth looking at plants from a different perspective!
Do you want even more superfoods?
You can find even more information about local superfoods in our Part 1 or in the Wayfair.de advice blog. There's also a guest post from us on the topic of "Harvesting and Using Herbs."
