SUSTAINABLE COOKING

RECIPES

Respect for Nature

Contents

Introduction

“Food for Thought and Action “ by Arthur Kikuchi

KaleSwiss chardParsleyRadishesChivesFava beans (Broad beans)ZucchiniRunner BeansGarlicJerusalem artichokesGrainsNasturtiumsGreen Leaves of Root VegetablesPestosUltimately sustainable dishesSweet TreatsCoffee and Tea AlternativeEdible Native (and Wild) Food Plants

Sustainable cooking tips

Afterword

Appendixes

Resources

All right reserved. Download personal and educational purpose only.

Introduction

On our small farm on Pender Island, British Columbia, Canada, we are making every possible effort tomove towards a sustainable lifestyle. In our natural way of farming, we try to grow food more sustainably.Instead of relying on off- island inputs such as synthetic fertilizers, commercial potting soils, peat moss ormanure, we use natural resources available in our backyard garden, such as leaves from the trees, grassclippings, and anything else on our site to make natural compost.

For the same reason, I developed the following recipes using plants that we grow on our farm and that arepossible to grow in our temperate zone. Although the recipes may not be gourmet, they will provide youwith the wonderful taste of nature.

I am grateful to Clarice Bloomenthal for editing advice, to Julia and Gregory Nicholls for sharing theirbeautiful harvest, to Mae Moore and Lester Quitzau for Mason bee advice, to Nancy Silo for sharing herpottery skills, to Micha Rogg who changed our life style by teaching us how to make German- stylehealthy sour dough bread and sprouted bread, to Elizabeth Clarke for Tisanes (herbal infusions ) informa-tion, to many Pender Island local people for sharing huge amount of apples, pears, plums, grapes, hazelnutsand walnuts, to Michael Sketch for uploading information and to Julie Johnston for uploading the recipes.

Special thanks to my 10 years old son, Kenta, who photographed all the recipes so artistically and to 8years old daughter, Yoko, for all the illustrations.

Sanae KikuchiPender Island B.C., Canada

June, 2011

“Food for Thought and Action “ by Arthur Kikuchi

Experience the power of food

Looking back on my younger days, my diet and life style furnished a good example of howbad food directly affects the health of body and mind. To tell the truth, I used to eat whatwas considered “the first junk food” which contained lots of sugar, fat and many kinds ofchemical condiments. I thought I was not doing anything wrong because I was eating whatother people were eating in those days. Besides, after my dietary habits had already estab-lished, it was extremely difficult for me to change because my sense of taste did not allowme to quit eating unhealthy food– just like people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.While having been a defiant and impulsive student in my high school days, I suffered fromlots of bodily dysfunctions such as tonsillitis, tympanitis, nasal catarrh, conjunctivitis, rheu-matic fever, anemia and decayed teeth with lots of pain. Finally, at the age of 29, I was di-agnosed with nephritis at a national hospital in Tokyo and was afflicted with chronic feverand dropsically swollen hands and legs, all of which lasted over three years. I thought mysuffering would be fatal because no medical doctors at the hospital could tell me what thetrue cause of the diseases was and how to treat them.

However, I was fortunate enough to change my diet when I was invited to work on Ki-shima, which is a beautiful island in the Inland Sea of Japan. It is a designated nature pre-serve used as a seasonal nature camp for children and for the practice and research of Natu-ral Agriculture. With my impaired health condition, my job on the island was very simple:planting, harvesting and eating vegetables grown by the Natural Agricultural method whileplanting trees, raising free range chickens and looking after three dogs. I was happy to bereminded of the old days of farm life in my grandmother’s home town. Though I wasserved quite simple meals each passing day, I truly enjoyed farm fresh seasonal bountiesavailable on the Island and I could feel my diet and lifestyle moving back into harmonywith nature.

Besides, when I ate freshly picked fruits andvegetables grown in pure natural soil free fromsynthetic fertilizers and pesticides, I could feelfull of “life force energy” radiating from withinmy stomach to my entire body and at last, mydevastated health condition greatly improved inonly a few months. During this healing process,I experienced profound changes to my bodilysystems which resumed working in harmonywith each other and I finally came to realize thatthe strong life force energy that is emitted byfoods fresh from the field was the essentialsource of nutrition that helped strengthen true vitalityto sustain my life.

Kishima Island in September 1999

Furthermore, what I learned from Natural Agriculture on Kishima Island is that our con-sciousness and attitude play a crucial role in the quality of our food: The more love, thank-fulness and respect we give to the fundamental elements in our natural environment, such asthe sun, air, water, soil, and diverse life forms, the higher the nutritional value of food be-comes because our food comes from the physical and spiritual essence of those natural ele-ments, all of which are interconnected in the process of food production in nature.

Planting, harvesting, and eating – simple, but genuine in-volvement in a sustainable food production process on theIsland successfully reconnected me with the land, food andnature and I could finally return to the very starting point ofhuman life, from which abundant health and happiness hasbeen brought to the rest of my life.

What has happened to my home country - Japan?

As a father of four children, I am now considering seriously how I can ensure the health andwell-being of now and future generations. In order to learn from past errors, let me look intothe history and current situation of Japan in terms of “Food and Agriculture”.

Since the advent of rapid economic growth, from the mid 1950’s through the 1960’s, do-mestic farmlands under cultivation have been reduced through a national policy of the thengovernment and the number of agricultural households has also decreased because, in con-currence with further economic growth, the work force in Agriculture has shifted to theother industries. Because of this change, one farmer has to grow food for more than twentyJapanese households today and traditional family-based, small-scale Japanese agriculturehas shifted to industrialized mass production systems, which have polluted the Japaneseland and water with agricultural chemicals such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Besides, in exchange for allowing exportation of industrialproducts from Japan, the country has opened the market toimport agricultural products from around the world and foodimports in Japan have significantly increased. As a result, theself-sufficiency rate of cereals has lowered to less than 30%,with other agricultural and fishery products being reduced by20 to 50 % since 1965.

What are the repercussions of this increased reliance on an industrialized and globalizedfood system? What I have found is that as the Japanese people have lost their intimate rela-tionship with the land due to the changes in food systems, they have also lost their sense ofplace, the pleasures and unity of community and their traditional slow food culture. Unfor-tunately, this modification of the Japanese food system and culture has now been trans-formed into health problems such as we are currently facing today.

For example, the traditional Japanese diets of rice, vegetables, fish and miso soup are nowbeing replaced by, or mixed up with imported products. In fact, according to research doneby the Japanese government in 2005, the Japanese now tend to consume more fat and fewercarbohydrates and because of the dietary changes, statistics reveal that more and more peo-ple in Japan suffer from cancer, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease, justlike many North American people do.

Moreover, transporting food over long distances causes big problems; imported foods havea high risk of pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide contamination, which occur during foodproduction in foreign countries and through the food inspection process at the port of Japan.Agricultural produce with these chemical residues causes many illnesses such as atopic der-matitis.

Besides, food transported over long distances is more likely than locally produced food tobe tainted by synthetic food additives such as preservatives because the food has to be“preserved” or “processed” with those chemicals to transport or to keep it longer on a storeshelf. As you might know, many food additives used in the processed food production alsohave a high risk of causing food allergies, nerve damage, birth defects and cancer in con-sumers. In Japan, it is estimated that an ordinary Japanese individual consumes aroundeighty kinds of food additives per day through daily diet and ends up taking in the totalamount of four kilograms of additives per year. Perhaps this is one of the main reasons whythe morbidity rate for all cancers has been increasing since the 1960’s, when the Japanesefood system began to transform and the consumption of processed food skyrocketed.

Furthermore, it is widely reported that thoroughly refined, processed food with artificialcoloring, sweeteners, or flavoring such as junk snacks can adversely affect children’s men-tality and behavior, resulting in symptoms generally recognized as ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Because of these analyses, I am concerned that what ishappening to Japan must also be happening in many parts of the world, especially in Can-ada and the U.S.

Morbidity Rate for All Cancers(per 100,000 Japanese population)

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1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2002 2009

Moving towards a sustainable way of life

Is there a way to restore a healthier society on both a globaland locale scale?

Yes, there is and I think each one of us plays a vital role inchanging the food system so it can again become a moresustainable place to live for now and future genera-tions. How can we do it? I think what we eat and how wegrow food play a pivotal role in the system change.

First of all, as consumers, we would do better to support local growers by consuming local,seasonal food, not only because it is fresher, tastes great and is good for our health, but alsobecause we can preserve farmland and the surrounding natural environment. Furthermore,localization of food systems will develop a stronger local economy, re-establish a good con-sumer-producer relationship, secure a local food supply, and reduce greenhouse gases,which will all lead to a moderation of global climatic changes through the reduction of envi-ronmentally unfriendly long distance transportation systems in our society.

However, we do not have to end up being just a consumer. I think everyone could become“a small producer” and be involved in a food production process by growing one’s ownfood in a backyard garden, a community garden, a schoolyard garden or even a tiny spaceon a balcony. This simple action of planting seeds at home will help secure our food supplywhile reconnecting us to our intimate relationship with our regional food culture.

Let’s learn from nature

So, how can we grow food more sustainably? Before answering this question, let’s have alook at a natural forest surrounding our residence. At first, you may be amazed to see treesgrowing to such splendid heights and native shrubs and herbs proliferating without any hu-man interventions, such as plowing, planting, thinning, watering or fertilizing the soil.Then, if you take steps further into the woods and dig upthe forest ground, I’m pretty sure that you’ll find varietiesof soil organisms like earthworms, ground beetles, ants,spiders, centipedes and so on. Looking closely at aspoonful of soil through a powerful microscope, youwill also be surprised to see many kinds of micro faunaand flora, such as arthropods, hundreds of nematodes,protozoa, algae, fungi and millions of micro organisms.

Is there any significant reason why Mother Nature fostersso many kinds of plant and animal species, giving themthe means to proliferate in natural world? What are thosediverse life forms doing above and below ground in theforest?

When the seed of a plant sprouts in a forest, the roots penetrate the groundand reach down into the soil to draw up nutrients and water. As the plantgrows, the green leaves capture energy from sunlight to produce food bycarrying out photosynthesis. Then, at the turn of seasons, the plant shedsits leaves and the forest floor is covered by a rich blanket of plant litter.

After this primary food production, the living organisms in the forest playa role in recycling the organic matter which is actually products ofsunlight energy; they shred, decompose and mineralize plant residue in and on the soil tomake it available for themselves and for the plant communities in the forest. Through thisfunctional food production process, the soil organisms are also involved in the enhancementof soil structure, nutrient-holding, water-holding and water infiltration capacity by creatingsoil aggregates from soil particles, which benefit plants for the optimum growth of roots.

It is life’s transformational processes and the diverse webs of food in nature that makethe forest ecosystem remain dynamic, balanced and full of life. So, why don’t we learnfrom this self-sustaining process of nature and incorporate it into our food productionsystems to make our own way to growth and prosperity?

What are we doing on Pender Island, B.C. Canada?

In the spring of 2000, my wife and I started setting up asmall farm on Pender Island, British Columbia becausewe simply wanted to raise our children with healthyminds as well as sound bodies by nourishing them withsafe, fresh, nutritious food. We also believed that if eachindividual grows food even in a small kitchen garden, wewould be able to significantly reduce our ecological foot-prints on earth. We still have no fancy farming machinery,tractors or large acreage but we keep learning from themagic of natural processes in our surroundings and keeptrying a natural way of farming in the hope that we can grow food in a more sustainablemanner. We are also willing to share the real taste of food with a community of people tohelp them regain abundant health and happiness.

On our small farm on Pender Island, our primary objectiveis to keep the soil more natural and dynamic in order tomaximize its intrinsic forces. For that end, we mimic thecharacteristics of natural ecosystems and make the best useof natural resources found in our backyard forest, such asfallen leaves from the trees, to make natural compost. Wealso use grass clippings for mulching, which acts as a blan-ket, keeping the soil warm and moist, making it porous andless compacted while increasing the soil biodiversity.

Learning from nature, we put a layer of natural compostin our natural container garden, which is a raised bed encasedby natural wood slabs. Then, we wait for a few weeks until thenatural compost is mixed with the soil by hard-workingfriends of ours – earth worms, ground beetles, and any othersoil organisms living in the ground.

Once we feel the soil is ready,we plant kale, swiss chard, radishes, turnips, fava beans, peasand sun chokes in the early spring. These crops are very hardyand strong and therefore, they must be the right crops for ourregional climatic and soil conditions. Besides their extremelybetter flavor and taste, we can expectthat these crops will provide us withpowerful life energy and nutrition.

In our small greenhouse, my children simply broadcast a handful ofkale and oriental greens seeds over the raised planting bed. Theygrow vigorously and sometimes too densely throughout the yearand garden snakes sneak into the greenhouse to pick slugs and bugsfor us so we can enjoy the tasty veggies until the followingspring. As the season becomes warmer, we plant heritage beans,carrots, and squash in our outdoor raised bed garden.

For overwinter crops such as fava beans and garlic, whichwe usually plant in October, we apply zero-tillage or ascratch-plowing system using a simple tool such as a tradi-tional Japanese garden hoe. Then the soil aggregates canremain intact and act like a sponge to keep soil moistureduring the dry summer and to protect soil from erosion,water logging and nutrient leaching during the heavy rainyseason of the Island.

We find the natural system of raised beds with natural compost,reduced tillage and mulching by grass clippings allows soil todevelop its structure and create an ideal habitat and food forvarious life forms above and below ground. Thus, it makes theagro-ecosystem more diverse and functional, just like what wecan observe in the forest ecosystems. Besides, this natural foodproduction system releases no pollutants into the environmentand replaces external inputs such as commercial fertilizers,organic compost and pesticides with nutrient cycling andpredator-prey population regulating mechanisms.

The beauty of this natural system is that it requires only clean air, clean water, pure soil andthe energy of sunlight which is a renewable source of energy. This system also helps us toreduce the need for non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels by reducing the use of re-peated conventional horticultural practices such as intensive tillage, application of syntheticfertilizers, mechanical weeding and irrigation. Therefore, it works for everybody in theworld and even children can do it.

Recently, my children have built up their own naturalcontainer garden in our backyard. They can now plantand grow their own food and pick and taste the realflavor and power of food grown by pure natural soilthat they develop by working with diverse life forms inthe garden. It seems children have a natural ability tolearn how to grow food and they are now learning howto save seeds for the next planting season.

If we continue to care for the seeds we plant and save themfrom one generation to next, they will have the past, present,and future in their genetic memory and become more resilient toon-going global changes. And if we plant seeds with our love,thankfulness and respect for nature, the seeds will grow intofood that will in turn nourish our body, mind and spirit as if theywere conscious of our thoughts and emotions. These are thekinds of seeds I’d like to pass on to my children, their childrenand the next generations in my community.

KaleKale has been cultivated for more than 2000 years. It is very hardy and it suits any climate and soil conditions.Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables. It has a definite role to play in support of the body’s detoxification proc-esses. It is a food that one can count on for unsurpassed health benefits.Kale is available year round, but it best in the winter and colder months as the cold temperatures help to make theleaves sweeter. We could add chopped Kale liberally to many dishes.

Kale Peperontino Serves 4

8 cloves garlic peeled and crushed3/4 pound spaghetti4 red chili peppers seeded and cut into small pieces1 bunch finely chopped kale1 Tablespoon olive oil

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and stir. When garlic starts to steam and small bubbles appear,

reduce to low heat. Add chili. Turn off the heat. Stir in kale. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package direc-

tions. Drain. Add pasta to kale mixture. Stir briskly. Sea salt and pepper to taste.

Kale Salad (summer)

1 bunch kale finely chopped1 zucchini grated1 carrot grated1 Tablespoon parsley finely chopped1/4 cup olive oil1/2 cup cider vinegar3 cloves garlic peeled and minced1 Tablespoon miso

Remove stems from kale if desired. Chop fine. Toss together kale, zucchini and carrot. To make the dressing,

combine remaining ingredients in blender. All proportions can be varied to suit your taste. Garnish with lots of

nasturtium flowers and calendula petals.

Kale Salad (winter)

I bunch kale1/2 teaspoon olive oil1 Tablespoon cider vinegar1 Tablespoon lemon juice1 apple cored and diced1/4 cup dried cranberries

Rip the leaves of the kale apart into large bowl. (Remove stem) Add lemon juice and sea salt. Thoroughly mix byhand. Add oil and vinegar. Mix for another 2 minutes. Add apple and nuts just before serving.

Kale Pesto (Genovese) Makes 1 cup

1 bunch kale2 cloves garlic peeled and quartered1/3 cup walnuts (could use other nuts instead)1 Tablespoon olive oil

Drop kale in boiling water and cook uncovered for5 to 10 minutes depending on how you like it.Drain (reserve water) and cut finely.Place all ingredients into food processor. Pulse a few times, then process until fairly smooth. (Add some

reserved water from cooked kale to adjust the consistency.)

Kale Soup Serves 4

1 bunch kale2 large onions finely chopped2 teaspoons oil2 cups water1/3 cup cooked soybeans rinsed and drained.

Over low heat, cook the kale in a minimum of water until tender. Reserve any water. Cool the leaves and

chop. In large pot, sauté the onion in oil. Adds 2 cups water. Combine all ingredients in blender. Cover and

pulse on and off until the mixture starts to swirl evenly. Blend on high for 20 seconds. Bring to a boil. Sea

salt and pepper to taste.

Kale African Wrap Serves 4

2 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter1 Tablespoon honey2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil2 Tablespoons soy sauce1 bunch kale1 large yam cut into thick strips1 cup steamed brown rice4 tortillas

Combine peanut butter, honey, oil and soy sauce to make peanut sauce. Drop kale in boiling water. Cookuncovered for 5 minutes or until soft enough to bite off. Drain and cool. Squeeze out any excess liquid.Steam or bake yam until tender.Arrange yam, kale, brown rice and peanut sauce on the tortilla. Roll up. (Tortilla will be very full.)

Kale Smoothie Makes 1 drink

1 pear cored and cut small1 apple cored and cut small1 cup kale finely chopped3/4 cup yogurt or soymilk2 Tablespoons honey1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in blender. Cover and pulse on and off until the mixture starts to swirl evenly.Blend on high for 20 seconds or until the drink is completely smooth. All proportions can be varied to suityour taste.

Kale Chips (Baked)

1 bunch kale1 Tablespoon olive oil1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven 350 degrees (F). Line non insulated cookie sheet. Remove leaves from thick stems and tearinto bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Dizzle kale with olive oil and sprin-kle with sea salt. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt. (10 to 15 minutes)

Kale Chips (Raw)

Use same ingredients as baked one.Remove leaves from thick stems. Tear into bite size pieces. Wash

and dry kale. Dizzle kale with olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt. Place kale

on tray of dehydrator. (Do not overlap.) Set temperature 110 degrees

(F), about 1 hour.

Swiss Chard

Chard is a tall leafy green vegetable. Chard belongs to the same family as beets and spinach and shares asimilar taste profile with a flavor that is bitter, pungent and slightly salty. Swiss chard is truly one of thevegetable valedictorians with its exceptionally impressive list of health promoting nutrients. Swiss chardcould be harvested throughout the year.Swiss chard isn’t native to Switzerland. Its actual homeland lies further south, in the Mediterranean region;

in fact, the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, wrote about chard in the fourth century B.C.

Lentils with Oyster Mushrooms and Swiss Chard Serves 5 to 6

1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil1 cup oyster mushrooms sliced1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onions1 clove garlic peeled and finely chopped1 cup French lentils1 bunch Swiss chard chopped (about 6 cups)

Melt butter in a skillet. Set over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned. Re-

move mushrooms from pan and reserve. Reduce heat to medium and add shallots and garlic to the pan.

Cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium- low.

Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes or until most of water has been absorbed and lentils are tender but still whole.

Stir in reserved mushrooms and Swiss chard. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes or until the

Swiss chard is wilted.

Swiss Chard Namul (Korean Sesame) Serves 3 to 4

1 bunch Swiss chard2 cloves garlic peeled and minced1 Tablespoon soy sauce1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

In a small pan or skillet, heat sesame seeds on medium heat, shaking pan occasionally. (about 3 to 5 min-utes) Remove sesame seeds when they darken and become fragrant. (You do not need to use oil.)

Steam Swiss chard about 5 minutes or until chard is wilted. Drain. Squeeze out any excess liquid.Toss in a large bowl with garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and Swiss chard. Add sea salt if you want.Sprinkle sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.

Curried Swiss Chard Serves 4

1 bunch Swiss chard1 Tablespoon safflower oil1 teaspoon cumin seeds ground1 teaspoon coriander ground1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ground1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped1 clove garlic peeled and finely chopped1/2 inch ginger peeled and finely chopped2 ripe medium fresh tomatoes (or canned) finely chopped1 teaspoon turmeric1/2 fresh chili pepper finely chopped.3 Tablespoons yogurt (or water)1/2 cup water1/4 cup hazelnuts quartered (or other nuts instead)

Steam Swiss chard about 5 minutes or until chard is wilted. Drain. Chop finely.Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat .When hot, add cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Stir once and addonion, ginger and garlic. Stir until onion just starts to brown. Add tomatoes, turmeric and chili. Stir and cook 5minutes. Add water and yogurt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook gently for 15 minutes. Add Swiss chardand nuts. Puree with blender. Bring to a boil. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.Garnish with cilantro. This Swiss chard dish goes well with steamed rice and some chutney or relish.

You can use any green vegetables instead of Swiss chard.

Swiss Chard Miso Gravy Rice Bowl Serves 4

1 Tablespoon sesame oil3 Tablespoons whole wheat flour2 cups hot (but not boiling) water4 Tablespoons miso3 cups steamed brown rice1 bunch Swiss chard finely chopped1/2 cup green onion chopped1/2 cup sunflower sprouts ( or other sprouts)

Dissolve miso in hot water and put mixture aside. Immediately, heat up oil on medium high. Once hot, addflour and mix thoroughly. After that mixture is good and hot, add miso water mixture. Stir frequently untilit’s of gravy consistency. This should happen in less than 5 minutes. Turn off heat and put on pot lid tokeep it warm.Serve rice in warmed bowls. Decorate vegetables and sprouts on rice. Pour warm miso gravy over vegeta-

bles.

Parsley

Parsley is native to the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe. It is a hardy biennial. It self seeds aroundthe garden. It’s loaded with vitamin C, iron, iodine and magnesium.We can harvest it for long seasons. Especially in spring, it will be one of the most precious vegetables in thegarden. We can add parsley liberally to many culinary dishes and use it as a lively garnish. It is veryHANDY.

Quinoa Salad Serves 4-5

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa, (rinsed anddrained)1 3/4 cups water2 cups finely chopped parsley1/2 cup finely chopped green onion1/2 cup dried cranberries3 teaspoons lemon juice1 Tablespoon olive oil2 cloves of garlic minced

In a saucepan combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer covered, about 15 minutesor until liquid is absorbed.

Transfer quinoa to a medium bowl. Add parsley, green onion, dried cranberries, lemon juice, olive oiland garlic. Stir to combine. Add sea salt to taste.

Couscous salad Serves 4

1 cup couscous (uncooked)1 cup water (or vegetable broth)1 large onion finely chopped1 teaspoon oil1/2 teaspoon ground cumin1/2 teaspoon ground coriander1/2 teaspoon turmeric2 cloves garlic minced1/2 cup dried currants1/2 cup chickpeas (steamed, drained)1/2 cup hazelnuts1 cup finely chopped parsley

In a saucepan combine couscous and water (or broth). Bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat. Let stand 5minutes.Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add onion and sauté about 3 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric andcouscous. Remove from heat. Add raisins, chickpeas, hazelnuts, garlic and parsley. Stir to combine. Add seasalt to taste.

Orzo Pasta Salad Serves 2

1/4 pound dried orzo pasta (8ounces)1/4 cup feta cheese, cubed1/2 Tablespoon olive oil2 teaspoons lemon juice1 clove garlic, peeled and minced1 cup parsley finely chopped2 Tablespoons nasturtium capers ( see nasturtiumpage)1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Rinse with cold water, drain again. Transfer pasta to alarge bowl.Add feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, nasturtium capers and turmeric. Stir to combine.Add sea salt to taste.(Add 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives if desired)* nasturtium capers : see nasturtium page

Parsley Pesto

See the Pesto page

Radishes

Radishes with Chive Miso Dressing

2 Tablespoons miso

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon finely chopped chives

To make dressing, mix all ingredients. Serve with washed, fresh radishes.

Baked Radishes

10 radishes split in half with leaves1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil1 teaspoon lemon juice

Heat a griddle over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles gently across the surface. Cook each radishuntil the bottom is slightly brown. Flip and cook until the other side is slightly brown. Add butter and lemonjuice. Pour radishes into a warm serving plate and serve.

Radishes were a well-established crop in Greek and Roman times, which leads to the assumption that it wasbrought into cultivation at an earlier time; there are almost no archeological records available to help determineits earlier history and domestication. Wild forms of the radish and its relatives, the mustards and turnips, can befound over west Asia and Europe, suggesting that their domestication took place somewhere in that area. InEgypt, ancient writing has shown they were cultivated before the building of the pyramids.Radishes mature rapidly, with many varieties germinating in 3-7 days and reaching maturity in three to fourweeks.Radishes are generally used as a garnish or salad, but they are much more than just a garnish.

Radish and Parsnip Soup Serves 4

1 medium onion sliced2 teaspoons oil2 cups radishes cubed½ cup parsnip cubed3 cups water or vegetable stock2 Tablespoons soy sauce

In large pot, sauté onion in oil. Adds radishes, parsnips and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, cov-ered about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add soy sauce. Sea salt and pepper to taste. Garnish withparsley.

*Peel four red radishes very thinly and roll them up. They will be beautiful rose shape toppings.

Crushed Tofu and Radish Salad

1 block firm tofu, drained well1/4 cup kale boiled and well drained, chopped

2 cups radishes cut into thin strips

1/2 cup carrots cut into thin strips

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Wrap tofu with paper towels and place it on a flat tray. Put a cutting board or a flat plate on top the tofu and letsit for about 15 minutes. Lightly squeeze tofu in a cotton cloth to drain out excess water. Strain tofu through astrainer into a large bowl. Set aside.

Sprinkle salt over radishes and carrots. Squeeze out any excess liquid.

In a small pan or skillet, heat sesame seeds on medium heat, shaking pan occasionally.( You do not need to useoil.) Remove sesame seeds when they darken and become fragrant. (about 3 to 5 minutes)

Place sesame seeds in food processor. Pulse a few times. Add tofu, honey and soy sauce. Pulse a few times, thenprocess until all ingredients are incorporated into a paste-like sauce.

Mix vegetables with sauce. Sea salt to taste.

Radish Dip Makes 1 1/2 cup

1 1/2 cups radishes cubed

Vegan Mayonnaise

half block firm tofu well drained

1 small clove garlic

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil and /or safflower oil

Place radishes in food processor. Pulse a few times, then process until fairly smooth. Lightly squeeze radishes in acotton cloth to drain out excess water. Set aside.

To make vegan mayonnaise, place tofu, garlic, mustard and vinegar in food processor. Process until fairlysmooth. Add oil and process.

Add radishes and mix well. Sea salt and pepper to taste.

* Roll up the dip with young greens.( kale, Swiss chard, mizuna, komatsuna etc.) It tastes great.

Radish Carving (flower)

Use a sharp knife to cut away petal shapesfrom the top of the radish. Remove some ofthe white at the top. Make lower cuts inradish as well. See illustrations. Soak incold water so flower shape will open.

Make lines Remove Cut four sides Cut off peel on four lower sides

Chives

Chives are native to Europe, Asia and North America. They are a perennial and very easy to grow.Cut the chive leaves with scissors when required. The leaves rapidly grow back and can be cut severaltimes in the growing season.In culinary uses, chives leaves are shredded for use as a garnish, in soup and in salad, but there is much,much more.

Creamy Chive Sauce Serves 4

1 Tablespoon flour2 teaspoons olive oil1/2 medium onion finely chopped1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock1/3 cup vegan sour cream1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard1/2 cup chives finely chopped

Vegan Sour Cream Makes 1/3 cup1/4 block tofu well drained1 teaspoon lemon juice1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

TO MAKE VEGAN SOUR CREAM-

Place tofu, lemon juice and vinegar in food processor or blender. Process several minutes until very creamyand smooth. (If your blender didn’t work because there is not a large enough amount to run it, you can addwater (or stock) to the sauce to make this sauce.) Set aside.

TO MAKE SAUCE- Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring constantly andscraping up any browned bits, until golden brown. Sprinkle with flour; stir to coat. Add broth. Bring to aboil. Stir often. Stir in vegan sour cream and mustard until smooth.

Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chives just before serving.

* This sauce is good with steamed Swiss chard or asparagus.

TO COOK SWISS CHARD- Steam young leaves of Swiss chard

about 5 minutes or until chard is wilted. Drain. Squeeze out any

excess liquid. Roll up each leaf.

Tofu Steak with Chives Serves 4

1 block tofu2 cups chives cut 1 inch long1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil1/2 cup water2 Tablespoons soy sauce1 Tablespoon potato peeled and cut into tinycubes

Wrap tofu with paper towels and place it on a flat tray. Put a cutting board or a flat plate on top of the tofu andlet sit for about 15 minutes. Lightly squeeze tofu in a cotton cloth to drain out excess water and slice.Mince potato with garlic masher and mix with water and soy sauce.Heat a griddle over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles gently across the surface. Lightly oil the sur-face and drop on tofu. Cook tofu until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook until the other side is goldenbrown. Add chives and potato mixture. Stir and cook until the water is of soup consistency.

*The small amount of potato is a substitute for corn starch and helps to thicken the soup. When we stay awayfrom corn starch, we can reduce the consumption of energy used in : processing, packing, transportation… andwe can stay away from GMO’s.

Dumplings Makes 16 pieces

Filling1/2 cup soy beans cooked and drained1/2 cup carrots grated1 cup chives finely chopped1 small clove garlic minced1/2 inch ginger finely chopped1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil1 teaspoon cider vinegar1 Tablespoon soy sauceDumpling Dough1/2 cup stone ground whole wheat flour1/2 cup unbleached flour3 1/2 Tablespoons water

Mix whole wheat and white wheat well. Slowly stir in water. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Cover doughand let it rest.While the dough is resting, prepare filling. Sprinkle sea salt onto carrots and squeeze to remove excess wa-ter. Place soy beans into blender and pulse many times until crushed to pieces. In a bowl, mix all filling ingre-dients.To make dumpling dough: knead dough until it forms a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll eachpiece out into 5” x 10”. Cut into 5”x 2 ½ “.Place a small portion (about 1/2 Tablespoon) of filling into the middle of each wrapper. Fold the dough over thefilling into a long rectangle shape and pinch the edges to seal. Continue with the remainder of the dumplings.Heat griddle over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles gently across the surface. Lightly oil (about 1Tablespoon of toasted sesame oil) the surface and add dumplings. Cook until the bottom is golden brown-about 10 minutes. Heat up griddle to maximum. Pour 1/3 cup water and cover griddle. Cook until all the wateris evaporated.

Fava Beans (Broad Beans)

Fava beans have a long tradition of cultivation in Old World Agriculture, being among the most ancientplants in cultivation and also among the easiest to grow.Fava beans are nitrogen fixers, which means they can be grown as cover crops that add both nitrogen andorganic matter to soil. They also have deep taproots that break up compacted soils.Fava beans are harvested for fresh eating when the seeds swell in the green pods.Properly cooked fresh-shelled favas have a sweet, buttery taste.Young seeds can be eaten raw. Fava beans are a significant protein source for raw food eaters.Boiling and steaming shelled favas is the easiest way to eat them. Dizzle with olive oil, lemon juice,minced garlic or herbs of your choice.

Grilled Fava Beans

Place fava beans with pods (no shelling) on grill. Cook fava beans onboth sides until the pods are slightly burned. Shell fava beans. Eat withgood quality sea salt.

Pasta with Fava Beans Sauce Serve 4-5

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil1 clove garlic minced ( or garlic scapes)1 Tablespoon oregano finely chopped1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock2 cups cooked fava beans1 Tablespoon soy sauce3/4 pound dried fetttuccine or other pasta

1 Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and sauté briefly until brown. Stir in oregano. Addwater. Bring to a boil. Add fava beans. Simmer about 3 minutes.

2 Scrape into blender container and puree until smooth. Add soy sauce. Sea salt and pepper to taste.3 Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Pour pasta into a warm serving bowl

and add sauce.

Fava Beans Spread Makes 1 1/2 cups

2 cups shelled fava beans2 garlic scapes finely chopped 1 Tablespoon olive oil2 green onions finely chopped 1 teaspoon lemon juice2 stalks cilantro finely chopped

Boil or steam fava beans 1-10 minutes until tender. Drain. Place all ingredientsin a food processor. Pulse a few times, then process until fairly smooth or to the desired consistency.Sea salt and pepper to taste.

All the vegetables in this recipe can be harvested at the same time in a home garden. Can be frozen.

ZucchiniZucchini is a popularly cultivated summer squash. Most squash are heavy feeders which means they need alot of fertilizer and organic matter to grow. However zucchini can be grown with just a little natural fertil-izer.( such as grass and leaves compost ) It is one of the easiest vegetables to cultivate in temperate cli-mates.

Zucchini can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steaming, boiling, grilling, stuff-ing, baking, barbecuing, frying.

Zucchini Pasta with Basic Basil Pesto (Raw Food) Serve 4

2 medium size zucchini2 bunches fresh basil leaves1/4 cup walnut pieces (could use other nuts instead)2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 Tablespoons water1 large clove garlic peeled and quartered

1 Slice and cut zucchini into long, thin spaghetti shapes.2 Place basil, walnut, oil, water, garlic in a food processor.Pulse a few times, then process until fairly smooth or to thedesired consistency. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.3 Mix with zucchini.

Zucchini Relish Makes 9 cups

3 pounds zucchini cut up1 medium sweet pepper cut up1 large onion cut up2 Tablespoons salt5 Tablespoons honey2 teaspoons mustard seeds1 teaspoon celery seeds (or dill seeds)2 teaspoons turmeric or curry powder1 cup cider vinegar1 teaspoon sea salt

1 Place vegetables in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons salt. Stir well. Cover and chill overnight.Rinse well in colander under running water. Drain.

2 In a large pot, stir together honey, mustard, celery seeds and turmeric. Stir in vinegar. Bring to a boil, stir-ring to dissolve honey. Stir in vegetables. Return mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.Drain and save the liquid.3 In the same pot, stir the liquid and sea salt. Bring to a boil, stirring very frequently until there is very littleliquid. Stir in vegetables. Remove from heat.4 Ladle hot relish into hot, sterilized half pint jars, leaving a 1/2 inch head-space. Wipe jar rims and adjustlids. Process in boiling water canner for 5 minutes for half-pint or 10 minutes for pints. ( starting when waterbegins to boil.)

* The evaporation process makes the relish become sweeter with a minimum use of honey.

Zucchini Sweet and Sour Serve 4

1 medium onion chopped1 clove garlic finely chopped2 teaspoons safflower oil4 ripe medium tomatoes chopped (or 1medium can of to-matoes )2 medium zucchini cut up1 cup chickpeas boiled and drained1 Tablespoon vinegar1 Tablespoon honey

In non stick pot, cook onion and garlic in oil over medium heat about 3 minutes or until tender, stirring fre-quently. Stir in tomatoes. Simmer about 5 minutes. Stir zucchini and chickpeas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat.Simmer, covered about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add vinegar, honey, salt and pepper totaste.

Served with cooked quinoa or brown rice.

Curried Zucchini Serve 6

1/2 teaspoon cumin seed1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds1 Tablespoon safflower oil2 medium onion chopped3 cloves garlic finely chopped1/2 inch ginger peeled and finely chopped3 medium zucchini cubed1 yam cubed1 sweet pepper cut small1 carrot cut small1 cup kidney beans boiled and drained2 cups water2 teaspoons curry powder

Fresh cilantro leaves

Grind cumin and coriander seeds in coffee grinder.Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. When hot,put in cumin and coriander. Stir once and add onionand ginger. Stir fry until onion just starts to brown.Add all vegetables, beans, and curry powder. Stir andcook 5 minutes. Add water. Bring to a boil. Reduceheat. Simmer, covered about 20 minutes or untilvegetables are tender. Add sea salt to taste.

Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Runner Beans

Green beans and other beans, such as kidney beans, navy beans and black beans are all known scientificallyas Phaseolus vulgaris. They are all referred to as "common beans," probably owing to the fact that they all de-rived from a common bean ancestor that originated in Peru.Green beans contain important amounts of the antioxidant mineral manganese and they support bone health.

Green Bean Stir Fry

1 Tablespoon safflower oil1 block tofu1/2 cup carrots chopped and sliced1/2 pound green beans trimmed and chopped1 small zucchini chopped2 Tablespoons soy sauce1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Wrap tofu with paper towels and place it on a flat tray. Put a cutting board or a flat plate on top the tofu and letsit for about 15 minutes. Lightly squeeze tofu in a cotton cloth to drain out excess water. Cut into cubes.

Heat a griddle over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles gently across the surface. Cook each piece oftofu in safflower oil until the bottom is slightly brown. Flip and cook until the other side is slightly brown. Re-peat until all the surfaces are brown. Transfer tofu to dish and set aside. Stir carrots, green beans, and zucchiniabout 5 minutes or until they are slightly wilted. Add tofu, soy sauce and sesame oil. Sea salt to taste.

If you use garlic soy sauce (see garlic page) instead of soy sauce, add 1 clove of soy sauce pickled garlicminced. It will enhance the taste very much.

Green Beans with Goat Cheese Salad

1 lb green beans boiled and chopped2 medium tomatoes sliced1 clove garlic minced1 Tablespoon olive oil1 teaspoon lemon juice1/4 cup goat cheese crumbled

Grill tomatoes about 5 minutes or until the surface is slightly brown.

To make dressing, combine garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Toss together green beans, goat cheese anddressing. Sea salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with grilled tomatoes.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Chill before serving.

Creamy Vegan Chowder without Corn Serves 4

Corn is an extremely heavy feeder. It is absolutely impossible to grow without any external imput (such aschemical fertilizer and manure) in the temperate zone home garden. Also, most conventional corn is ge-netically modified. Corn pollen will blow long distances and even non GMO organic corn will be GMO.There is no way for them to be certified as being free of GMOs.

In this chowder, green beans will make a corn-like texture and sprouted wheat makes a sweet taste.

1/2 cup wheat berries1 Tablespoon safflower oil1 small onion finely chopped1 cup zucchini chopped1/2 cup carrots chopped1 cup green beans cut small2 cups vegetable stock (or water and 1 vegetable bouillon)1/2 cup water1/4 block tofu2 dashes of cider vinegar1 dash crushed red chili pepper

Soak wheat berries for 8 hours or overnight. Put them in your sprouting trays or a large glass jar. Then rinseand drain the berries two times a day for the next 32 hours or until the wheat berries have sprouted ¼ inchtails.Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook until just slightly golden. Transfer to a dish andput aside. Stir in zucchini, carrots, green beans and stock; cook until tender.Combine wheat berries, water, onion and tofu in blender. Cover and pulse on and off until the mixture startsto swirl evenly. Add the mixture into soup. Bring to a boil. Add a dash or two of vinegar and chili pepper.Sea salt and pepper to taste.

If your potatoes are ready to harvest, you can add the potatoes to the chowder. If you need a thicker consistency without potatoes, double the sprouted wheat.

Black Bean Salad Serves 6 to 8

1 cup wheat berries (sprouted or cooked)1 1/2 cups black beans cooked and drained3 cups green beans steamed and cut very small3 ripe fresh tomatoes diced1 cup cilantro chopped1 lime juice (or 2 TBS. lime and/or lemon juice)1 Tablespoon olive oil1 small clove garlic minced

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

Garlic

Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating back to whenthe Egyptian pyramids were built.There are different types or subspecies of garlic, most notably hard neck types and soft neck types.Hard neck varieties can last longer, stored in a cool, dry place. Eat them whenever you want. Soft neck garlicdoes not last long. After harvesting, use them up quickly.Garlic is usually grown with rich soil containing plenty of humus. However, it is possible to grow in poor,

natural soil. It will be small and have fewer cloves. This garlic will be very strong and have a concentrated

taste.

Garlic Soy Sauce

In sterilized jar, put any amount of garlic and soy sauce. Adjust lid.The soy sauce can be eaten after 1 week. Garlic can be eaten after 1month. This Garlic Soy Sauce will last many years.Use garlic soy sauce to stir fry or in any dishes which required soy

sauce. It will enhance the taste very much.

Garlic Miso

Mix any amount of miso and garlic cloves freely. Put the mixture intosterilized jar and adjust lid.Miso can be eaten after 1 week. Garlic can be eaten after 1 month. This

Garlic Miso will last many years in fridge.

Garlic Miso Dressing1 clove miso pickled garlic minced6 Tablespoons garlic miso1 Tablespoon honey1 Tablespoon hot water

Mix all ingredients well. Toss together with your favorite garden vegetables.*Spread this dressing on sliced tofu and broil for 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly burned.

Garlic Chips

20 cloves garlic2 Tablespoons olive oil

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and fry for 10 minutes or until chips turn golden

brown. (Don’t allow to get too brown.) Drain on paper towels. Can be stored in air tight container at room

temperature for 1 to 2 days. Use as a garnish for soup and salad or sprinkle with sea salt and eat as a snack.

Kale with Garlic Chips Serves 4

10 cups kale chopped5 cloves garlic peeled and sliced thin2 Tablespoons oil

Pour olive oil into a large skillet and add garlic. Turn on stove to medium-low heat and allow garlic and oilto heat together. When bubbles appear, flip garlic and cook until it turns golden brown. (Do not allow toget too brown.) Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Add kale to the skillet. Cook and stir only one minute.Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve kale immediately with the garlic chips sprinkled over top.

*This dish can be a bed for grilled tofu.*Eaten with angel hair pasta tossed in a tiny bit of olive oil tastes great, too.

Garlic Soup Serves 4

1 medium onion finely chopped10 cloves garlic sliced1 Tablespoon oil3 cups water1 Tablespoon soybeans3-4 bay leaves1 teaspoon parsley finely chopped1 teaspoon thyme finely chopped1 yam cubed1 medium zucchini cubed

In non stick pot, sauté onion and garlic in oil. (Don’t allow to get too brown.) Add rest of ingredients.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer about 15 minutes or until tender. Combine all the ingredients in a

blender. Cover and pulse on and off until the mixture starts to swirl evenly. Blend on high for 20 seconds.

Bring to a boil. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Jerusalem Artichokes (Sun Chokes)

Roasted Jerusalem artichokes

Slice ½ inch thick, toss with olive oil, roast until slightly soft. (350F. 5-8 minutes) Add a little bit oflemon juice.The crispy exterior vs. creamy interior is heavenly when you bite into them.

Jerusalem Artichokes with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

1/2 pound Jerusalem artichokes cut into thick strips2 teaspoons safflower oil2 Tablespoons cider vinegar1 Tablespoon soy sauce1 Tablespoon honey1 Tablespoon old fashioned mustard

In non stick pot, cook Jerusalem artichoke in oil over medium heat about 1 minute. (Do not overcook.) Addvinegar, soy sauce and honey. Stir over high heat about 1 minute. Remove artichokes and put aside. Stir re-maining liquid frequently on high heat until there’s very little liquid. Turn off the heat. Stir artichokes again.Add mustard.

* The evaporation process makes the artichoke become sweeter with minimum use of honey.The crispy texture is heavenly with the sweet taste.

Jerusalem Artichokes Salad

½ pound Jerusalem artichokes cut into thin strips1 small carrot cut into thin strips½ cup kale finely chopped1 Tablespoon miso1 Tablespoon lemon juice1 Tablespoon honey1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil1 Tablespoon hempseeds

Toss together Jerusalem artichokes, carrot and kale.To make dressing, mix miso, lemon juice, honey and sesame oil.Sprinkle hempseeds on top. All proportions can be varied to suit your taste.

Jerusalem artichokes are natives of Massachusetts United States. They were first cultivated by the NativeAmericans long before the arrival of the Europeans.The tubers have a consistency much like potatoes, but a sweeter, nuttier flavor. Raw and sliced thinly, theyare fit for a salad. The tubers have a tendency to become soft and mushy if boiled.They contain inulin which gives the body many health benefits. However the inulin is not well digested forsome people, leading in some cases to flatulence and gastric pain. In this case, soak chopped or sliced Jerusa-lem artichokes in water over 30 minutes, rinse and drain, then use it for cooking.For preparing Jerusalem artichoke, you don’t have to peel all the skin. Just give them a scrub in water.

Jerusalem Artichokes Soup

1 pound Jerusalem artichokes cubed1 medium onion finely chopped1 teaspoon safflower oil3 cups water1/2 cup boiled soybeans, rinsed and drained( Can use other beans or nuts instead)

In non stick pot, sauté onion in oil. Add 3 cups water and Jerusalem artichoke. Bring to a boil. Reduce

heat. Simmer about 15 minutes or until tender. Add soybeans. Combine all the ingredients in a blender.

Cover and pulse on and off until the mixture starts to swirl evenly. Blend on high for 20 seconds. Bring to

a boil. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Jerusalem Artichokes and Potato

1 pound (Jerusalem artichokes and potatoescombined) cubed1/4 cup water4 garlic cloves, unpeeled1 Tablespoon boiled soybeans (Can useother beans or nuts instead)1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 Place unpeeled garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon water in a pie pan and broil for 5 to 10 minutes or un-til garlic are soft. (Don’t burn.) Remove pie pan from oven and set aside to cool.2 Meanwhile, in a large pot, place Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes covered with water and cookover medium heat for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Transfer Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes tomixer and set aside for 5 minutes to dry.3 Using fingers, squeeze garlic from their skins and mash.4 Combine soybeans and 1/4 cup water in blender. Cover and pulse on and off until the mixture startsto swirl evenly. Blend on high for 20 seconds, or until soybeans are completely smooth.5 Combine all the ingredients and whip until smooth. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

* Add 1 tablespoon melted butter if desired

Dehydrate sliced Jerusalem artichokes and rehydrate. The taste will be changed but even better.

( by Micha Rogg)

Grains

Grains are one of our basic foods that will last forever. Growing a small patch of grains once can be very

satisfying. They are very easy to grow, like the grass in your lawn.

You can buy grain berries at a health food store.

Red Fife Wheat

Red fife wheat is the original wheat that pioneers brought to Canada. Nowadays, most wheat varieties are

bred for large harvest and disease tolerance. The original seeds are adapted to a broad diversity of growing

conditions. It’s best to stay with the original species rather than the hybrids.

Kamut

Kamut wheat is thousands of years old. 36 grains of Kamut were found in an Egyptian tomb in the late nine-

teenth century, so for more than 2000 years, human beings missed the taste of Kamut. The Egyptian word

Kamut means “soul of Earth”.

Basic Stove top Whole Grain Makes 2 cups

1 cup grain berries (wheat, barley, kamut, and oats)2 ½ cups water

In a saucepan, combine grain and water. Bring to a boil, reduceheat. Simmer, covered about 1 hour or until liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let it stand a few min-utes.Add sea salt and fluff with wooden spoon.Cooked grains are a satisfying meal with butter, soy sauce or other seasoning. Their flavor is enhanced withyour choice of herbs and garlic.They enrich soups, stews and salad.*Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Sprouting Grains

Soak grains over night. Rinse them twice a day for two days. They will be a raw food with a soft crunchy texture

and rich sweet taste. They enrich soups, stews and salad.

wheat (left) and kamut (right),two days after soaking

Wheat Berry Salad

2 Tablespoons lemon juice1/3 cup dried cranberries2 cups cooked wheat berries (or other grains)1 apple diced small1/2 cup hazelnuts (or other nuts) coarsely chopped1 Tablespoon cider vinegar1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Wheat berry salad with mustard, mache,

miner’s lettuce and pepper grass.

Combine juice and cranberries in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes.Combine wheat berries, apple and nuts in a large bowl. Drain cranberries. Reserve juice. Stir cranberriesinto wheat berry mixture.Whisk reserved juice, vinegar and oil in a small bowl and add to the salad. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Soak over night Drain Rinse twice a day

Put a piece of news paper on top

Red Fife Wheat and Kale Pancakes

1 cup fresh stone ground whole wheat flour1/2 cup unbleached white flour1 1/ 2 cups water1/2 inch ginger peeled and grated4 cups finely chopped kale1 cup finely chopped carrots1 egg2/3 cup tomatoes crushed1 Tablespoon honey2 Tablespoons cider vinegar2 Tablespoons soy sauce( 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise)

In a large bowl, whisk flour water and ginger until no dry flour is visible. Mix kale, carrots and egg.In a small saucepan, combine rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil to make sauce. Stir in, 1 Tablespoon mayon-naise( if desired) when sauce is cool.Heat a griddle over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles gently across the surface. Lightly oil the sur-

face and drop the batter by generous tablespoon. Cook each pancake until the bottom is golden brown and

edges look dry (about 10 minutes). Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. Serve immediately with

sauce.

Sprouted Wheat Bread Serves 4

1 cup wheat berries1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Soak wheat berries for 8 hours or overnight. Put them in your sprouting trays or a large glass jar. Then rinseand drain the berries two times a day for the next 32 hours or until the wheat berries have sprouted ¼ inch tails.Important: Make sure the berries are well drained before processing into dough. (Don’t rinse after they are fin-ished sprouting.)Place the sprouted wheat berries into food processor and pulse until the berries resemble bread dough andform a ball around the food processor blade.Remove dough from food processor. On the floured baking pan, form a loaf about 6”x3”.Bake at 250 degrees (F) for three hours or until the bread is a rich, dark brown. It will have a tough, thick cruston the outside and moist, brown bread on the inside.By sprouting, the natural sweetener originating from the wheat itself will enhance the flavor very much.This bread is very rich, delicious and extra nutritious because it uses sprouted berries. Because it is so nutri-tionally dense, you only need a small piece to accompany your salad or soup entrée. Your sprouted grain breadwill stay fresh in your refrigerator for about 1 week.

Manual Food Processor(Hand Mill)

German Style 100% Whole Rye Sourdough Bread Makes five 8’x 4’ loaves

For the Rye Sourdough

11 cups stone ground rye flour

6 cups water

½ cup sourdough starter

½ cup flax seeds

For the Rye Chop Soaker

8 cups coarse stone ground rye flour

4 ½ cups water

Rye Sourdough and Rye Chop Soaker Directions

1. Make Rye Sourdough:

Grind flax seeds with coffee grinder or food processor. Pour water oversourdough starter and stir to dissolve in a large bowl. Add rye, flax seedsand mix until thoroughly hydrated.

2. Make Rye Chop Soaker:

In a separate bowl, stir together the coarse stone ground rye and water.

For the Final Dough

7 ½ cups stone ground rye flour

1 ½ cups water

1 Tablespoon sea salt

1 cup sunflower seeds

All of the rye sourdough

All of the rye chop soaker

Mix together all of the final dough ingredients until thoroughly hydrated. Continue mixing in the bowl forabout 10 minutes by hand. The dough will have weak gluten development and will be very sticky.

Prepare loaf pans by oiling and dusting with rye flour. Divide the dough into 5 pieces and make balls. Heavilydust hands and work surface with whole rye flour for easier handling. Gently place the balls into the loaf pansand cover with parchment paper.

Grind your grain

Mix well

Final dough just mixed

Bubbles appear

Expand this much

Final Proof ( 5 to 8 hours )

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F

Set pan with water in it under baking rack.

Place 5 loaf pans in the oven and close the oven door. Lower the heatto 395 degrees F and bake for 60 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pan. Let cool completely on wire rack atroom temperature. Don’t slice until the bread is completely cool.

The bread will keep for several weeks wrapped in plastic and refrigerated.It also can be stored in a freezer after being sliced.

Proof time and water amount varies depending on the room tem-perature and humidity. Experiment.

You can make other grain bread using this method. Play with dif-ferent varieties of grain. When you mix white flour, the loaf willbe lighter. You can freely add molasses, dried fruit, nuts......

Make a ball to put into a loaf pan

Just before baking

Baked

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are self-seeding annuals. They grow very easily and produce well. They are a native of Co-lumbia, Bolivia and Peru. All parts of the plant are edible. The flower has most often been consumed forornamental salad ingredients. The leaves could be used to make a delicious sandwich. The peppery taste isreminiscent of watercress. Grated young seeds could be substituted for wasabi. The young seeds and budscould be used like capers.

Nasturtium Capers Makes 1 cup

1 cup nasturtium buds or green young seeds1 cup vinegar1 cup water1 Tablespoon sea salt

Rinse buds or seeds. Soak in bowl of water for a day and drain. Add fresh water. Soak another day anddrain. (This process is designed to make sure all dirt and grit is washed off.)Mix vinegar, water and sea salt. In a jar, add buds. Let sit for three days. The capers will then be ready toeat. It can also be left to sit for a longer period of time. Once pickled, store jar and brine in the refrigerator.

Bean Salad with Nasturtium Wasabi Serves 4

1 pound green beans cut small (either before or after boiling)2 teaspoons green young nasturtium seeds grated (You could mash or food process them if you don’t havea tiny wasabi grater.)2 Tablespoons rice vinegar1 garlic clove minced1 Tablespoon soy sauce1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

In a small pan or skillet, heat sesame seeds on medium heat,shaking occasionally.( You do not need to use oil.) Removesesame seeds when they darken and become fragrant. (about3 to 5 minutes.)

In a pan, bring salted water to a boil. Add beans and cookfor 3 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Mix other ingredi-ent to make dressing. Toss the beans with the dressing. Seasalt to taste.

Pestos

Basil pesto tastes great. However basil is a heavy feeder and it can only be harvested in the summer time in

the home garden. Instead of using basil, we could use any greens such as arugula, parsley, cilantro and mus-

tard. Discover the amazing taste of the different green leaves.

2 cups green leaves finely chopped1/3 cup walnuts pieces (could also use other nuts instead)2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 Tablespoons water2 cloves garlic peeled and quartered

Place all the ingredients in food processor. Pulse a few times, then process until fairly smooth, or to the de-

sired consistency. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Kale pesto (See the Kale page.) Fava bean Pesto (See the Fava beans Spread.)

Green Leaves of Root Vegetables

Most people throw the green leaves of turnips, radishes, beets and carrots away. However those leaves havehigh nutrition and unsurpassed health benefits.

Green Leaves Tempura

1 cup water and 1 egg combined1/2 cup whole wheat flour.1/3 cup unbleached flour4 cups finely chopped greens (can be combined with

finely chopped root vegetables)

In a large bowl, whisk flour, water and egg until no dry flour is visible. Mix in greens.Heat a griddle over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles gently across the surface. Lightly oil thesurface and drop on generous tablespoons of batter to make tiny pancakes.Cook each pancake until the bottom is golden brown and the edges look dry. Flip and cook until the otherside is golden brown.Serve immediately with sea salt.

Deep Green Salad

about 6 cups chopped green leaves1 teaspoon sea salt1 Tablespoon olive oil

Rip the leaves of root vegetables apart into large bowl.Sprinkle with sea salt.Rub well and squeeze out any excess liquid with your hands.Add lemon juice and olive oil to taste and mix well.Garnish with nuts, fruits freely.

The taste of vegetables which are grown at low nitrogen conditions is absolutely delicious. Even the leaves ofroot vegetables could be fantastic meals. We can use them for salad, garnish for soup, in stir-fries and muchmore.

Green Leaves Curry

See the Swiss chard curry.

This amount of leaves shrink this much when boiled and turn into this much curry.

I like this curry.It’s so yummy!

Green Croquettes Makes 8 pieces

Filling1/4 cup sunflower seeds1 teaspoon cumin seeds1 teaspoon coriander seeds8 cups green vegetables chopped1 small onion chopped1 teaspoon safflower oil1 teaspoon curry powder1 teaspoon sea salt

Croquette skinFlour and bread crumbs for coating1 egg beaten1 Tablespoon safflower oil

Make filling: Steam green vegetables about 5 minutes or until greens are wilted. Drain.In a small pan or skillet, heat sunflower seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds on medium heat, shaking panoccasionally about 3 to 5 minutes or until sunflower seeds get slightly brown. (You do not need to use oil.)Place sunflower seeds mixture in food processor. Pulse a few times. Transfer to a bowl.In the pan or skillet, sauté onion in oil. Transfer to the food processor. Add cooked greens to the food proces-sor. Cover and pulse on and off until the mixture starts to swirl evenly. Transfer the mixture into the bowl.Add curry powder and sea salt and mix well.Croquette: Make flat oval-shaped patties. Coat each piece with flour. Dip in beaten egg. Lastly, coat withbread crumbs.Heat a griddle over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles gently across the surface. Lightly oil the sur-face and drop on croquettes. Cook each croquette until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook until theother side is golden brown.*This croquette goes well with the sauce for Kale Pancakes. (See the grain page.)

Baked Green Samosas Makes 24 pieces

FillingSame as the croquettesPastry1 cup whole wheat flour1/2 cup unbleached white flour2 teaspoons sea salt2 Tablespoons safflower oil1/3 cup warm water

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add oil and enough water to make firm dough.Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Roll into a ball. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.Make filling. (See the croquette recipe.) Divide filling into 24 pieces.Roll the pastry into 18’x24’. Cut into 3’x 6’. Place filling onto one side of the pastry. Fold the pastry overthe filling into a square shape and pinch the edges to seal. Continue with the remainder of the pastry.Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the pastry become slightly brown.

*Eat it with your favorite chutney. (photo: green tomato chutney)

Ultimately Sustainable DishesWhen I make these recipes, I feel conflicted about one thing. Most recipes need oil and onions. Most plantsthat produce oil are heavy feeders as are onions. It is impossible to grow them without external input. (likemanure, top soil, sea soil etc.)However miso soup dose not require any oil or onions. (If you want them, you can add them to the soup, ofcourse) You can use any vegetables and grains freely and you will discover the true delicious taste of gardenvegetables.

Miso Soup Serves 4 large bowls

5 cups water4-5 Tablespoons misoAny vegetables from the garden washed and chopped.

In a pot, bring water to a boil. Add vegetables and cook until tender. (Green leaves should cook less than 1

minute.) Turn off the heat and dissolve miso in a small amount of water and add to the broth. Add cooked (or

sprouted) grains of your choice.

http://www.fuchu.or.jp/~kanemitu/misomaking.htm

Koji starter kit ( koji spores)

http://www.gemcultures.com/international.htm

Making miso is very easy when you have Koji. Koji is available at most Japanese specialty food stores.You can make your own Koji too. Making Koji is best to suited for a person with some culturing experi-ence. However, anyone can try.Once you learn how to make miso, you can try other beans, peas or lentils instead of soybeans. When youuse peas, you can skip the annoying mashing process. Use about 1.5 times water to cook dried peas. (ie. Tocook 1 cup of peas, use 1.5 cups of water.) Water amount varies depending on the peas.

Miso Benefits

* Reduce risk of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.* Protection from radiation* Immune strengthening* Antiviral-miso is very alkaline and strengthens the immune system helping to combat a viral infection.* Prevents aging as is high in antioxidants, miso protects from free radicals that cause signs of aging.* Helps maintain nutritional balance as it is full of beneficial nutrients and enzymes; miso provides: protein,vitamin B12, vitamin E, vitamin K, tryptophan, choline, dietary fiber, linoletic acid and lecithin.* Help preserves beautiful skin as miso contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps your skin staysoft and free of pigments.* Help reduce menopausal complaints as the isoflavoness in miso have been shown to reduce hot flashes.

http://bodyecology.com/articles/miso_health_and_anti-aging.php

Miso is made of soybeans and koji, a culture starter made from beneficial molds, yeast and lactic acid bac-teria. As long as you choose unpasturized organic miso, you will be getting the benefits of live friendly mi-croflora for the health of your inner ecosystem.

How to make Miso

Sweet Treats

The most ideal, sustainable way to eat sweets is by eating fresh, local fruit. However fresh fruit is available atlimited times. We can preserve almost any fruit by canning, dehydrating and freezing. Collect many fruit fromyour yard and nearby farms and preserve them.

Canning

It's possible to can almost any fruit. Storingcanned fruit doesn’t require electricity.

Sauce

In a saucepan, combine peeled (or not peeled), cored (or pitted) fruit and water. Cover, and cook over mediumheat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fruit is soft. Mash with a ladle or potato masher if needed. Ladle hot sauceinto hot, sterilized jars, leaving a 1/2 inch head-space. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Do pressure canning.

Canning Fruits

Fill jars with raw fruit peeled (or not peeled), cored (or pitted or not pitted) and cut (or whole), packing as tightly

as possible without crushing, being sure to leave 1-inch headspace at the top of the jar. Add boiling water to the

jars again, leaving 1-inch headspace. Put the lids and rings on and make them snug, but don't over tighten them.

Do pressure canning.

About pressure canning:

http://www.pickyourown.org/press urecanners.htm

Freezing Fruit

Http://www.pickyourown.org/freezingblueberries.htm

Dehydrating Fruit

Under the Sun

http://www.ehow.com/how_6224441_dehydrate-fruits-vegetables-using-sun.html

Using Dehydrator

http://www.pickyourown.org/dryingfoods.htm

Fruits Smoothie

Mix fresh, frozen, dried and cannedfruit freely in blender. You can enjoya healthy smoothie through the wholeyear.

Fruits Popsicles

Freeze canned fruit or smoothie. Itwill be a wonderful treat for hotdays.

Pear Compote Serves 4

2 pears

1/2 cup water

Peel and core pears and cut into tiny cubes. In pot, cook pear and water about 5 minutes. Drain and reservewater. In same pot, stir reserved pear water frequently on high heat until there’s very little liquid.

Shape pear with some container from your recycling bins. Pour pear syrup on top. Garnish with sliced nuts,berries and mint.

You can add honey or syrup on all of these treats if you desire.

Your sense of taste will be changed. You will be enjoying the maximum

natural taste .

Waffles Makes 8 to 9 pieces

3 cups stone ground whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup soy beans cooked and drained

2 small eggs

3 1/2 cups water

Whisk whole-wheat flour and baking powder in large bowl.Place soy beans and water in blender. Cover and pulse on and off until the mixture starts to swirl evenly. Blend

on high for 20 seconds. Add eggs and pulse. Stir soy beans mixture into mixed flour.

Coat a waffle iron with oil and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat withremaining batter.

Serve with maple syrup, honey, fruit (fresh, frozen, canned) and nuts.

The batter can also be used for pancakes.

Vegan Waffle - Use 2 cups stone ground whole wheat flour and 1 cup unbleached flour instead of 3 cups

whole wheat flour.

Dried Fruit Cake Without Sweetener Makes 12-16 pieces

Sprouting grains does take some planning ahead of time. However it is pretty easy and actual work is minimal.

By sprouting, the wheat will develop a sweeter flavor.

1 cup wheat berries½ cup unbleached white flour1 cup finely chopped dried fruit (prunes, figs, cran-berries, raisins, currants, etc…)1/4 cup butter and/or safflower oil2 small eggs, lightly beaten ( or ¼ cup water instead)½ Tablespoon baking powder½ cup apple sauce or pear sauce¼ cup sliced hazelnuts or other nuts

Soak wheat berries for 8 hours or overnight. Put them in your sprouting trays or a large glass jar. Then rinse anddrain the berries two times a day for the next 32 hours or until the wheat berries have sprouted ¼ inch tails.Important: Make sure the berries are well drained before processing into dough. (Don’t rinse after they are fin-ished sprouting.)Place the sprouted wheat berries into food processor and pulse until the berries resemble bread dough and form

a ball around the food processor blade.

TO MAKE SQUARES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 10-inch square cake pan. In a largebowl combine the wheat dough, flour and baking powder. Add dried fruit and stir in evenly. Melt the butter (oroil) in a small pan.

Pour over the wheat mixture, add the lightly beaten egg and mix well. Press into the prepared pan. Bake for 50minutes. Spread apple sauce and sprinkle hazelnuts on top. Bake another 10 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan.

Apple Tart Without Sweetener Serves 8 9-inch tart pan

You can quickly make the crust for this tart in the food processor and then press it into the pan—no need to dig

out a rolling pin and struggle to transfer tender pastry dough from pin to pan. You can use any flat, shallow dish

or a pan instead of a tart pan.

2/3 cup wheat berries

1/4 cup hazelnuts (or other nuts instead)

1/3 cup raisins (or other dried fruit chopped)

1/3 cup unbleached flour

1/4 cup butter and/or safflower oil

1 small egg yolk (optional)

1 litre canned apples

Half a fresh apple cored and sliced

Soak wheat berries for 8 hours or overnight. Put them in your sprouting trays or a large glass jar. Then rinse anddrain the berries two times a day for the next 32 hours or until the wheat berries have sprouted ¼ inch tails.Important: Make sure the berries are well drained before processing into dough. (Don’t rinse after they are fin-ished sprouting.)Place the sprouted wheat berries into food processor and pulse until the berries resemble bread dough and forma ball around the food processor blade. Set aside. Drain canned apples and reserve the syrup.

Transfer the remaining dough to the prepared tart pan; spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom and upthe sides to form a crust.

Bake the tart for 10 minutes. Spread apple evenly on the tart. Place sliced apple on top. Bake another 30 min-utes. Let cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.In sauce pan, stir reserved apple syrup frequently on high heat until there’s very little liquid. Coat the syrup on

tart with brush.· You can make pear tart with this method.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with oil or butter.

Combine nuts in food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add raisins and pulse.

Add flour and pulse briefly to blend. With the motor running, add butter (and/or oil) until well incorporated.

Add egg yolk (optional) and wheat berry mixture and pulse until the mixture begins to clump and form dough,about 1 minute.

Kamut Coffee Spread Kamut berries on pie pan.Bake 400 degrees F for 60 minutes, 350F for 60 minutes or untilentire grain became dark brown. (Break a grain to check the colorinside) * The kamut will be smoky.Ground coarsely and brew just like coffee with drip coffee maker,filter cone or French press.

Kamut coffee has a delicious, rich, dark, full-bodied nutty flavor.Adjust quantities to personal taste. Drink black or serve with halfand half, non dairy milk or creamer.Real coffee can cause exhausted adrenal glands, blood sugarswings, acid imbalance, mineral depletion and global warmingdue to transporting from faraway countries.(Coffee is the secondmost traded commodity in the world next to oil.)

*Quit real coffee in two weeks by blending roasted Kamut with your real coffee. Start with 3/4 coffee to 1/4

roasted Kamut and gradually increase the amount of roasted Kamut until you are drinking 100% roasted Ka-

mut.

Lemon Balm Black Tea

Black tea is a pleaser. However it is not easy to grow the tea plants in temperate zone.Real black tea has caffeine which causes many side affects to the body. Caffeine is addictive and it is theworld’s most popular drug.

Rooibos tea is a great alternative to black tea and it doesn’t contain any caffeine. However it comes fromAfrica. Consuming food from faraway countries is not sustainable.

We can make black tea using lemon balm.Lemon balm is an herb. It is very easy to grow. It is almost an invasive plant.Lemon balm black tea is full-bodied and fragrant; this brew conjures visions of real tea. The whole leavesdeliver a beautiful aroma. This supposed garden nuisance will be an amazing pleaser!

* Pluck the very youngest leaves and leaf buds.* Dry naturally until the leaves are slightly wilted.*On a plain cardboard, press, rub and knead the leaves

about 200 to 300 times until the leaves start to darkenand turn red.

*Spread them out on a tray and leave them in a cool lo-cation for 2-3 days.

*Dry them in full sun about 4-5 hours or in the oven at250F for about 20 minutes.

*Store in an air-tight container.

You can make black tea from cherry leaves, horse tail leaves, black berry leaves and raspberry leaves too.Discoverer your favorite tea in your garden!

Coffee and Tea Alternative

Roasted Kamut coffee helps restore healthy natural energy, alkaline balance and mineral reserves.Protect the gift of good health and Mother Earth with roasted Kamut coffee.

Tisane (Herbal Infusion)

Delicious Flower Blend

Elder flowersRose flowersVervain ( Verbena)LavenderPoppy flowers

We can make herbal tea (tisane; herbal infusion) using any dried fruit, flower, herbs, seeds and roots.You can create your own blend.

Excellent Fruit Blend

Rose hipsBlack currant leavesAppleOrange peelCinnamonBlack currant fruitLemon VerbenaFig ( 1 small piece)

David’s Blend by David Manning

Comfrey leavesPepper mintFenugreek seeds

Brewing NotesStart with spring or filtered water. Use a large strainer basket to allow the leaves to open and releasetheir flavor. Avoid aluminum pots.Time: 3-15 minutes Amount : 2 tablespoons ( Time and amount will vary to suit your taste.)Play with the amount of tea, water temperature and steeping time. (Rely on taste, not color.)All ingredients should be dehydrated. Amounts can vary with your taste.

Nootka Rose Tea

Infuse rose tea by adding 2 cups fresh rose petals to 4 cups water. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn off heat.

Filter out the rose petals.

Nootka Rose

Edible Native (and Wild) Food Plants

(Pacific North West)

Native plants have low maintenance and low water requirements. They are adapted to local climatic condi-tions and endure the extremes of wild and weather over time. Native plants attract and support wildlife,thereby helping to restore habitat.

Propagating native plants is a very rewarding experience. However, digging up native plants and bulbs inthe wild not only disrupts natural areas, but has also caused some species to become nearly extinct. Alsosome plants are extremely poisonous. You can buy native plants from a reputable nursery or grow themfrom seeds.

Salad

miner’s lettuce, dandelion, mustard, peppergrass, wild violets (both leaves and flowers), sorrel, lamb’s quarter

Steaming or Boiling

Lady fern (fiddleheads), dandelion, mustard, cattail, lamb’s quarter, stinging nettle, cow parsnip

Nuts hazelnuts

Syrup big leaf maple

Ginger wild ginger

Pickling glass wort (pickleweed)

Tea labrador tea, nootka rose (flower), clover (flower)

Fruit and Berries

Oregon grape, oval-leaved blueberry, evergreen huckleberry, blue elderberry, bog cranberry, high-bushcranberry, red huckleberry, bunchberry, bog blueberry, soapberry, low-bush cranberry, crowberry, Saska-toon berry, kinnikinnickberry, wild strawberry, salal, Indian plum, Alaska blueberry, wild crabapple,nootka rose, black huckleberry, cloudberry, wild raspberry, black cap, thimbleberry, trailing wild rasp-berry, salmonberry, trailing wild blackberry.

Tall Oregon grape

Planting native plants

Salal Jelly

1 cup salal berries

4 cups water

5 teaspoons 100% pure fruit pectin

4 teaspoons calcium water ( Pomona’sUniversal Pectin contains an envelope ofpectin and 1 of calcium with directions.)

1/4 cup lemon juice

sweetener

In large pot, cook berries in water very high-heat, stirring very frequently several hours; or pressurecook for 20 minutes. Pour cooked fruit into jelly bag and let drip until juice stops. Put the juice and cal-cium water into a pan. Add water if needed. (makes 4 cups of liquid) Bring juice to a boil. Put 1 cupboiling juice in blender/food processor. Add 5 teaspoons pectin. Cover and pulse 1-2 minutes until allpowder is dissolved. Add pectin-juice to pan of hot juice. Add lemon juice and sweetener to taste. Stirwell.

Do pressure canning.

*Follow directions on the package of pectin.

*You can use any edible native berries instead of salal. Pectin amount varies depending on the berry.

Red-Flowering currant Western trillium

Sustainable Cooking Tips

Meat, eggs and dairy products are the most environmentally damaging foods that most people consume.

Reducing the amount of meat, eggs and dairy you eat doesn’t mean that you have to become a vegetarian

or vegan, but there are environmentally friendly, financially smart and healthy options.

* Eat smaller portions of meat and dairy; eat less frequently.

* Choose farm fresh bantam eggs and eat smaller portions and less frequently.A bantam is a small variety of poultry. (Chickens) Most large chickens are bred from bantams. Thebantam eggs are smaller and they don’t lay eggs everyday as large bred chickens. However, theydon’t need as much as space as other breeds and eat much less food. Bantam hens hatch and broodconsistently. They are very protective mothers.

* Use soybeans and water instead of milk.Store –bought soymilk contain a long list of additives and it needs a lot of energy for transporta-tion, packaging and refrigeration.However, making soymilk at home is a little bit complicated. Also after making soymilk, we willget a lot of soybeans debris which has high nutrition. It is quite wasteful.I found that we could simply use boiled soybeans and water put into the blender instead of soymilk.This whole soybean mixture is perfect for soup, pancakes and mashed potatoes.Cook any amount of soybeans ahead of time and freeze in small portions. Use it whenever you re-quire milk or soymilk in your recipe.You can use other beans and nuts instead of soybeans.

When you buy soy beans, it is very important to make sure that they are organic, local or domestic.

* Sweeteners:Cane sugar and sugar beets are heavy feeders and they grow well only in the warmerclimates. Maple, birch and other tree syrups could be used if your place is suitable for them togrow. However it takes many years to harvest syrup and each tree has a limited supply of syrup.Collecting syrup from the forest would kill the fragile eco system too. Honey could be another op-tion. However, honey bees are not native to North America and too large a population would de-stroy the ecosystem. We have to reduce the consumption of sweetener entirely.In these recipes, I used the technique of evaporation for liquid dishes such as relish and JerusalemArtichokes Mustard. Let the liquid evaporate as much as possible to concentrate the sweet taste.

*SaltCommercial refined salt is not only stripped of all its minerals, besides sodium and chloride, but it is also

heated at such high temperatures that the chemical structure of the salt changes. In addition, it is chemically

cleaned and bleached and treated with anticaking agents which prevent salt from mixing with water in the

salt container. Unrefined sea salt is recommended in the Pacific North West .

* Stock seeds for sprouts. 100 grams of seeds turn into 5 liters of sprouts. It will be great food in thewinter time.

* Choose organic, local and seasonal.

* Every time you shop, you vote. Your vote will change society.

Energy efficiency

* Keep fridge and oven doors closed as much as possible.* Use small appliances such as a toaster oven for cooking instead of your stove.* Defrost food in the fridge, not in the microwave and not under running hot water.* Use pots and pans with tight-fitting lids and match them to the size of the burner. (A presser cooker savesyour time and energy.)* Recycle old appliances and buy new energy efficiency ones when you replace them.* Buy a high quality non stick pan; it will reduce the oil consumption.* Turn off the tap while you wash dishes.* Wash fruit and vegetables in a basin.* Don’t pour water down the drain if you can use it for other projects like watering plants.* Cook only what you need.* Stock less food in the fridge and freezer and reduce the temperature setting.

(David R. Boyd and David Suzuki: David Suzuki’s Green Guide 2008 Grey Stone)

Afterword

The consequences of human technology have had an enormous impact on food safety and threaten foodproduction. I invite you to join me and my family in exploring sustainable living and becoming more awareof environmental destruction.

My mother country, Japan, is suffering with natural and manmade disasters. That is heartbreaking. I devel-oped these recipes with my deepest prayer for Japan and for the future when human beings will respect andappreciate our planet.

Thank you to my husband, Arthur, for leading me and our four children towards a sustainable life style.

Respect for Nature

Pender Island, B.C Canada in May 2011

Appendixes

The soil-making process is still going on but it may take1000 years for nature to make one inch of topsoil.

Forest Preserve District of Cook County (Illinois)http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/300-399/nb372.htm

The heritage of soil fertility and organic matter that we are handing on to the next genera-tion is not large enough to be used lavishly. Careful conservation and thrifty managementwill be imperative.

Loss of Soil Organic Matter and Its RestorationBy William A. Albrecht Professor of Soils University of Missourihttp://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010120albrecht.usdayrbk/lsom.html

Evidence of the environmental impacts of a meat-based diet is piling up at the same time itshealth effects are becoming better known.

The Case Against Meathttp://www.emagazine.com/archive/142

There are not enough cows in the world to provide enough nutrients in terms of cow ma-nure for today’s food crops.

IFOAM Organic Growinghttp://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/1_arguments_for_oa/criticisms_misconceptions/misconceptions_no31.html

Sustainable growing does not exhaust the resources of any given place and moves towardindependence from those external inputs that require reliance on someone else’s system.

The Whole Organic Food Book: Safe, Healthy Harvest from Your Garden to Your PlateBy Dan Jason

Our long-term food security is entirely dependent on the health of our natural resources.It is clear that our food system will have to adapt and change radically to meet the realitiesof the 21st century.

The National Trust Appetite for changehttp://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/appetite_for_change_report-2.pdf

Food security is not only about the quantity of food we eat, but also about the quality anddiversity of food sources.

The Need for Innovation in Local, Diversified Food Productionhttp://www.celsias.com/article/need-innovation-local-diversified-food-production/

Global food supply approaching its limit.

The united States Agricultural & Food Law and Policy Bloghttp://www.agandfoodlaw.com/2011/01/global-food-supply-approaching-its.html

We need to replace our modern farming systems with organic.We need to grow crops locally, rather than fly them in from across the world and encouragemore allotments and vegetable gardens.

The beginner’s guide to Peak Oil The Wolf at the Doorhttp://watd.wuthering-heights.co.uk/mainpages/agriculture.html

We can also play a powerful role for positive change by adjusting what we eat. Global cli-mate change is directly related to agriculture through the loss of wilderness to farmland,methane released from animals and energy-intensive fertilizers, pesticides, food processingand transportation.

Veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Associationhttp://www.veg.ca/content/view/136/111/

Ten Reasons Why Organic Food Is Better

By Guy Dauncy

http://www.earthfuture.com/earth/Organic%20-%2010%20Reasons.pdf

Because 95% of people are dying of the complications caused by Cardiovascular Disease,Cancer, Diabetes, Aids,… If they did not eat food that kills, 90% of them will be diseasefree.

Food and drinks that kill: Sugar, Fats, Refined, Processed Food,… by Curezonehttp://curezone.com/foods/foods_that_kill.asp

About 48 million people (1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000die each year from foodborne diseases.

Center for Disease Control and Preventionhttp://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r10125.html

800 million people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Every year 15 millionchildren die of hunger.

An end to World Hungerhttp://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/high/present/stats.htm

Resources

David R. Boyd and David Suzuki: David Suzuki’s Green Guide 2008 Grey Stone

Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org

The world’s healthiest foods www.whfoods.org

April Pettinger with Brenda Costanzo: Native Plants in the Coastal Garden 1995 White cap

Nancy J. Turner: Food Plants of Coastal First People 1995 UBC Press

Terry Domico: Wild Harvest 1979 Hancock house

Four Leaves Clovers for the Future