Cabbage Soup
Winter warmth 🍲 Just when the tulips began to push the tips of their leaves up, we awakened to another 30cm of snow, it seems winter isn’t ready to let go quite yet, and so another pot of warming soup is on the stove. Doukhobor Borscht is a decadent, creamy affair of sweet braised cabbage, an abundance of shredded vegetables, a delicate vegetable broth, satisfying texture- the complete opposite of traditional Polish Barszcz I grew up on, the latter a clear, deep purple broth on a base of fermented beet Kvass. Both my girls always have seconds when this is on the table, dipping thick wedges of crusty homemade buttered sourdough into their bowls. Every meal is an opportunity for conscious nutrition, for feeding the microbiome, for incorporating essential minerals and anti inflammatory foods. Some staple additions to soups for us are 1) Some kind of wild foraged seaweed for minerals, cancer fighting compounds, and a myriad of other benefits. This is usually Kelp, today it was Sea grapes (from Feather Boa Kelp) and some purple Nori. 2) Crushed garlic left to rest for 10 minutes post crushing to activate the allicin compounds (if it is chopped & heated without rest, the potent health benefits are lost) 3) Turmeric grated fresh with fresh ground pepper (piperine enhances curcumin absorption in the body by up to 2000%, combining the spices magnifies the health benefits & makes them bioavailable for absorption) 4) adding every allium I have on hand (in this case there are onions, leeks, garlic and scallion) 5) Making all soups on a foundation of nourishing homemade bone broth, which I keep on hand in the freezer and use in lieu of water when cooking grains like rice as well. 6) Medicinal wild mushrooms that I have harvested & dried are also frequently added, a chunk of Chaga with bone broth, powdered Chicken of the Woods or Turkey Tail, all are easily incorporated into daily meals. These simple but conscious changes don’t contribute much to flavour (the taste doesn’t really change) but these seemingly simple swaps tremendously increase the nutritional value of each meal. #consciousnutrition #slowfood #wildharvest #eatyourmedicine #nourishingtraditions #nourish #earth
Cabbage Soup
Winter warmth 🍲 Just when the tulips began to push the tips of their leaves up, we awakened to another 30cm of snow, it seems winter isn’t ready to let go quite yet, and so another pot of warming soup is on the stove. Doukhobor Borscht is a decadent, creamy affair of sweet braised cabbage, an abundance of shredded vegetables, a delicate vegetable broth, satisfying texture- the complete opposite of traditional Polish Barszcz I grew up on, the latter a clear, deep purple broth on a base of fermented beet Kvass. Both my girls always have seconds when this is on the table, dipping thick wedges of crusty homemade buttered sourdough into their bowls. Every meal is an opportunity for conscious nutrition, for feeding the microbiome, for incorporating essential minerals and anti inflammatory foods. Some staple additions to soups for us are 1) Some kind of wild foraged seaweed for minerals, cancer fighting compounds, and a myriad of other benefits. This is usually Kelp, today it was Sea grapes (from Feather Boa Kelp) and some purple Nori. 2) Crushed garlic left to rest for 10 minutes post crushing to activate the allicin compounds (if it is chopped & heated without rest, the potent health benefits are lost) 3) Turmeric grated fresh with fresh ground pepper (piperine enhances curcumin absorption in the body by up to 2000%, combining the spices magnifies the health benefits & makes them bioavailable for absorption) 4) adding every allium I have on hand (in this case there are onions, leeks, garlic and scallion) 5) Making all soups on a foundation of nourishing homemade bone broth, which I keep on hand in the freezer and use in lieu of water when cooking grains like rice as well. 6) Medicinal wild mushrooms that I have harvested & dried are also frequently added, a chunk of Chaga with bone broth, powdered Chicken of the Woods or Turkey Tail, all are easily incorporated into daily meals. These simple but conscious changes don’t contribute much to flavour (the taste doesn’t really change) but these seemingly simple swaps tremendously increase the nutritional value of each meal. #consciousnutrition #slowfood #wildharvest #eatyourmedicine #nourishingtraditions #nourish #earth