Spring Awareness Begins…our bodies, minds and spirits are now waking up to new beginnings and arrivals. We notice daylight is lasting a little longer each day…seems like all of a sudden…How did that happen? Our bio circadian rhythm follows the pattern Nature establishes and now most of us are getting prompted to rise up earlier and move our bodies outside for brisk walks, jogs, runs… to breathe in the fresh smell of what is growing beneath the melting snow. There is also a feeling of malaise…tiredness.
Our body is messaging us to pay attention to what changes are happening inside of us and to do this we need to resist pushing too hard.
When we accept this message and if we decide to slow down, turn our cell phones off for awhile, and devote our attention to what is happening, the world around us also opens up… close to the earth, where the snow has melted, tender young green shoots are popping through the soil, vibrant green mosses are contrasting the still leafless trees, song birds are calling out to each other…you recognize the cardinals …then the robins…the flit, flit flit of the chickadees…coos of the doves…some crows are gathering twigs for nests…soon the dandelions will display their leaves…the wonderful bitter greens that, when eaten, help our livers start to gently cleanse after the months of winter accumulation. Nature’s Plan is operational.
While during winter you probably have often found you were ravenous for full-bodied, home-styled cooked foods. Now, as the days continue to get longer and warmer, you will begin to notice a desire for eating lighter, cooler and slightly cooked or raw foods. It is the time of the year we need to (as Nature indicates), add sprouts, some local early vegetables like asparagus and increase the raw food components including bitters to our daily diet. By gradually adding some of these foods you can start to help the body to begin to cleanse itself in a natural way. Spring rains cleanse the earth and Spring herbs and vegetables help us cleanse our bodies.
A Spring vegetable that can help begin the natural Spring cleansing process is asparagus. It contains the antioxidant, glutathione which is known for its detoxifying properties. Asparagus is also a natural diuretic.
It’s best not to overcook vegetables in general and especially during the Spring months. This can be achieved by cooking at higher temperatures for a shorter period of time than in the Winter months. An example of this is the steaming of asparagus.
- 1/2 Bunch of Fresh Asparagus
- 1 teaspoon fresh Lemon Juice
- Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Ghee or Coconut Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Herbs de Provence
- Fill a pot with 1-2” of water and bring to a rapid boil.
- Wash the fresh asparagus and snap the tough bottoms off where they naturally break off.
- Put in a steamer basket and add dried herbs.
- Carefully take the pot of boiling water off the heat; fit the basket into the pot, put on a lid and put the pot back on the stove. Bring back to a boil.
- Cook approximately 4-5 minutes or until the stems of the asparagus are still slightly firm.
- Strain and serve with a little salt, pepper, (Ghee or coconut oil to taste) and, if you enjoy the taste, 1 tsp. of fresh lemon juice.
COMING: Recipe for Coconut Cream Asparagus Ginger Soup
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