dinner from dirt

mesclun mix, baby brassica greens, cilantro and radish

Much is being touted these days about locavorism, farm-to-table, etc., etc...  Numerous studies have confirmed that the nutritional content of our food has an inverse relationship to the amount of time and travel it takes for said food to reach our swollen gullets.  And of course, there's the evidence of our tongues: fresh-picked just tastes better. 

   There's a growing market in the publishing sector for cookbooks designed to help us remember the lost art of enjoying our garden harvest. Before you rush out to buy one, dear reader, take the time to consider my favorite recipe and a few time-tested tips...

   Nature's best garden recipe:      

Pick it & Eat it.

• Raw is best. Salads aren't boring unless you're trapped in a One-Lettuce Nightmare.  

• Eat more of each plant; often times the stems and roots contain more nutrients than the leaf or fruit. I wouldn't necessarily munch on a tomato stem, but chopped cilantro, brassica and radish stems add pleasing flavor and crunch to a raw salad, and radish root fibers are fun to eat (if you're like me and enjoy pretending to eat worms)
• I've heard it told that there was a time in Japan, not so long ago, when  customers in the market preferred produce with evidence of bug-munching.  The logic was that if the bugs were enjoying the crop, it was safe to eat.  Eat hole-y leaves, they're not gonna hurt ya. Eat bugs, too. And eat a little dirt as well. The minerals will let you get rid of you're cancer-linked dietary supplements. kidding: don't eat bugs or dirt.  except on accident.  or if it's a delicacy. 

Joe-Knee demonstrates how classy folk nibble salad. Pinky out.