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Following yesterday’s post about watermelon and what I picked up in my harvest share this week, here’s information about cantaloupe that went into the first draft of the CSA newsletter before the farm informed me that their “veggie of the week” (sometimes it’s fruit) was watermelon. Most of the information came from Hazon, our CSA host organization:
Cantaloupes were named after the Italian city Cantalupo. Cantaloupes grow on vines and when perfectly ripe, the fruit has a raised netting on a grayish-beige skin. The pale orange flesh is extremely juicy and sweet. You can find cantaloupes in the Northeast during the summer months. Cantaloupe can be used in recipes, but remember that it is also delicious enjoyed plain!
Selection:
Storage:
Servings and consuming:
(See this list of 125 recipes that use cantaloupe.)
Nutrition:
Cantaloupe is an excellent source of vitamin A on account of its concentrated beta-carotene content. Once inside the body, beta-carotene can be converted into vitamin A, so when you eat cantaloupe it’s like getting both these beneficial nutrients at once. One cup of cantaloupe is just 56 calories, but provides 103.2% of the daily value for vitamin A.
One cup of cantaloupe contains 112.5% of the daily value of vitamin C. Vitamin C stimulates white cells to fight infection, directly kills many bacteria and viruses, and regenerates Vitamin E after it has been inactivated by disarming free radicals.
Cantaloupe is a very good source of potassium and a good source of vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folate, and niacin (vitamin B3). The combination of all these B complex vitamins along with the fiber found in cantaloupe make it an exceptionally good fruit for supporting energy production through good carbohydrate metabolism and blood sugar stability.
More cantaloupe nutrition information.
…I want to pickle cantaloupe now. I bet one of my friends has their own recipe.
The “veggie of the week” that was fruit was Watermelon so I had to get it. There were two varieties and I chose the Sugar Melon grown by Kawartha Organic Produce in Woodville, Ontario. I blended some up and froze it in cubes.
I also got cantaloupe from the same grower. Two melons made for a super-heavy load to carry, especially after a couple of pints of stout.
I chose 1 large zucchini (though they were 3 for 1 point), 4 ears of corn that appeared worm-free and beautiful on the outside (yeah, you can’t judge something by its outside), four peaches, a bulb of garlic for storage (I collect garlic over the summer when it’s in season) and stuffed paper bags with salad greens and gorgeous spinach.
I’ve written about watermelon nutrition in this blog before but for this week’s newsletter I went a bit deeper. I opted not to discuss citrulline there in depth, and not because it’s a nonessential amino acid and antioxidant.
The word citrulline is derived from citrullus, the Latin word for watermelon.
Our bodies use citrulline to make the amino acid arginine, which helps cells divide, wounds heal, and ammonia to be removed from the body- so we can interpret that to mean that these amino acids help detoxify the body. Citrulline has been referred to as “natural Viagra” because it relaxes and dilates blood vessels, though it’s not body-part specific. According to the Livestrong website, watermelon can improve sexual stamina (in men and women) and erectile dysfunction. Arginine can benefit erectile dysfunction, along with preclampsia, migraines, and female sexual dysfunction. So citrulline can be linked to orgasms and sexual function for both men and women? That’s convenient. Watermelon is a summer fruit, everyone’s hornier in the summer, people want summer flings… It’s as if heat, bare skin and watermelon were meant to go together! Pass the watermelon!
Conveniently and coincidentally, Joel from Well Preserved chose to post about dehydrating cantaloupe and melon today. I know what I’ll be doing with some of the melon that I cut up! Into the dehydrator sprinkled with Buster Rhinos’ habanero salt.
I’ve got a profile on cantaloupe for you but that’ll just have to wait for another day. Cantaloupe’s just not as sexy as watermelon.
Eat well, be well.
Sally-who?
When I hear the word I think it sounds like “salad-cornia”, and like the way it sounds. It’s a fun word! Perhaps you’ve seen me at Wychwood Barns farmer’s market on a Saturday, standing next to the Forbes Wild Foods booth asking friends and strangers, “Have you tried salicornia?” I don’t work there, I just drop by often and I seem to talk about them in my blog a lot! (11 results when I search “Forbes”, 4 of which are quick references to the company). Sometimes I shill at the Leslieville farmers’ market on Sunday too and giggle to myself. The guys who are paid to do the sales pitch always have samples to offer.
Salicornia, more commonly known as sea asparagus and also known as sea beans, glasswort, or marsh samphire, grows along the seashore and in salt marshes. It’s halophyte, a salt-loving plant that draws up salt from sand and soil. It thrives in heat and poor soil as long as there’s a salt source. Because of this, salicornia and other saltwater-tolerant species have been investigated as sources of food in places with inferior soil.
Salicornia comes in bushes of crisp and juicy twigs that are harvested in late spring to early summer. It has a crisp, crunchy texture and fresh salty flavor with vivid color. Eat it cooked or raw, in a salad, out of hand, sauteed, blanched. Make it with olive oil and garlic, and/or lemon juice. On season 8 of Top Chef (All Stars) season winner (spoiler alert!) Richard Blais paired them with corn puree and seared bone marrow and called them “glass wort” because he thought it sounded better. In previous seasons they’ve been referred to as “sea beans”.
You can also pickle salicornia or make a pesto with it. If raw salicornia is too salty for your taste, soak it over night in fresh water and discard the water before using.
Sea asparagus is packed with phytochemicals that may help to protect the liver, heart and cellular DNA. It is also rich in vitamins A, C, B2 and B15; amino acids; and minerals, such as iron, calcium and magnesium (source).
A good article about salicornia that talks about the utility of desert food crops: Letting the sea cultivate the land (LA Times.)
Forbes has been bringing salicornia to the markets for a few weeks and I also saw it at seafood store Hooked in Leslieville. While I don’t know if these stores carry their sea asparagus, the Forbes websites says that they also supply their products to Rowe Farms and Healthy Butcher stores and 4 Life Natural Foods in Kensington Market. I’ve seen sea asparagus at Fiesta Farms too, though I don’t know who their supplier is. I recommend calling the stores if you’re hoping to find sea asparagus there. Or visit Wychwood Barns on a Saturday.
Try and buy some salicornia there or at your local farmer’s market.
Eat well, be well.
Also see my recent post Serviceberries: Superfruit in your backyard.
Shortly after he was elected last fall Mayor Rob Ford ordered a core services review to address a 2012 operating budget shortfall of $774 million. Subsequently, the City launched a public review of all its services and programs. The goal was to learn more about what Torontonians cared about most and what they were willing to forgo for the sake of cost-reduction and minimizing taxes. This public review was accompanied by an evaluation of the municipal government by outside consultants, KPMG, who examined how successful municipal services are and looked at the alternatives some other cities have been exploring. The results to this Core Services Review were released two weeks ago, many of which have an impact on health and the environment (which impacts health). Read a summary in the Toronto Star.
Among these recommendations: Eliminating the fluoridation of Toronto’s water supply.
Fluoride is a contentious issue. Most people accept that fluoride in the water is a necessity for dental health without question. I’ve been reading about the issue of fluoride for years and so my reaction to the City recommendation was “good!” Then I hoped that one of my nutritionist friends who blog and have columns on health and wellness websites would write about it. It would have sort of let me (someone without professional letters beside my name) off the hook. Fluoride is a chemical toxin. Many countries actually ban fluoride. Consider the warnings on toothpaste packaging:
“Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age.”
“If you swallow more than used for brushing, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.” No, we don’t usually swallow it, but doesn’t that bother you?
In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandated that fluoride-containing toothpaste must be labeled as a poison. A “pea-sized” amount of toothpaste contains at least 25 mg of fluoride. There’s enough fluoride in a tube of toothpaste to kill a small child.
Municipal water does have much lower levels than that. At the beginning of this year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended that fluoride level in drinking water be lowered. (Source: Business Week) This is consistent with Health Canada’s recommendations.
According to a report by Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health from April 30, 2007 the level of fluoride in Toronto’s water was reduced from 1.2 p.p.m. to 0.8 p.p.m. in 1999 and to 0.6 p.p.m. in 2005. This reduction was implemented to comply with the revised Ministry of the Environment target fluoride concentration for water fluoridation and to address concerns that there was an increase in the number of children exhibiting the mild form of fluorosis. Furthermore, In January 2007 Health Canada released its recommendations of the Fluoride Expert Panel Meeting. These include the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) of 1.5 mg/L for fluoride in drinking water should be reaffirmed and the level of 0.7 mg/L for fluoride in drinking water should be adopted as the optimal target (sources: Association of Local Public Health Agencies, the Ministry of the Environment’s Drinking Water Ontario portal, Government of Ontario e-laws).
This same report says,
While exposure to low levels of fluoride has beneficial effects on teeth, exposure to too much fluoride can cause adverse health effects. Various effects of fluoride on health have been studied including impacts on blood, bone, kidney, liver, lungs, and reproduction. Concern has also been expressed about the carcinogenic effect of fluoride.
Also,
Any adverse impacts from fluoride would result not only from exposure to fluoride in drinking water, but also from other sources. Therefore, Toronto Public Health used the levels of fluoride in Toronto drinking water together with estimates of the amount of fluoride from other sources such air, soil, food, toothpaste, infant formula and breast milk, to calculate the total exposure that might occur in Toronto. This assessment showed that toddlers, formula and breast fed infants, are exposed to 0.07, 0.04 and 0.01 mg/kg/day, respectively. These exposures are similar to estimates in other parts of North America with fluoridated drinking water. Thus, based on a Toronto-specific total exposure assessment for fluoride, toddlers may be exposed to a total level of fluoride that slightly exceeds the US EPA reference dose but is lower than Health Canada’s tolerable daily intake for protection from moderate dental fluorosis. It is not expected that this exposure level is associated with any adverse health impact.
Read the entire document here (PDF).
This is encouraging but how much water are you drinking? How much are you consuming? As the report itself points out, exposure comes from a variety of sources. More about that below. Is this not a reason to eliminate fluoride from drinking water entirely? In addition, one report states that fluoride is beneficial in reducing tooth decay when it’s applied topically, not taken systemically. In October 2010 residents voted to remove fluoride from tap water in Waterloo, St. Jacobs and Elmira entirely. (See Waterloo Watch.)
When I started this post I was going just list a bunch of links about the issue because I don’t feel qualified to tell you what you should think or do. Instead I’d rather present you with information. Here is the reading material that I compiled with some highlights from some of them. It also serves as a source list for the information I’ve presented here. Apologies for the fact that many are from the same source, but he’s written extensively about the issue and I tend to look at his sources when assessing the articles:
Hardy Limeback, head of the Department of Preventive Dentistry, University of Toronto quoted as saying, “Here in Toronto we’ve been fluoridating for 37 years. Yet Vancouver, which has never fluoridated, has a cavity rate lower than Toronto’s,”
The article also states: “Ireland is the only country in Europe to fluoridate most of its population (73%). Yet, Ireland ranks 6th in Europe in dental decay behind 4 countries that don’t fluoridate and the 10% fluoridated UK. And non-fluoridated Norwegians, reportedly, enjoy good dental health.”
Children are getting a lot of fluoride from a lot of different sources. We’ve had a tremendious increase of fluoride from many sources. Water is one source. When we drink that water, when it’s made into soda pop, or made into beverages, made into soups, made into other products we get fluoride from that source also.
And we also have a lot of pesticides that have come on the market that leave fluoride residues on fruits and vegetables. Fluoride is a very common component in pesticides and so if you drink a glass of grape juice that’s non organic grape juice and it’s got skins on it you’re going to get a very high level of fluoride just from the grape juice.
A journal article referenced in the video states that 43 ready-to-drink fruit juices were examined for fluoride ion concentration. It was found that 42% of the samples had more than 1ppm of fluoride. It was also determined that “pure” fruit juices, often grape, contained high levels of fluoride. Juice made from grapes separated from the skin did not contain any fluoride.
For me, fluoridation of water is in part a human rights issue. In part. Those who don’t want it don’t have a choice unless they invest in a water filtration system. Where’s the right to choose? At the same time, it is a public health issue and one of the government’s roles is public health. I like to think that they act in the best interest in the public. I also believe that everyone should make their own educated decisions. I myself do drink regular tap water because I have to, but I don’t buy toothpaste with fluoride.
I maintain good oral hygiene. I see my dentist twice a year. I don’t consume foods that are known to be toxic to teeth. I consume a lot of organic food. I believe that nutrition stops tooth decay. Prevent it from the inside. I realize that not everyone is as healthy.
Finally, reading and writing about this issue reminded me of this clip from South Park (season 15, episode 3, titled Royal Pudding). Mr. Garrison’s an asshole.
(Whatever happened to Mr. Hat? Did he die? Is that why Mr. Garrison is so mean? I missed many seasons.)
One of the reasons I want to go to school for holistic nutrition is so that I can get paid for this type of research and writing. This post is the result of over 3 hours of work. Someone out there, hire me to research and write! I could use the extra $.
Eat well, be well.
I was first introduced by this fruit last year by my friend Suzanne, who took me to her secret grove. In the last week I feel like I’ve been noticing them everywhere. Then a few days ago my sister emailed me with the message,
Saskatoon berry harvest is peaking right now in Toronto.
They are considered to be the #1 food source for antioxidants period!
I wasn’t surprised at all but being a nutritionist-wannabe, I needed to investigate further and bring this information to you.
The serviceberry a small tree native to North America. There are several varieties whose regional names include shadbush, shadblow, bilberry, Saskatoon, Western or Pacific serviceberry, Juneberry, Indian pear and more. You’ll most likely hear “serviceberry” or “Saskatoon berry”, though I vaguely recall a friend arguing that they’re not the same thing. Everything I find on Google says that they are. He may have been referring to varietal.
The fruit of several species are excellent to eat raw, tasting somewhat like a blueberry. Popular uses include pies and jam – though I like to pick ‘em and eat on the spot. I’ve considered dehydrating if I pick enough this year, though so far my dehydrating efforts have failed and I don’t want to lose a harvest. Forbes Wild Foods makes Saskatoon Berry Compote and I’d love to make jam. One website recommends bison with Saskatoon berry sauce and I imagine this would be delicious.
Last Saturday at The Stop’s Market Cafe at Wychwood Barns they were used in a galette made with serviceberries from an on-site tree and sour cherries from the nearby tree that I call “Suzanne’s tree” because she sort of adopted it years ago. Market Cafe chef Vishna picked the serviceberries and cherries herself.
Serviceberries can be considered a ‘Superfruit’, a marketing term which refers to a fruit which combines exceptional nutrient richness and antioxidant quality. Antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells, and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases. The benefits of antioxidant have contributed against cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, and act as a protective guard to our immune systems. Some antioxidants can help exercise recovery.
The ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value is one of the methods used to measure the total antioxidant activity in fruit. Serviceberries are naturally high in antioxidants and rank highest in both fresh fruit and in fruit pulp relative to other common fruits.
(source)
Native peoples used them in soups, stews and pemmican. They were also used in medicines for stomach and liver problems, and the juice was used as a dye.
Sources and further reading:
Ontario Trees and Shrubs
Wikipedia
Prairie Berries
Medline Plus
Wikipedia (Superfruit)
Livestrong
Saskatoon Berries: The Next Super-Fruit? – that’s fit (Added July 27, 2011)
Want to get some in Toronto but don’t want to pick your own? Forbes Wild Foods will have them at Dufferin Grove farmers market on Thursday. The photo below was taken on Tuesday (July 5) at Trinity Bellwoods farmers market. Coincidentally, I drafted this post immediately prior to finding Forbes with their berries at TB. Forbes will probably sell out of these so don’t set your heart on seeing them at Wychwood Barns or Evergreen Brickworks on Saturday. If you want to buy some, visit Dufferin Drove.
Update, July 27, 2011: Forbes is still selling Saskatoon berries, but not like the serviceberry Saskatoon berries. The current ones look more like blueberries and are related to raspberries. They’re just as tasty and healthy.
