The sweet potato is a member of the morning glory family and is native to Central and South America. The plant was cultivated by ancient peoples of the area as far back as the Stone Age. It was brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus during his first voyage in 1492.
Apples are a member of the family Rosaceae, the Rose family in the genus Malus Mill. or apple P. This genus contains thirty-six species. There are about 10,000 varieties of apples throughout the world, of which 7,000 can be found in the United States.
Mushrooms are valued in many parts of the world as nutrition and medicine. Cardiovascular health is one reason among many to eat mushrooms regularly, and science has been figuring out just what it is that mushrooms do to keep the heart and blood vessels healthy. Some easy to obtain heart healthy mushrooms include delicious edibles like shiitake, maitake, oyster and button mushrooms. Other medicinals like Reishi and Turkey Tails are also great for the heart but not so chewable!
Tofu. The very word instills disgust in the mouths of many omnivores, and even in some who abstain from meat products. And with good reason! Since the 1960s, the idea of “tofu” has been used in U.S. media to conjure up images of gross, weird, vegetarian and vegan food – in the collective psyche, it’s almost a four-letter word, one that’s practically synonymous with vegetarianism itself.
Ahhh...strawberry rhubarb pie season. Or, have you ever tried a rhubarb apple pie? Perhaps you’ve seen delightfully dainty rhubarb tarts and pastries in the local café? Some towns around the U.S. love rhubarb so much that they host a rhubarb festival celebrating the unique late spring-early summer crop.
Wild rice is not actually rice at all, but the seed from a grass of semi-aquatic species found from southern Canada to the eastern United States along the Atlantic coastal marshes. It was the staple food for the Ojibwa and Chippewa people who gathered it by canoe and fire parched the seeds.
Psyllium husk doesn’t necessarily “look” like a superfood, but boy is it ever powerful. Psyllium is a master at relieving constipation, and when your bowels are running smoothly, so are you.
Sorghum is native to Sub-Saharan Africa and was first harvested in the Nile River basin approximately 7000 years ago. It became a crop in India around 3000 B.C.E. and found its way east by way of the Silk Road. It was brought to Rome from India in approximately 60 C.E., then to Spain and finally Europe in the 12th Century. Benjamin Franklin introduced the plant to North America and it eventually became a major crop.
Gotu Kola: a small plant with big healing potential.
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) has been considered a cure-all for thousands of years. It is considered to be an herb of longevity in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine with good reason. This slender, tiny herb is packed full of some truly amazing health and healing benefits.
