Have these weird times without clean running water gotten your tummy upset? Or, do the upcoming stressors of the holidays have your stomach in a bunch? Prepare yourself for the holiday meals season with light and easy-to-eat foods you can have at the ready in case you (or your kids) find yourself feeling under the weather this late fall and winter.
Ginger is a tried and true root used to ease nausea and upset stomachs. Gingerol, a natural component of ginger, promotes gastrointestinal motility by helping food move through the digestive system more efficiently. Making tea from the root is one of the simplest and most common ways to eat ginger but it can also be added to a broth, to rice, to a soup, and more. Find fresh ginger from Lee’s One Fortune Farm (Asheville City, Black Mountain, West Asheville, River Arts, and East Asheville Markets) and Thatchmore Farm (North Asheville and West Asheville Markets).
Combine your ginger with rice from Lee’s One Fortune Farm and make a common ayurvedic and gut soothing dish—kitchari. Yielding a porridge-like consistency, kitchari is both easy to make and easy to eat. Start with a half cup of rice and one cup of red lentils or moong dal (split mung beans). Rinse the lentils in a strainer. Heat one tablespoon of coconut oil or ghee in a medium pot and add any preferred spices including mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ground coriander, salt, and minced fresh turmeric and ginger. Add three cups of water to start then add the rice and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Check the consistency and add more water depending on your texture preference. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy.
Another way to soothe a sickness, especially if eating is hard, is with plain ole’ bone broth or veggie stock. Bone broth is nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory, hydrating, and supportive for digestion. Most meat vendors at Buncombe farmers markets, like Dry Ridge Farm, Hickory Nut Gap, Wild East Farm, and J4 Cattle, also sell bones to make bone broth with, or even sell broth they’ve made themselves. Bone broth can be made with bones alone, or with added veggies to increase flavor and nutrient density. Some roast their bones and preferred vegetables (like carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and fresh herbs) for about 30 minutes before simmering for 8-12 hours in a large pot, adding more water as needed. Strain your broth and store in the fridge or freezer. Want to keep it vegetarian? Scrap the bones and save your veggie scraps in a ziplock freezer bag, adding to it until you are ready to make homemade veggie broth. Or, simply follow the directions above sans the animal bones and simmer closer to 1-2 hours.
Keep your hydration up when dealing with an illness with herbal teas from Well Seasoned Table and Iris Folk Medicinals or fresh, cold-pressed juice from Immortal Juice. Immortal even has a gingersnap juice flavor made with apple, lemon, and ginger! Find Well Seasoned Table at the North Asheville Tailgate Market, Iris Folk Medicinals at the North Asheville, West Asheville and River Arts District markets, and Immortal Juice at the North Asheville, Asheville City, Black Mountain, West Asheville and East Asheville markets.
The holiday market season kicks off this weekend (Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 16 and 17) at the Enka-Candler Farmers Market and this Wednesday at the Weaverville Tailgate Market. Beginning this Saturday, Nov. 16, the North Asheville Tailgate Market returns to its UNC Asheville location in lot P34. Catch your last chance to shop at Biltmore Park Farmers Market this Thursday, Nov. 21st and at East Asheville Tailgate Market on Nov. 22. (Holiday Market).
Remember that if you qualified for Disaster SNAP, you can use this benefit at farmers markets that accept SNAP—and get an additional $20 to spend on fruits and vegetables at markets participating in ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables program. Visit the market information tent to find out more and to use your SNAP card to get tokens. Find more details about farms and markets throughout the region, including hours and location, in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org.
|
|
|
ASAP's mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food.
|
|
|
|
|
Save the Date!
ASAP’s 2025 Business of Farming Conference will take place Feb. 22, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the A-B Tech Conference Center in Asheville. Registration will open next week! This year’s conference will have a special focus on post-storm recovery and resilience.
The annual Business of Farming Conference brings together professional farmers from across the Southeast region to network and share resources to grow their farm businesses, whether an established or beginner farmer. Visit our event page at asapconnections.org for sponsorships, scholarships, and more information.
|
|
Photo Courtesy Mountain Xpress.
Good Hot Fish chef and owner, Ashleigh Shanti, recently released her first cookbook, Our South: Black Food Through My Lens. Shanti's cookbook is full of place-making, traditions, preservation of family recipes, and stories on Black food through her lens.
In honoring her inspirations to write this book, Shanti told Mountain Xpress, “As a Black chef, I am influenced by the African diaspora, all the microregions of the South and how incredibly diverse our foodways are. That is how I cook, how my family cooks and how many Black chefs cook.”
Find Our South: Black Food Through My Lens locally at Malaprop Bookstore / Cafe.
|
|
|
|
|
