Nutrition News You Can Use
September 2010  Buy Local - The Bounty of Central Texas
 
Cooking Class Schedule
Central Texas Fall Foods as Medicine
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
7:00-9:00 PM


Giving Thanks Healthfully & Locally
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
6:30-9:00 PM


See below for details. Register today! Space is limited.

Cooking in NYCGreetings!
 
This week I sat down with the fall edition of Edible Austin, a national yet local community-based publication that keeps one in-the-know of the local food movement happening in Central Texas. This well designed and free magazine is available at the Farmers' Markets, Whole Foods Market and various other foodie locations. As usual I came to learn about many new additions, events and recipes happening in the local food scene here in Austin and it made me feel thankful to live in an area where we have so many resources available to us for eating seasonally, healthy and local. I also just returned from a trip to the Rocky Mountains where fall was fast approaching. While many there were bedding down their gardens for the winter, I was excited to know that due to our mild winters in Central Texas I was coming home to a whole new season of fresh vegetables that pretty much last the whole year through.

Many of my clients have a hard time coordinating normal healthful grocery store foods in their diet on a regular basis and when I start talking about going to the Farmers' Market to shop on Saturday morning their eyes may glaze over and I can see that I have lost them for the moment. However, I know that these folks have made it into my office for a reason and they are looking to me as an expert to give them the very best advice possible pertaining to their nutrition and health. So I persevere in helping these clients to make small changes one step at a time. Even if they do not wind up at the Farmer's Market every Saturday they still begin to take notice of seasonality and local food resources in some way and their nutrition and local economy is all the better for it.

In this edition of my newsletter I am once again going to remind you why choosing locally-sourced foods is important from both a nutritional and economical point of view. We are going to cover what foods are in season in Central Texas during fall, winter, spring and summer and I am going to give you a lovely pumpkin recipe that will nourish your nostalgia of seasonal tradition and your immunity so you don't feel like you have to fall victim to the whole flu shot farce (eat well and take good care of yourself and you probably will not get the flu, besides most people I know who do get flu shots still get the darn flu anyway).

Additionally, many of you you may be aware that the Austin American Statesman did a two page article on the Central Texas Foods & Herbs as Medicine cooking class series I do at the American Botanical Council (ABC). If you missed this article in the newspaper please feel free to read the article here. Also, I would like to remind you that the Central Texas Fall Foods & Herbs as Medicine cooking class will be happening at ABC on October 20th, 2010. For details see below and contact me to reserve your place in the class. Some other exciting events to keep your eye out for are the cooking classes I will be teaching at the Central Market cooking school in December and January.


Thanks and take care,
Kara Kroeger
Certified Nutritionist & Herbalist
www.KaraKroeger.com
512-567-5206
Knowledge to Nourish & Sustain

 
8 Superb Reasons to Go Texan

Food sign

  1. Locally grown foods are often the most sustainably grown and freshest choice because they are usually picked more recently, which means greater nutrient- density. The farther away food comes the more it loses nutrients over travel time, robbing us of valuable vitamins and nutrients.

  2. The foods that are in season usually have medicinal benefits specific to that seasons ailments. Summer foods are cooling and protective against the sun, winter foods are warming and many of their nutrients build immunity.

  3. Money talks! Make a political choice by spending your dollars on healthful, locally raised, sustainable food sources. The market listens and changes accordingly. The more we buy local, the more it will become available and economical.

  4. Feeling the crunch of the economy? Feed your local economy by putting your food dollars back into it by buying from local resources. Why enrich a corporation when you can support a local business or farmer instead?

  5. Want to live greener and reduce your carbon foot print? Buying local reduces fuel used to transport your foods and often reduces chemical residues in the land and our drinking water due to organic or pesticide-free growing practices often used by local farmers.

  6. You do not always have to go to the Farmer's Market! Whole Foods Market and Central Market highlight locally grown seasonal foods and they are usually the cheapest produce you can buy at the time. These businesses are Texas-based local businesses as well.

  7. Locally-raised, pasture-fed and free-range meats are more humanly raised, are usually free of antibiotics and hormones and have better fatty acid ratios that help to control inflammation.

  8. Oh yea, local foods taste better too! There is nothing better than eating a piece of fruit just picked from the tree, still warmed by the sun.
Whats in Season in Central Texas

The following is not a hard and fast list. Some of the foods in the lists below will not be available for the whole three-month time period and some will. Also, not necessarily every fruit and vegetable grown in Central Texas is included in this list, however, the most common ones are.

Spring (February, March, April)

Vegetables
Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Garlic, Green Onions, Kale, Mushrooms, Potatoes, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Turnips

Fruits
Grapefruit, Oranges, Strawberries

Summer (May, June, July)

Vegetables
Artichokes, Bell Peppers, Green Beans, Chili Peppers, Collard Greens, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green Onions, Kale, Mushrooms, Okra, Onions, Peas, Potatoes, Spaghetti Squash, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Yellow Squash, Zucchini,  Black-eyed Peas, Lima Beans

Fruits
Apples, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cantaloupes, Figs, Honey Dew Melon, Peaches, Pears, Watermelon  

Fall (August, September, October)

Vegetables
Chili Peppers, Collard Greens, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Kale, Okra, Onions, Mushrooms, Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Turnips, Yellow Squash, Zucchini

Fruits
Cantaloupe, Honey Dew Melon, Watermelon, Apples, Persimmons

Winter (November, December, January)

Vegetables
Beets, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Fennel, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Sweet Potatoes, Radishes, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Turnips

Fruits
Apples, Grapefruit, Oranges

 Recipe of the Month
 
 
Veggie Heart


Pumpkin & Grass-fed Beef Stew

Click here to see more of Ray Villafane's fabulous pumpkin carvings!

Ingredients:
2 pound grass-fed beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 � cups �-inch cubed pumpkin (be sure to choose one specific for cooking)
3 large white potatoes, peeled, cubed
3 large carrots, sliced
2 cups beef or vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
� teaspoon salt
� teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 45 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm.

Cooking Class Schedule
Central Texas Fall Foods & Herbs as Medicine
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010, 7:00-9:00 PM
American Botanical council
6200 Manor Rd.
Austin, TX 78723
$45 (Includes samples of each dish)

Medicinal Foods with Seasonal Flavors!
The healthy food we eat is the earth's most potent medicine available to us. Seasonal, whole foods are our first-line of defense for staying healthy and healing common ailments of the season. Full of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, our mothers really do know best when they tell us to eat our fruits & vegetables. In this class, nutrition expert and culinarian, Kara Kroeger will be using the season's freshest herbs, vegetables and meats to make some truly tasty and nourishing dishes. Kara will cover a plethora of benefits gained from eating seasonal fall foods such as corn, okra, sweet potatoes,  pumpkins, greens, turnips, and herbs like mint, marjoram, Texas tarragon and many more. From an immune building grass-fed beef and pumpkin stew to a detoxifying dish of souffled southern greens and warming apple-coriander pie with a pecan crust, your taste buds will be tingling with flavor; free-radicals will be running for cover and you will be equipped with cold & flu fighting nutrients.

Come learn about:
  • The bounty of nutrients offered by the fall foods of Central Texas
  • How to build your immunity and fight colds & flu with medicinal foods
  • What healthy foods can be used as alternatives to unhealthy foods
  • Foods that keep you warm in the cooler months
  • Multiple herbs that both season foods & heal common ailments
  • Cooking techniques that speed up time spent in the kitchen
Giving Thanks Healthfully with the Local Fall Bounty
Tuesday, November 9th, 6:30-9:00
Kroeger Nutrition
4418 Lareina Dr.
Austin, Tx 78745
$45 (Includes samples of each dish)

The holiday conundrum of eating healthy or eating tasty is solved. In this class some incredible seasonal dishes will be prepared that will surely nourish and knock the socks off your holiday guests. Local Central Texas produce and meats will be used to make healthy dishes that embrace tradition without tasting like something is being left out. We will discuss how to hold a true local foods holiday feast and you will be challenged to encourage the guests coming to your house this holiday season to bring something local and make the experience regionally rich. What better way to give thanks than to support your most important local resource - your food!

Menu (subject to change)
  • Ham & Shallot Deviled Eggs
  • Braised Rabbit and Fall Vegetables
  • Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"
  • Swiss Chard Souffle
  • Fennel and Apple Salad
  • Sweet Potato Pie

Registration:

Please join us and see what it's all about.This class has limited space so please register early by calling Kara to reserve your spot. Full tuition is required to hold your spot once you have confirmed with Kara that there is space available. Please send a check to Kara Kroeger at 4418 Lareina Dr., Austin, TX 78745

For further info on Kara Kroeger please visit www.KaraKroeger.com.  

 
Contact Information
phone: 512-567-5206
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