Spring is a favorite time of year among many foodies, the scarcity of winter is over and the bounty of fresh fruit and veggies is on the horizon. This difference of seasons is far more glaring now that I have transplanted from San Francisco to NYC. I always knew that California had the bounty of year round produce, and I could not have imagined a farmers market with nothing but apples and root veggies. This is truly seasonal eating. What better time to discuss the difference between East and West and also offer some updates about Nutrition Evolution.
The foodie movement has blossomed and is in full swing on the west coast. I can throw a stone and hit a cafe serving SOUL (seasonal, organic, unrefined, local) food. You don’t even have to go to a high end spot to be served SOUL food. I’d say that NY is sprinting to catch up, The movment is newer, but the enthusiasm is there. All over Brooklyn and in parts of Manhattan the SOUL food movement can be seen blooming. Restaurants are using produce, meat, and dairy from local farms, and the Brooklyn Flea seemed to be exploding with local food vendors. There are more coops and buyers clubs popping up in every neighborhood of Brooklyn along with rooftop and backyard gardens.
Many people ask me (from both coasts) why I would leave the bounty of California for the more stark NY. It seems I was in foodie heaven with my 4o farmers markets and unlimited supply of SOUL food. Yes, this is a valid point, BUT I came here to be part of this growing movement. My mission is to educate and inspire people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. People in NY are starting to make the connection, but there is still quite a ways to go. I lived in a beautiful bubble, but I felt it was my time to really go and make a difference where my knowledge is really needed. I already miss my world being saturated with green between the nature and non stop veggies. Still, I know I made the right choice. There is a genuine excitement that comes when a movement is fresh.
As part of my ongoing mission, I will be offering a variety of classes and workshops. The first one will be Monday April 25th, Spring into Health, All Year Round. We will talk about going beyond the usual spring cleanse. I am a supporter of spring cleansing, but then what? Many people go back to all of their toxic habits. Learn how to reduce your toxic load every day of the year! Other upcoming talks: Junk Food Vegetarians and Kicking Sugar Addiction.
May 14, 2011 is the New Understanding, a wellness street fair in Brooklyn. I’ll have a table and will be giving a half an hour talk on, yep you guessed it, GLUTEN!
Check out my radio debut on the Hot Grease program on the Heritage Radio Network. I covered some foodie headlines and we talked about my blog and my move. I should mention that this adorable radio station is part of a sustainable restaurant called Roberta’s. It’s inside two shipping containers and they use produce from their garden!
In the spirit of spring, enjoy this recipe for sauteed dandelion greens. Bitter is the taste of spring as it activates the liver and gall bladder. Dandelion is indeed a bitter green, but it can be quite delicious when balanced with other flavors.
sho’s yummy dandelion greens
2 cups fresh dandelion greens
1 cup spring onions
3-4 stalks spring (green) garlic
1.5 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
Himayalan salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
optional:fresh spring herbs
directions: heat coconut oil on low-medium heat in cast iron or stainless steel pan. Next, add onions and garlic, sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. When onions and garlic are soft, add greens, stir, and then cover. In about 1-2 minutes the greens will wilt, this means that they are ready to eat.
enjoy!
Comments and questions welcome via the comments. For further information, my email is kale@nutritionevolution.net
Hi Sho,
I rooted back to CA just a few years ago from being in NY for 6 years. I can totally understand what you are experiencing. I actually went to nutrition and chef school there in NYC and explored all the restaurants. If you ever want to pick my brain, then feel free to email me or if you wanted to get connected with other practitioners in that area, then feel free to connect with me
Alara K. Castell
Your Sassy Spiritual Guide
Kudos to you for what you are helping to pioneer there in NYC! It looks as though you are really going make quite an impact there! That is one thing I would miss if I left California — all the access to fresh fruit and veggies — that I think many of us here take for granted. My mom and dad and two of my sisters are now living in Idaho and keep telling me how much they miss the wonderful produce here in California! One of my sisters started her own organic garden, though, and is enjoying it…but the growing season is very short because of the snow!
We are not California, but here in the Pacific NW we have wonderful vegetable options, especially as we get towards the summer. Our farmers’ markets are full of wonderful Asian vegetables (love gailon and all sorts of “choy” – bok choy, yu choy, choy sum). I once did have dandelion roots. Can’t say they were my favorite, but maybe I needed a better recipe.
Good luck bringing your vision to the East!
Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
“My cat owns me, my clutter stymies me, my writing frees me. Word maven loves—and learns from—ordinary life.”
http://www.thereflectivewriter.com/blog/
Thanks for the educating post. I am not only envious of the west coast for their wonderful bounty of year round goodies, but also the sun and vitamin D. After a long winter of missing the sun and indulging in way too much caffeine and sugary yummies, I have a local appointment with someone to help me learn to cut out the sugar and incorporate more SOUL food. Looking forward to keeping up with your blog. Rachel
Sho, you are a brave woman to move to NY from CA for any reason! My husband and I visit NY about every 18 months to 2 years and have talked about whether we could live there (he has close family there) and we agree we are California peeps, through and through. We will be there this summer and perhaps you can direct us to some real SOUL food, gluten and dairy free! Maybe we’ll even get to meet.
Susan Berland
A Picture’s Worth
http://www.susan-berland.com
It does seem like good eating is an intuitive response being here in CA.
I lived in Boston for almost seven years and it is one of the things I missed most. I was depressed going to the grocery for fruits and veggies.
I admire your dedication to your mission; I’m sure NYC will be so much the better for it.
Jillian Todd
http://www.jilliantodd.com
Jillian Todd Portrait Couture
We moved here (CA) from Cape Cod, MA ten years ago. My husband had a wonderful garden that provided us some great veggies until winter came. Here we have the farmer’s markets and many more choices. Kudos to you for educating the East Coasters about SOUL food. Healthy eating is so important to every aspect of one’s life!
Hi Sho Shanna! I loved that you included the definition of SOUL food in your blog! I, too, am learning about it, teaching it, and doing all I can for the cause up here in the Pacific Northwest. You see a lot of it in Seattle, but not in the northern counties, like where I live. It’s starting to catch hold, though. I applaud your bold move and send my warm support! Look forward to hearing more!
Hi, welcome to the East Coast! I am originally from NY, with many family and friends still there, so I am happy to hear you are part of the new SOUL food movement….hitting our city! Love that you spelled out what SOUL means. Here in VA, we’ve had farmers markets for years selling SOUL food, something I was not used to…introduced to by my nutritionist, and live for now! We also have a garden in the backyard too…my mom always had a garden growing up (in queens!). Recently I heard about the roof top gardens and bee keepers….in nyc and queens too…very cool stuff happening! Good luck spreading the word…maybe someday we’ll meet….that would be fun! Until then, enjoy the SOUL food…and have fun in the big apple (its a good start!).
Rita Brennan Freay
@Rita4kids
ritabrennanfreay.com
It’s been awhile but I’ve spent considerable time in upstate NY which gives me a firm basis upon which to appreciate the cross-country leap you’ve taken–and the dedication that requires. They’re fortunate to have you! I’m heading into the raw world, about 2/3 now but in April, taking a 30 day challenge with Pam Sterling. I’ll keep in mind that it’s much easier to do here on the West Coast! Thanks for a great perspective on SOUL from coast to coast.
You had me until “dandelion greens…” I had a “harrowing” experience during my Spring cleanse a couple years ago. I usually rely heavily on carrot, celery and beets for the juice portion of my cleanse (because there is a lot of juice in them) but was looking for something different, so used dandelion greens. Probably would have been ok, except I got a little in a hurry and used a VERY high percentage of them. I got a little nauseous after the first portion, but stupidly ignored it. After the second portion, my bathroom looked like a crime scene (remember the beets?!) You see, I have no gall bladder and didn’t know the effect dandelion greens has on the liver. I like the sound of your recipe, so will probably sub another green…I’m scared of the dandelion now!
When we vacation in FL or CA from our home state of MN, I so look forward to the abudance of fruits and veges coming my way. Grapes, apples and bananas get pretty old! Eating healthy can be a challenge, so we need more warriors like you infiltrating the “produce challenged” states!
Can you come to Utah please! We have such a short growing season, few farmers markets and much less choice. And I know of no SOUL food restaurants. I long for California!
Louise Edington
Facing Fears For Freedom Over Fifty
http://louiseedington.com
Love the radio picture of you…congrats! Wow, can’t imagine the move. I was shocked when in NY and everyone was smoking in the restaurants. Is coconut oil the best to use to heat? Just wondering…
Brandy Mychals
Speaker, Author, Communications Coach
Creator of the Character Code System
What struck me as I was reading your post is that we are realizing that they had it right back in the days when they settled this country. Eat what you can grow or source locally. Funny how we are coming back around to that mindset in so many different ways.
Darcie Newton
Wine not whine.
More nature than nurture.
Discipline for profit, none for triple cream brie.
http://www.mywealthspa.com
Mmmmm, craving some SOUL food now fore sure!. That radio station DOES look adorable. Maybe we can duplicate something like that on the West Coast? Would love to hear more about the topics you listed (especially the Junk Food Vegetarians one). If you have recordings or transcripts of your talks, please let me know.
Hi Sho,
Thanks for your very interesting comparison of east coast and west coast foodie enthusiasm. It’ll be interesting to follow what develops. I’m not particularly passionate about food, but now you’ve got me interested to learn more about SOUL food around here. Thanks for your recipe, and I’ll subscribe to your blog for further news.
Congrats on your leap to a better opportunity. Texas is just staring to come around too, but I would imagine lagging far behind NY.
This is a very timely post for me as Jamie Oliver’s second season of Food Revolution just started and I’m a big advocate for improving our food awareness. Good for you for moving to where you feel your message is most needed.
My favorite book on this topic is Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” – it is laugh out loud funny in parts and reminds me how important it is to be connected to the food you eat.
Darcie Newton
Wine not whine.
More nature than nurture.
Discipline for profit, none for cheese.
http://www.mywealthspa.com
LOVE the recipe. Thanks so much! Karen~
Congrats on your radio debut!! I’ve never done a spring cleanse but am feeling the need this year. I’ll be following along better here to see what else I need to happen. Thanks for the great tips/info and for a glimpse into your move!
Yvonne Hall
http://www.facebook.com/wilforwildtree