Biodynamic Agriculture Works With the ‘Living Forces’ of the Plant
Biodynamic agriculture works directly with these life forces, which heals the farm’s soil, meadows, forests and streams in ways unique to modern agriculture.
Tree Collards Are A Super Food Waiting to Be Discovered
One of the primary missions of Dr. Cowan’s Garden is to introduce wild, perennial and other unusual vegetables into the American diet because these vegetables tend to be more nutrient dense than common garden vegetables and richer in disease-fighting phytonutrients.
THE ROLE OF FRUIT IN A MEDICINAL GARDEN
All traditional people ate fruit when it was available. Fruits are wonderful sources of water-soluble vitamins like C and fibers, as well as our familiar disease-fighting phytochemicals. But, fruits also can be a source of excessive fructose, a sugar implicated in the etiology of many modern diseases.
The Color Purple in Plants Reduces Inflammation, Protects DNA
The different colors reflect the different chemicals that plants synthesize to ward off disease. Eating a wide variety of these phytochemicals is one of my core dietary principles.
The Incredible Ashitaba Plant - It Even Makes its own Ketones
Chalcone-rich Ashitaba Powder can be used as a kind of nutrient-rich green vegetable in smoothies, salads, or in any other recipe that calls for greens. A quarter- or half-teaspoon at a time is usually sufficient. Also, because it’s a dietary source of ketones, Ashitaba Powder can be used to enhance the effect of a ketogenic diet or to provide extra nutrients during intermittent fasting.
Medicinal Gardening: Annual vs Perennial Plants
One of the main components of a medicinal food garden, as well as optimal nutrition, is perennial plants. Annual plants, such as tomatoes, zucchini and lettuce, are the typical garden plants, and they live out their lives in one season. Usually they are started from seed in the spring, produce a mature plant in the summer, then flower and go to seed in late summer or fall.
The True Explanation of a Medicinal Food Garden
As summer draws to a close and the main harvesting is well under way, I thought I would share my ideas on what I call a “medicinal food garden.” This phrase best describes what I am attempting to do with the Napa garden, and, in some ways, it is the underlying philosophy of Dr. Cowan’s Garden.
The Plant That Should Be Part Of Everyone's Diet: Spinach
Spinach is one of the few foods that has had a massive television campaign aimed at convincing the American population to consume it. Everyone in my generation has fond memories of Popeye the Sailor Man. Some of us can probably still sing the little song that accompanied the show. The central point of the show was to convince the American population, which at that time was not used to the regular consumption of garden vegetables, to include more spinach in their diets.
Threefold Blend Spicy - Asian Sense for the Marriage of Heat, Spice and Sweet
By most accounts, I am a fairly experienced cook. I have been the primary food preparer in my household for most of the past 40 years. I have made hundreds of loaves of sourdough bread, starting from whole wheat or rye berries. I have six fermentation crocks, and one is going most of the time. I have made a variety of fermented “soft drinks,” my current favorite being various fruit-based shrubs. One of Lynda’s nieces claims she likes to visit us in San Francisco at least partially to eat my food. Yet, I am only the second best Cowan male chef.
What Sustainability Means To Dr. Cowan's Garden
Sustainability is a frequently used word in today’s world. People talk about sustainable buildings, sustainable agriculture, sustainable economics — even sustainable medicine. I’m not sure a clear definition exists within any of these contexts, but I’d like to share what sustainable means to.
Leaky-Gut: 101
In many ways, our guts are like a grassy meadow. In a healthy meadow, layers of protection prevent toxins from seeping into the valuable groundwater below. The uppermost level is composed largely of grasses and other species of plant life, all with their roots and foliage intermixed into a kind of carpet. Living among the foliage are numerous animal organisms, from rabbits and mice to butterflies and caterpillars. Hundreds if not thousands of species of plant, animal and insect life make up this outer layer.
A Quintessential Spring Food: Wild Ramps!
Wild ramps are the quintessential spring food. Found in moist, shady areas of deciduous forests, they literally pop up out of the ground soon after the first warmth of spring. Sometimes referred to as wild leeks, the entire plant, from the snow- white bulb to the rich green leaf, is full of health-promoting minerals and poly-phenols.
Follow
Thanks for visiting Dr. Cowan's Garden!
© 2019 Dr. Cowan's Garden.
