Friday, February 1, 2013

Fun at our local Farm! Stinging Nettles @cherrygrovefarm Artisan Cheese #GardenCuizine @SuperBowl snacks

 Cherry Grove Farm

Look for local farms and CSA's in your area to seek out fresh eggs, fruits, vegetables, herbs, local honey, jams, apple butter, organic meats and other sustainable local fare. We recently discovered Cherry Grove Farm in Lawrenceville, New Jersey in the Princeton area; they even make their own handcrafted farmstead cheeses. 

For Superbowl Sunday snacks we're trying one of their award winning cheese blends made with stinging nettles - Full Nettle Jack. Cheese can add nutrients, especially calcium, to your diet, but cheese can also add fat and sodium. Select reduced fat varieties when available and keep the portion sizes small and bite-sized. Serve cheese atop low sodium, multigrain crackers; melt cheese over veggies or multigrain nachos; enjoy shredded cheese atop salads and prepared foods.

Artisan Cheese with Greens = a Winning combo
Artisan cheese with Nettles...what is that? We used to have herbaceous perennial Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) growing near our garden that I actually planted there on purpose; and someone (we won't mention any names) dug them out to get rid of them thinking they were unwanted weeds, which to many they are. Stinging Nettles can actually be eaten like other nutritious weed greens - ie dandelion, purslane, violets, watercress. Nettles contain nutrients that include dietary fiber, calcium and vitamin A. 

Go !

GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis Stinging Nettles: calculated by Diana Wind, RD from USDA Nutrient Database 
Excellent Source: dietary Fiber, Calcium, Vitamin A
Good Source: Magnesium 
1 cup (89g): 37 calories; dietary Fiber 6g (24% DV); Calcium 428 mg (42% DV); Iron 1.5 mg (8% DV); Magnesium 51mg (13% DV); Potassium 297mg (8.5% DV); Riboflavin 0.142 mg (8% DV); Vitamin A 1790 IU (36% DV); Lutein + Zeaxanthin 3718 mcg

Related Links
Test your Cheese Knowledge 
Edible Wild Plants
Photo collage and blog post Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.

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