Tag: seasonal

Wellness: Cherries, seasonal beauty care – Italian Cuisine

It is said that one throws the other. And it is also said that eating them directly from the tree (like all fruits) is one of the great pleasures of life. And then what beautiful are they cherries, red with a vermilion red, round, perfumed, small, usable, sweet. In short, it seems that this fruit that in the end is quite ephemeral (at the end of June it has already exhausted its best period, in Piedmont the little worms are called giuanin, because they begin to be seen after June 24, San Giovanni) has so many and such advantages to make it an icon of beauty and health.

They are anti-aging and help renew the skin
In fact, cherries are not only great allies of the health, but also of the beauty and in particular they are fundamental for the care of the skin. Thanks to carotenes and mineral salts, they help protect it from the sun and obtain a natural and homogeneous tan. Finally they are good for legs, thanks to their remarkable diuretic powers, and counteract the problems of circulation, cellulite and capillary fragility. IS at the dawn of summer, just amber, the legs begin to show themselves in all their beauty and their care, we women know well, it becomes the focus of the treatments. Therefore this sweet and juicy fruit is often used in masks and in regenerating packs or as a natural scrub for the body, thanks precisely to its exfoliating powers.

For a natural peeling
In fact, cherries are rich in alpha hydroxy acids, substances that exfoliate the skin, making it softer and brighter, and help it renew itself. They contain vitamins and minerals that transmit energy and antioxidants that counteract free radicals, are very moisturizing and soothe inflammation.

And again perfume and color
In the beauty sector then the cherry is considered a queen. Experts have renamed it cherry-mania referring to the trend that most people want lipsticks to the scent or color of cherry. The cherry can therefore be considered a muse in the beauty sector, and for color and perfume. One of the most popular fruity notes in perfumery it is precisely that of cherry, which characterizes many fragrances, but which in reality is not extracted from the essence of the fruit, being simply a wise imitation of it.

A curiosity
Legend has it that Ludovico Ariosto went mad and that, especially during his tenure as Governor of Garfagnana, annexed at that time to the Este Duchy of Ferrara, it consumed a large amount. Above all it seems that he was a strong consumer of cherry soup, refining a recipe handed down by the shepherds that cooked the cherriestheand in milk sweetened with honey and butter is when the sauce obtained was very tight, they spread it on bread. The possible variations of the Ariosto soup are obviously many, such as the one with savoiardi and ricotta which consists in enriching the whole with ricotta beaten by hand (to incorporate air and make it more creamy) to spread over a layer of soaked ladyfingers. And above all the cherry sauce.

Looking for the perfect one
But does the perfect cherry exist? The cherry season has begun, which marks the summer, but which is also very ephemeral. And we talk about it a lot, wondering what the identikit of the perfect cherry is. In the last International Cherry Symposium, held in Vignola (Modena), which boasts protected excellence, some essential characteristics have been written: the real cherry has to be productive, with a homogeneous and sustained caliber (greater than 26 mm ), resistant to diseases. In addition, it has good organoleptic properties, ie sweetness, consistency and crunchiness, it must be able to resist cracking and have a good hold both on the tree and after harvesting and, last but not least, it must know how to adapt, in times of changes climate.

But then are we sure that we write cherries? Yes, but if there was doubt, rest assured that you are not alone. There is also tolerance for the version without "i". So much so that a book by Oriana Fallaci was called A hat full of cherries. Without i.

Emanuela Di Pasqua,
May 2017

updated
May 2018

updated May 2019

Image Credits

https://pixabay.com/it/ciliegie-ciliegie-dolci-1465801/

the moment / Flickr

Kitay / Flickr

eltpics / Flickr

Konstantina / Flickr

Because it is important to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables – Italian Cuisine

tomatoes on any date of the calendar, orange juices in August – beautiful iced, please! – and, now that it's spring, God forbid there were already aubergines in the oven. Nowadays almost everything is available throughout the year: why therefore deprive oneself of winter tomatoes, summer oranges or peppers in spring?

We all know the importance of daily consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables: le famous "5 portions" – 7 to prolong life – But do not pay more attention to the speech of the seasonality – which actually applies to many foods, for example for fish. For fruit and vegetables it becomes a priority, and let's not get confused by the fact that now even organic farming propose seasonal vegetables and fruits: it is not so in fact for biodynamic agriculture, which is really linked to the cycles of the Earth and takes care of the concept of "Vitality" of food.

And yet it is not only biodynamic agriculture that sustains it, but the whole science (and underlines it the Veronesi Foundation, which supports research and scientific dissemination, primarily in the field of oncology): the fruits and vegetables grown and matured in their own soil have a greater richness of nutrients compared to those not grown up in their own environment. And so it is for all the non-seasonal vegetables and fruit that the market offers us: it has grown in the greenhouse. The alternative is to arrive from distant places where the seasons are different from ours, with an expensive journey and all that it entails in terms of damage environmental and damage to health: the more time passes from the moment of collection to that of consumption, the more some nutrients disappear, vitamins primarily.

Not only: to be able to deal with transport and distant sales, vegetables – let's think of tomatoes – and even more fruits, come collected very prematurely, with the result of not fully developing neither the nutritional potential nor those of taste: you have noticed that fruits and vegetables they don't know anything anymore, right?!? It happens too often. Of course, this is also due to other factors, primarily the use of synthetic chemicals in cultivation, like nitrogen fertilizer, which means that increases enormously the liquid part of the vegetable: leaves larger, but with little flavor. But the loss of the latter is certainly part of the cause: if we catch a fruit of the earth in the season in which it predicted it will grow, and the we collect at its right point of maturation – ie at the point where the Earth has provided for it to be eaten, the nutritional and organoleptic properties are naturally at the top. Several scientific studies prove it.

And indeed nature also provides the right fruit and vegetables in the right season: for example in spring, time for our body to shake off the heaviness and toxins accumulated in winter and prepare for the good weather, vegetables and herbs arrive naturally detox and remineralizing such as radishes, agretti or monk's beard and of course asparagus, or dandelion (or dandelion). Even in terms of calories nature provides lighter and more consistent foods when it is the right season so that we receive more or less reserves and energy.

There are other elements to consider: when one plant is forced to grow and bear fruit in a season that is not his, it is always basically weaker, less vital and resistant and this translates into a datum: more treatments to protect it from attacks and parasites, or more Pesticides & c that come to her and then to us. And again: fruit and vegetables in season it costs less! If it is not so – that is if the tomato costs us little even in winter – we really have to worry …

Finally, let's not underestimate the variety factor: does the concept of tomato and tasteless courgette + string bean and frozen pea 365 days a year mean something to you? It is important to vary the foods we consume and if we follow the seasons, we do it by force more. It can help us subscribe to a convenience weekly delivery service of fruit and vegetables at home local producers: now there are so many possibilities around the country, it is worthwhile to inquire (and check that they provide only seasonal fruits and vegetables)! Why the conclusion is simple: to be aligned with the rhythms of nature of which we are a part can only feed ourselves better and more. And trust your papillae: if a fruit or vegetable has no taste, what is the taste?!?

Carola Traverso Saibante
April 2018

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Properties and characteristics of thistles, seasonal must – Italian Cuisine

Shape similar to celery, but close relative of the artichoke, which is very similar to its nutritive properties: we talk about the thistles, typically winter vegetables that are worth knowing for their precious characteristics and versatility in the kitchen.
We'll talk to the doctor Raffaella Melani, nutritionist biologist, to find out more closely and have some ideas to enhance them in the kitchen.

Cardi, used since ancient times for its beneficial effects

The thistle it is a perennial plant already used in antiquity. Tells the doctor Melani "There are traces of it from the 4th century BC. The Greeks, Romans and the Persians used it and considered it a precious vegetable, in these regions they were consumed, like today, the young shoots." In the Middle Ages it was intensively cultivated in Europe".

First of all its hepato-protective action

It has already been known for a long time for its effects hepato-protective, that is, benefits for the liver, as also told by numerous scientific articles that see him as a protagonist. Specification Melani "It is excellent in fact for the treatment of numerous disorders of the liver (such as dandelion) thanks to its own antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity".

Enemy of cholesterol and kidney friend

But it is not just the liver that benefits from its many virtues. Deepens the nutritionist "Recently it has been evaluated its effect also on kidneys is heart. Has hypocholesterolemic effect is reduces azotemia and uricemia. For this, it also proves effective on the hypertension of renal origin ".

Against prostate cancer and Alzheimer's

It also has other beneficial qualities.
Specification Raffaella Melani "Extracts prepared from the fruits of this plant are also used as a preventive agent for the prostate cancer and for prevention of Alzheimer's disease. In 2014, the plant ranked sixth among the twenty best herbal supplements all thanks to silymarin, the main active ingredient that represents a complex mixture that includes seven flavonolignans and flavanonol, taxifolin ".

Rich in calcium and useful for its vitamin c content

If we analyze its composition, there are two relevant aspects to consider: the significant content of football and of C vitamin. clarifies Melani "Calcium contributes to normal blood coagulation, to the energy metabolism and to the muscular and neurotransmission function. It helps digestive enzymes and has a role in the process of cell division and specialization. It is also indispensable for bones and teeth: it supports normal bone growth and development in children and, above all, helps to reduce the loss of bone mineral in women in post-menopause".
Vitamin C is essential for the functioning of the immune system and to counteract oxidative stress.

Many ways to enhance it in the kitchen

To use the thistle, you must deprive it of the filamentous part outside and then cook it so you can enhance its nutritional properties. If you want to increase liver functionfor example, you can prepare it in batter or fried, with a previous blanching so as not to lose its nutrients, by virtue of the second cooking. If instead you want to enhance his draining function and lenitive on the gastric mucosa, it can be prepared boiled and seasoned with oil and lemon.

Elisa Nata
February 2019

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