Are Strawberries in Season?

I don’t know, but I just bought 4 pounds for $5 at Sunflower Market!

Smoothie time!

4 large strawberries

a few slices of fresh pineapple

1 banana

a handful of whole flax seeds

a squirt of Holy Basil leaf liquid herb

3 ice cubes

about 3/4 cup rice milk

Burros Banana Bonanza

 

 

Burros and Yucca

I went fruit and veggie shopping today at Food City! (check out the link on 5 reasons to go to food city) I got some new things to try. Burros bananas and yucca root (cassava).

Burros bananas:

Burro Banana

Usage: Eat fresh, baked, or add to fruit salads or desserts.

When ripe, the skin of the burro banana is yellow with black spots. The flesh is creamy white or yellow and the fruit will be soft with some firmness toward the center when ripe.

Avoid: Avoid bananas with soft spots, black or moldy stems. Gray-yellow or dull yellow bananas are an indicator of improper temperature handling and will probably not develop full flavor.

Seasonal Information

Available year-round from Mexico.

Burro Banana Nutritional Information

Serving Size: 1 medium banana (126g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 110	Calories from Fat 0
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 0mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 29g	10%
Dietary Fiber 4g	16%
Potassium 400mg	10%
Sugars 21g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0%	Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 0%	Iron 0%
Vitamin B6 20%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Source: PMA’s Labeling Facts

Burro Banana is Low Fat and Sodium-free. It’s also a good source of fiber and potassium, and a great source of vitamin C & B6, Cholesterol-free.

CASSAVA

Cassava is a shrubby, tropical, perennial plant that is not well known in the temperate zone. For most people, cassava is most commonly associated with tapioca. The plant grows tall, sometimes reaching 15 feet, with leaves varying in shape and size. The edible parts are the tuberous rootand leaves. The tuber (root) is somewhat dark brown in color and grows up to 2 feet long.

Cassava thrives better in poor soils than any other major food plant. As a result, fertilization is rarely necessary. However, yields can be increased by planting cuttings on well drained soil with adequate organic matter. Cassava is a heat-loving plant that requires a minimum temperature of 80 degrees F to grow. Since many cultivars are drought resistant, cassava can survive even during the dry season when the soil moisture is low, but humidity is high.

Around the world, cassava is a vital staple for about 500 million people. Cassava’s starchy roots produce more food energy per unit of land than any other staple crop. Its leaves, commonly eaten as a vegetable in parts of Asia and Africa, provide vitamins and protein. Nutritionally, the cassava is comparable to potatoes, except that it has twice the fiber content and a higher level of potassium.

The cassava used in Indies International Cassava Chips is known by the Latin name Manihot Utilisima. It is grown in the farm lands surrounding the town of Bogor in West Java, Indonesia, about 37 miles south of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city.

In Indonesia, cassava is used in a variety of food products, the same way potatoes are used in the U.S. They can be used as vegetables in dishes, grated to make pancakes, dried and ground into tapioca flour, or sliced and made into snack chips.

I’ll be trying the sncak chips!