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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Daylily and Zucchini Curry with Sweet Potato Shoot

Jul 31, 2020 09:30AM ● By Marie Viljoen

Daylily and Zucchini Curry with Sweet Potato Shoots

This comforting vegan curry sings with the flavors of summer’s vegetables, herbs and garden scraps.

Yields: 2 servings

2 Tbsp avocado oil
3 Tbsp microplaned or very finely chopped fresh ginger
2 heads green garlic and cloves, separated
3 mature garlic cloves, crushed fine
1 can coconut milk
2-3 Tbsp fish sauce (or soy)
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh turmeric rhizome
½ cup chopped green garlic leaves
1½ cups cubed butternut squash
2 lb baby zucchini or older ones cut into chunks
8 dry daylily flowers
4 fresh daylily flowers (Hemerocallis fulva), anthers and pistil removed
8 daylily buds 
1 makrut (Thai lime) leaf, sliced thinly
1 tsp chile flakes or a large fresh chile, chopped
2 cups loosely packed tender sweet potato shoots
4-6 sprigs Thai basil

In a wide skillet that can accommodate the zucchini in a single layer, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and all the garlic.

Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring so it doesn’t stick. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, fresh turmeric, green garlic leaves and dry daylily flowers. Increase the heat to high. When the liquid boils add the butternut and enough water to bring the liquid just over the vegetables. Cook covered, at a simmer, for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the zucchini, the rest of the daylilies, the lime leaf and the chile. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove the lid, increase the heat and cook at a gentle boil for 10 to 15 more minutes. The sauce will reduce and concentrate in flavor. Taste for seasoning and add a little more fish sauce or lime if necessary.

Stir in the Thai basil and the tender sweet potato shoots and cook until they have wilted into the sauce, about 4 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls.


Recipe and photo courtesy of Marie Viljoen.


More Flower-ful Feast Recipes:

Salad with daylily flowers peas goat cheese

Daylily Salad

This strikingly beautiful vegetarian recipe for Daylily Salad marries the sweet crunch of pea pods with crisp orange daylily petals and creamy cheese. Read More » 

 

pphoto by Penny De Los Santosbrp

Kale Stem Hummus

Plant-based, vegan recipe for homemade hummus using kale stems. Read More » 

 

Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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