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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

Palo-Santo-Candles

Pear Barley Salad

Sep 30, 2021 09:30AM ● By Brittany Mullins
Bowl of salad with chickpeas, barley, greens and sliced pears.

Image courtesy of USA Pears

Salad:

⅓ cup walnuts
1 cup uncooked barley
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 green Anjou pears, divided
⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
¾ cup crumbled feta
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 handful baby arugula

Dressing:

3 Tbsp red onion, diced
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp pepper

Cook barley according to package instructions. Drain. Toast walnuts in a small skillet. Let cool.

Add minced onion in a small bowl with the vinegar and let marinate while you prep the salad.

Chop 1-½ pears and save remaining half for fanning and decorating the salad.

Add cooked barley, chickpeas, pear, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, parsley and feta to a large bowl. Mix the remaining dressing ingredients with the vinegar and red onion, and whisk until combined.

Pour dressing over salad mixture and toss to coat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.


Recipe by Brittany Mullins (@eatingbirdfood), courtesy of USA Pears.


More Pear Salad Recipes

Image courtesy of USA Pears

Pear and Lentil Salad

The recipe combines a mix of fresh greens with nuts, seeds, lentils and sliced pears to make a delicious fall salad. 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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