Greens are an incredibly healthy food — they’re all very low in calories, but are still very nutrient dense. We have many varieties of greens that are grown locally and some are the earliest things to be available from local gardens. They are easy to grow and don’t require a lot of room. Greens can even be grown in small planters on a balcony or doorstep, or even inside in the winter months.

Generally speaking, the darker the greens, the more nutrient dense they are. While it is best to choose the darkest greens, it’s also important to get variety as different greens have different nutrients. Two of the earliest available greens are kale and spinach. Spinach contains large quantities of vitamins K, A and folate. But it is also a fantastic source of iron, calcium, vitamin C and many other nutrients.

Here in the valley, many different kinds of greens are grown throughout the growing season and are sold at the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market. This includes salad greens, like romaine and red or green leaf lettuces, or greens that are better suited to being cooked like Swiss chard and beet greens (although baby chard and beet greens are nice to eat raw, as well) and some greens that can be eaten cooked or raw, such as kale and spinach.

Fresh greens do not keep for very long but if treated properly they can last up to a week or slightly longer, depending on the type of green. They should be washed and dried, any brown or wilted leaves removed, and the rest stored in the fridge. Greens can be stored in a sealed plastic bag, or in an airtight container with paper or cloth towels to absorb the extra moisture. If greens become limp, they can be soaked in cold water to revive them.

Greens can be hard for anyone who isn’t use to them to add into their diet, but especially for kids. If you’re just starting to add greens as a regular part of your diet, make sure to get the freshest greens, as older greens may have more of a bitter taste to them (I find this especially with kale). Greens like spinach can easily be chopped and mixed into pasta dishes (especially ones like lasagna, but we even add it to macaroni and cheese), soups and even mashed potatoes. Don’t overcook the greens; they should just cook long enough to soften and wilt, as they’ll have a stronger flavor when completely cooked. Spinach and other greens can very easily be added to sandwiches, as well.

Our favorite way — including my kids’ favorite way — to enjoy greens is in green smoothies. The color might scare you and they may sound gross, but please don’t let that stop you from trying one — we guarantee you won’t taste the green! You may even want to experiment with adding more or different types of greens. We usually use spinach in our smoothies, as it blends very well as long as tough stems are removed first.

If you’re just trying a green smoothie for the first time, just add one handful of spinach and work up to adding more. You can also experiment with any kind of lettuce, kale (be especially sure to remove all tough stems and blend very well) and even a little Swiss chard or other lettuces, but we find that spinach is by far the least noticeable so you may want to start with it. Be aware that the color of your smoothie depends on the type of fruit you use — if you use a darker fruit it might turn out brown or even very close to black, but trust us, it will still taste like a delicious fruit smoothie! This is our favorite formula for making green smoothies, but get creative! There are lots of different ways to enjoy a green smoothie.

Basic Green Smoothie

• 1 large banana, frozen and cut up into 1-inch pieces for easier blending
• 1 C fresh or frozen fruit or berries (we use all kinds of local fruits including cherries, peaches, raspberries, strawberries and plums, but others like pineapple are delicious, too)
• 1-2 handfuls fresh spinach, tough stems removed
• 1-2 C milk (dairy or non-dairy) depending on the thickness desired
• up to 1 tbsp local honey or another sweetener, if desired

For extra staying power, consider adding one or more of:

• 1 tbsp peanut or other nut butter
• 1/4-1/2 C cooked or soaked oatmeal
• 1 scoop your favorite protein powder
• 1-2 tbsp very finely ground flax seed

Blend all in your blender for at least two minutes, making sure that no green pieces remain and that the smoothie is completely blended and smooth. If your blender is very underpowered, consider blending the greens with a little bit of milk first, until no large pieces remain, then add the remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth.

The first Creston Valley Farmer’s Market of the year is on May 5 behind the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce from 8 a.m.-noon. The other weekends, the market will be at its regular place at Millennium Park from 8 a.m.-noon (except the Saturday of the Creston Valley Blossom Festival, when the market will be from noon-4 p.m.).

Heidi Bjarnason is a Creston Valley mom and blogger. For more recipes, ideas, pictures and kid friendly ideas and food, visit Fooddoodles.com.

• The Locavore’s Cookbook: Honey a sweet, versatile substitute for sugar
• The Locavore’s Cookbook: Eggs are better when they’re local
• The Locavore’s Cookbook: Creston Valley wheat perfect for bread
• The Locavore’s Cookbook: Hubbard squash perfect to stuff
• The Locavore’s Cookbook: All you need to know about garlic
• The Locavore’s Cookbook: Soft wheat perfect for baking quick breads

The workshops are inspired by the DIY movement.

Acquire food tools to harvest, sort, dry, preserve and cook food.

This June, three Kootenay artists are sharing with the public their passion for

Cedar Bark Processing and Weaving
Adobe Oven Construction
Rocket Stove Mass Heater Construction

These workshops are hands-on, all day, outdoor events and located near Kaslo.

Cedar Bark Processing and Weaving Saturday and Sunday June 2nd -3rd. Instructor- Gita Ritter
Rocket Stove Mass Heater Construction Saturday June 9th. Instructor- Jay Naydiuk
Adobe Oven Construction Sundays June 10th and 17th. Instructor -Spring Shine.

All workshops start at 9 am and are located South of Kaslo. Bring your own lunch and wear work clothes. Admission is $22 a day. It is possible to take just one day of the two day courses.
The Kootenay Country Store Co-op awarded a $500 Environmental Grant to help photo document and share the event beyond the participants.

To Register or for more information:
Contact Peter
Box 1386 Kaslo BC V0G 1M0 Canada
250-353-2575 peterunderbelly@hotmail.com

Deanna Ibbitson will be offering two nutrition workshops in Creston, B.C. on May 22 and 23, 2012. Please send an email to dinutritionfit@gmail.com if you are interested in attending one or both of the workshops below. Please indicate  which topics you would like her to cover or suggest a new topic.

Check out her Facebook page for updates!

The Creston Valley Farmers’ Market returns in just over two weeks, and two workshops have been scheduled to help out vendors.

The first is a display workshop that runs from on 9 a.m.-noon on April 21, taught by artist Win Dinn for $10.

“That’s going to teach people the ins and outs of getting a display set up,” said market manager Jen Comer. “She’s going to be able to give tips and tricks. A lot of it is about repurposing thrift store stuff.”

A “market safe” course will be offered for $100 on April 28 to teach Food Safe guidelines. Although Food Safe is not yet required for farmers’ market vendors, Comer said it likely will be in the future, and this course will give vendors a great start.

The first farmers’ market runs on May 5 in the lot behind the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce (the usual Millen-nium Park location will be taken up by the visiting West Coast Amusements).

Shoppers can expect to find bedding plants and perennials, honey, art and donuts, as well as early produce, including lettuce.

“Joy Tomlinson’s been growing tomatoes in her greenhouse and getting them ready since December,” said Comer.

Cassandra Viers, she added, will be there with open pollination seeds and tomato seeds.

With an average of 25 vendors expected at the spring markets, the timing couldn’t be better.

“In the spring, people get into the mindset of eating local food,” said Comer.

The farmers’ market is run by the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition, which now offers members an incentive packages, developed by food action assistant Tamara Movold. Local food makers and businesses, she said, were eager to get on board.

“Everyone said they wanted to do it,” said Movold. “It was just a matter of coming up with incentives.”

Available for a $25 membership, the package contains a dozen incentives, including a free dessert with the purchase of a meal at Real Food Café, and 50 per cent off a member’s first bottle of milk and five per cent off farm gate sales of cheese and meat at Kootenay Alpine Cheese.

Previously, membership was gained by a voluntary donation, but the charge is designed to help the coalition meet one of its goals.

“Part of the food action coalition’s strategy is to cover operating costs without relying on grants,” said Comer.

Read more stories about us:

• Creston Valley Farmers’ Market open for season on Saturday
• 2010 a record year for Creston Valley Farmers’ Market
• Learn to use local produce at Creston farmers’ market

Please help us create the vision for a successful and sustainable Creston. The Town of Creston, in cooperation with community partners, is embarking on Cultivating Creston – our Integrated Community Sustainability Planning (ICSP) process that will lead our community to a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable future.

The word “sustainability” has become a popular buzzword, but it’s an important part of community planning. The development of a sustainable community – not only environmentally, but economically, socially and culturally – is critical to Creston’s long-term success and prosperity.

Learn more about Cultivating Creston: www.creston.ca or find us on facebook.

Participate now: The first opportunity for public input is through a 15 minute survey that will be online until April 25. Go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/CultivateCreston.

Save these dates:

April 27, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce. Come learn about Cultivating Creston and share what you love about our town in preparation for the Saturday workshops.

April 28 from 9:00am to 12:30pm and 12:00pm – 3:30pm at the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce. Workshops to inform a sustainable and successful future for Creston. Come for the morning or afternoon – or stay for both sessions! Light lunch provided at noon.

Stay in touch: To sign up for email updates, send us a request at cultivatingcreston@creston.ca or follow us on Twitter @CultivatingCres and on facebook.

We hope you will participate in cultivating Creston’s future!