Still Summer!

Summer's not over yet!

Apples, pears, artichoke, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, rutabaga, cabbage, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions, all kinds of squash and corn. I'm getting hungry!

​It is September 1st today, and kids start back at school this week, but summer is not officially over until September 22.  Every year I am always extremely reluctant to give up on summer and move into the next season.  Even though  most of the berries are finishing, and I probably just canned the last of this year's peaches, we are just getting into the harvest season for so many more harder types of produce.  I also just harvested our first acorn squash.  A randomly dropped seed that had the good fortune to fall in a particularly sunny part of the garden has produced one of the healthiest veggies in my garden this year!  
A particular favourite of mine are the apples.  We are so fortunate here in BC to have such a wide assortment of varieties available to us from the beautiful Okanagan.  I like to peel, slice and freeze them for warming apple cobblers throughout the winter months.  Also eating an apple a day does keep the doctor away!  A 2013 study published in the British Medical Journal concluded that eating an apple a day was just as effective at lowering LDL cholesterol as was taking a statin drug every day!

While it is still abundant, now is the time to continue nourishing our bodies with fresh, in season, local fruits and vegetables.  The micro nutrients and phyto-chemicals they contain are the most important nutrients our bodies need for healing, regenerating cells and building our immune systems to prevent and reverse illness and disease.  Eating them while they are in season ensures they contain the most nutrients available as travel and storage causes the nutrients to deplete.
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​Equally important to our health is being active.  Before the weather really turns, make every effort to get outdoors as much as possible and enjoy the beauty of nature.  Did you know that walking in the forest exposes us to plant chemicals that stimulate the production of our 'killer T-cells'?  These incredible compounds are vital in protecting us from ​cancer.  A walk along the beach is equally health giving as we are exposed to much greater amounts of negative ions.   Negative ions stimulate defense cells in our bodies, allow us to absorb more oxygen into our blood cells,  and are also mood enhancing.  Watching a beautiful sunset isn't only romantic it's also healthy.  The changing angles of daylight strike receptors in our eyes and help regulate our circadian rhythm (sleep patterns).

Just because the kids are going back to school don't resign yourself to thinking summer's over.  Get out there and make the most of every day!

https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/killer-t-cell
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/8/851
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4020279/

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