Are frozen vegetables processed food?

The answer is Yes.

Frozen vegetables are processed through the following steps (Ref 1):

Harvest - Factory receiving and quality checks - Sifting and Washing - Blanching - Freezing - Weighing and Bagging - Quality Control - Delivery

The current industry standard of blanching is set at 86ºC. Take an example of broccoli. Blanching practically kills enzyme myrosinase, which is necessary to form sulforaphane, one of the powerful cancer-preventive compounds in broccoli.

However, Illinois scientists (Ref 2) suggest either lowering the temperature to 76ºC or adding 0.25 percent of Daikon radish on the frozen broccoli. The first remedy help preserve 82% of the enzyme. And the second one works by adding the enzyme myrosinase from Daikon radish onto the frozen broccoli to form sulforaphane.

In addition to Daikon radish, cabbage, arugula, watercress, horseradish also contain myrosinase. So sprinkle a tiny amount of these raw vegetables to frozen cooked broccoli and you will still get the cancer fighting phytochemical sulforaphane.

Purslane, weed, food or medicine?

I have tried to grow a garden in Salinas of Santa Elena in Ecuador recently. It never occurred to me that it would be that difficult. The temperature is perfect for growing things, around 25 degree Celsius and I water them everyday. However, the ground is extremely salty, as the house sits ocean front. In addition, Salinas, meaning saltworks in Spanish, has been farming salt for many years, thus making it even more salty than other ocean front places.

However, there is one weed that grows extremely well. Even though I plug out some everyday, I just cannot keep up with their growth.

Now I am back in Canada, spending too much time on the internet. I came across some articles regarding edible weeds. Voila, the weed that bothered me so much is called purslane (Verdolaga in Spanish, Portulaca oleracea in Latin) and packed with nutrition. So next time I am in my house in Salinas, instead of trying to eliminate them, I will just eat the weed.

Nutrients and medicinal properties:

1. Purslane contains more omega 3 fatty acids (in the form of alpha-linolenic acid) than any other leafy plant.

2. The two types of betalain alkaloid pigments, the reddish betacyanins (visible in the coloration of the stems) and the yellow betananthins (noticeable in the flowers and the slight yellowish tint of the leaves), have been found to have antimutagenic properties in laboratory studies (a good review of natural antimutagenes can be found here).

3. It is a good source of vitamins and dietary minerals, especially vitamin A, C, E and magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron.

4. Could be a good candidate for anti-aging research, as it contains dopamine and DOPA. Betacyanins isolated from Purslane improved cognition in aged mice.

Harvesting:

The last inch or two of the leafy stem will be the most tender. When stressed by drought, which is where they are in my garden under normal circumstance, purslane switches to a different photosynthesis pathway: the leaves trap carbon dioxide at night and convert them into malic acid (the sour taste of the apple). Under the sun, malic acid is converted into glucose. So when you harvest early in the morning, the leaves are significantly more tangy than harvest in the late afternoon, which have more glucose.

How to eat purslane?

1. Add them in salads

2. Stir fry them with chicken, pork or shrimp

3.Use them as garnish in ceviche

4. Cook them in a soup

I cannot wait to try them.