Scupper

Earlier today I purchased a whole fish at the farmer's market from The Local Catch. I decided to cook the scup whole! In my food processor I put 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, a small bunch of cilantro, parsley, and scallions, 3 cloves garlic, salt and pepper to taste, as well as a few tablespoons of olive oil and the juice from 1/2 a lemon. I processed these ingredients into a paste then put it on the fish and baked it for about 30 minutes. I then squeezed the remainder of the lemon juice onto the scup.

I like pairing cilantro and parsley with seafood because these herbs contain constituents that bind with metals and move them out of the body. Selenium, present in variable amounts in seafood, also has this action.

Pumpkin seeds, organic lemon, organic garlic, local and naturally grown  parsley, cilantro, and scallions.

Processed to a paste

The scup was delicious! A little tricky to separate from all the little bones, but for my first time I think I did just fine! It is a white fish with a mild, subtle flavor and went well with the spices. I also roasted some beets and summer squash with onions and thyme and sauteed some organic greens from The Good Earth Organic Gardening Center.

Beets, summer squash, braised greens, and local scup with spices

Before discarding the fish scraps I boiled the fish bones, head, and skin with some spices to make a nutritious broth. Will be a great addition to some miso soup later!

A Great Market Day!

I thoroughly enjoy visiting the Wintertime Farmer's Market in the Hope Artiste Village every Saturday morning. Today I picked up a lot of exciting items and got my knife sharpened too!

You can get your knife sharpened while you shop by Poor Boy Sharpening!

Locally and naturally grown onions, cilantro, carrots, and scallions.

St. John's Wort Tincture from Farmacy Herbs

I have been dealing with a back injury for the past 10 months. Its not debilitating, but it is frustrating and makes certain tasks difficult, such as gardening and bicycling, two of my favorite things! But on a more positive note, I have recently begun seeing a new chiropractor, Dr. Tom at Northeast Chiropractic in Providence. He was finally able to tell me what is wrong with my back and is working with me to correct it. Combined with physical therapy visits, my back is feeling better already and I finally feel as though I am making true healing progress.

In addition to the exercises and adjustments necessary for recovery, I am also eating foods and herbal preparations that contain nutrients essential to spinal health. Every day I drink a tea blend of tonic herbs that provide me with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that focus on the nervous system (a class of herbs known as adaptogens). I make all different tea blends, but almost always include oatstraw, tulsi, nettles, and alfalfa. Nettles and oatstraw in particular are great sources of silica, making them great for bone and joint health. They all contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals; alfalfa alone provides vitamin A, B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Panothenic Acid), B6 (Pyridoxine), B12 (methylcobalamin), C (ascorbic acid), D, E, and K. As far as minerals, it contains calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc. (more information on alfalfa here).

I recently came across a very informative podcast on herbs and back pain with Jim McDonald. He describes herbs that can be beneficial for different types of back pain. In terms of nerve related issues, he highly recommends St. John's Wort. My injury involves a sort of pinching pain that leads me to believe it is nerve related, but my intuition also tells me so. St. John's Wort is different from other plants in that its beneficial constituents can only be extracted using the fresh plant. It grows in New England, but not this time of year, so I knew that I had to find the herb in tincture form (preserved in alcohol, tinctures last forever and make constituents available that are not water soluble). Fortunately, I was able to get a bottle from Farmacy herbs.

Fresh Scup from The Local Catch

I have also been eating a lot of seafood! Seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids that are essential components of many organs, but especially critical in nervous system health. B vitamins and selenium are other important nutrients provided by seafood. Today I purchased some Scup! A whole fish as you can see from the picture. Scup is a local species that is often considered a "trash fish". There is nothing wrong with these fish, they just aren't a traditional part of the local seafood market. This species was one of the varieties that graced plates at the recent Trash Fish Dinner. I picked up this one fresh from The Local Catch at the farmer's market.

Okay, time to cook some fish! I have never prepared a whole fish before...wish me luck!