The Wise Woman's Almanac

Pages 114-117

Nature's Fall Pantry: Abundant and Bold
Fall's natural diet provides foods that promote efficient functioning of your lungs and large intestine. Autumn time offers the opportunity for a seasonal cleanse to prepare your body for the heavier foods of winter. Pungent foods (garlic, onion, horseradish) offer cleansing and strengthening properties that prepare the lungs and large intestine for the coming season. This season's abundant harvest produces nutrient-dense foods that juice well, help eliminate stored toxins and strengthen this season's organs. To help you choose your Autumn meals wisely, I have prepared the following list of fall's readily available foods.

Apple

• Available year round, in numerous varieties
• Alkaline; provides pectin (fiber that binds and eliminates toxins from the intestinal tract); helps produce bodily fluids (moisture) and protects lungs from cigarette smoke

Cranberry

• On the market from September until March, with peak months of October through December
• Highly acidic; used more often for medicinal properties than nutritional value; mostly used for urinary tract infections
• Most commercial juices are only 1/3 pure juice mixed with water and sugar

Cruciferous Group

• Includes Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collard, Cress, Horseradish, Kale, Kohlrabi, Mustard, Radish, Rutabaga, Turnip
• Most are frost tolerant, making a longer growing season
• High sulfur content (gas forming) aids the circulation, which keeps the body warm in colder climates
• High in components that increase antioxidant defense mechanisms and anticancer properties

Carrot

• Grown year round
• Alkaline; sweet in flavor with bitter tops (greens may be snipped into soups or salads)
• High content beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A) an anti-oxidant that promotes eye health and protects against cancer
• Stimulates elimination and strengthens the lungs

Celery

• Available year round with peak months from November through May
• Alkaline; high in natural sodium and silicon (the "youth" maintainer)
• Helps balance high protein meals-good in chicken or tuna salad

Date

• Available from September until May, with November the peak month
• Excellent source of natural sugar, much healthier than refined sugar
• Heat producing in the body, providing a good source of energy for cold weather

Fig

• On the market from June until November, peaking in September and October
• High natural sugar content; great energy food for cold climates
• High in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese
• Alkaline; helps balance highly acidic diet of meat and fats; nourishes and tones the intestinal tract

Grape

• Domestic crops on the market from late July until March, with peak months of August through November; the Emperor grape is usually available in October and is a Thanksgiving and Christmas favorite
• Alkaline; high magnesium and water content benefits sluggish bowels

Jerusalem Artichoke

• A member of the sunflower family, it is not related to the globe artichoke
• Sweet flavor; nourishing to the lungs; supports "healthy" bacteria in the intestinal tract; relieves constipation
• Beneficial to diabetics, having specific polysaccharides that improve blood sugar balance

Jicama

• HEE-ka-ma, a turnip shaped root vegetable
• High in water content; used in raw vegetable juices, salads or vegetable trays
• High potassium content (electrolyte aiding in maintenance of water balance and distribution, acid-alkaline balance, muscle, nerve and heart function)

Onion

• Volatile sulfurous oil gives onion its distinctive odor, flavor and "crying" factor
• Pungent quality contributes to healing ability, especially for lung conditions
• Clinical studies show onions help lower cholesterol levels in the blood; prevent formation of blood clots; lower blood pressure and promote warmth in the body (increasing circulation and energy)
• High in the anti-cancer bioflavonoid, quercetin
• Varieties include: Chives, Leek, Onion, Scallion, Shallot

Pear

• Many varieties; the Bartlett is most popular, thriving in cool summers and mild winters
• Excellent source of water soluble fiber, including pectin (pears contain more pectin than apples), a fiber that helps tone intestines, moisten lungs and lower cholesterol
• Good energy food in colder weather, especially if eaten as a dried fruit

Pepper

• Member of the nightshade family (with eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes)
• Good source of Vitamin C, especially when eaten raw
• Capsaicin, the compound making peppers hot, acts as a pain reliever and is used in many topical formulas for muscle aches
• Eating hot peppers speeds the metabolism, increases circulation, opens sinuses and breaks up mucous in the lungs

Pomegranate

• Latin word meaning "apple with many seeds"
• Growth season is September through December with October its peak month
• The juice is very tart, making it an excellent tonic for the bladder and kidneys
• Phytonutrients help decrease damage from LDL cholesterol, lower arterial plaque and balance blood pressure

Potato

• Member of the nightshade family (with peppers, eggplant, tomatoes)
• Most modern varieties are available year round
• Mild, slightly sweet flavor; the outer skin being higher in nutrients than the center flesh (nearly 60% of the potassium content is in the peeling)
• Provides Vitamin C, enzymes and minerals; acts as a diuretic and lubricant to intestines

Potato-Sweet

• Not related to the common potato
• Rich in carotenes, Vitamin C, calcium and potassium
• Helpful in removing toxins from the body; strengthens the elimination system

Squash

• Member of the gourd or melon family
• Winter squash are a nutrient dense food in their peak from October through December
• Provides high amount of carotenes, complex carbohydrates, potassium and several B-vitamins supporting the body against many cancers

Nuts-Whole Grains-Seeds

Seeds have all the chemical elements, nutrients and nucleic acids to produce new life. (Dr. Bernard Jensen, Foods That Heal: A Guide to Understanding and Using the Healing Power of Natural Foods, 1988)

• Abundant in the late Summer and Fall harvest; very concentrated food form; heat producing for energy
• Contain greatest amount of essential fatty acids of all unprocessed foods; best source of Vitamin E
• High in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, carbohydrates and essential fats

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