“We’ve got sunlight on the sand
We’ve got moonlight on the sea
We’ve got mangoes and bananas we can pick right off a tree” (Rogers and Hammerstein, “There is Nothing Like a Dame” from the musical South Pacific.
It’s always nice to sit down to a complete meal, but the truth is that most of us often need something quick and easy. Fortunately, plants provide a wealth of foods that require little or no preparation and are really at their best and most nutritious when eaten fresh from the tree, bush, or vine. Just wash and enjoy. Some, you can eat with the peeling. Some, like bananas and oranges, come in an easy-to-remove biodegradable wrapper. If you have just a bit of time, you can combine them in salads or fabulous dessert plates. It’s a good idea to clean the surfaces carefully to eliminate bacteria that they might have picked up in the process of bringing it from the farm or orchard to your pantry. Here’s a quick guide to getting these natural fast foods ready to eat.
How to clean them
| 1. If you will eat the peeling, it’s a good idea to scrub it with a vegetable brush. 2. If you’re going to peel it, a good rinse, clean hands, and maybe a clean knife are all you need. 3. For porous foods like lettuce or strawberries, soak briefly (3 minutes or less) in a solution of water and vinegar (plain old cheap vinegar will do the trick)–about 1 part of vinegar to 3 parts of water. This Modern Survival Blog gives more details on cleaning fruits and vegetables. |
Just A Few of My Favorites from Nature’s Fast Food Menu
| apple apricot avocado banana berries (strawberry / blackberry / blueberry…) broccoli cantaloupe carrot cauliflower celery coconut cucumber date fig grape | lettuce (all kinds of leafy greens) mango mushroom nuts (pecan / almond / peanut / cashew / walnut…) orange / tangerine / mandarinpapaya peach pear pineapple plum pomegranate radish tomato watermelon zucchini |
When I switched to plant-based living after a lifetime of meals planned around a main course of meat, I immediately felt positive effects and found it surprisingly easy, even fun, to change my habits and explore new ways of enjoying food. Fruit and Stuff is a collection of some of the many things I have learned since I started the journey.