To my delight, the Potsdam Food Co-op recently had a basket full of wild turmeric root*. Before I could discover it, I received several messages from personal clients and Co-op members... "Hey Paula, guess what I found at the Co-op? AND, what do I do with it now that I have it?"
Suggestions:
- grate into soups, stews, and stir fries
- add to grated root veggie slaws
- grate into butter and nut butters
- grind into smoothies** if you are a smoothie person (See eBook information below)
- add to yummy chai tea
Keep in mind that turmeric is absorbed and used more efficiently (healing & nutritionally speaking) when it is eaten with fat. Some plant constituents (the natural chemicals in plants) are better broken down, absorbed, and assimilated into your cells when fat is part of the equation. Healthy fat is also a great help in weight loss, healing body cells, and creating vibrant health.
So... I decided to make Wild Turmeric Butter! No, this is not local butter but I was out of Kriemhild Butter and I get tired of stock piling the plastic containers it comes in. Time for me to special order some of the 1 lb. rolls that are wrapped in paper. Hmm, they do sell a 50 pound block! :)
Wild Turmeric Butter Recipe
Into the vita-mix I threw:
- 1/4 pound (1/2 cup) of cow's milk butter, see image above
- 1/3 cup raw, local honey
- 2-3 tbsp. of organic, extra virgin olive oil (always make sure it comes from a virgin!)
- 1/3 cup organic, raw, unrefined coconut oil
- 1/3 cup raw coconut butter (this contains all edible parts of the coconut not just the oil)
- 6-7 small pieces of wild turmeric root
- 2 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp. dry ginger root powder (next time I will use a piece of fresh, organic ginger root)
Then I blended it thoroughly. This took using the vita mix plunger to keep pushing the mix of ingredients into the blades. I also shut off the blender twice to scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula until all was well blended.
The next time I make this decadent and scrumptious butter I will use only cow's milk butter with the honey, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. I was down to my last 1/2 pound block of butter. Being without butter in my home is a tragedy!
Looking into the vita mix
Turmeric butter on toast with a fried duck egg from Nature's Storehouse in Canton.
Finished Turmeric Butter in it's jar
*Curcumin, turmeric's most active ingredient, reduces the formation of fat tissue. Turmeric suppresses the blood vessels needed to form new fat tissue (it is an anti-inflammatory herb and excess fat formation is an inflammatory response) and therefore may help prevent fat build-up. Curcumin use, from turmeric, results in improvements in insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and other inflammatory symptoms associated with obesity, metabolic disorders, and even cancer.
**Smoothies:
